The Masters' Green Jacket or Sir Willie's Plaid Jacket?

 The RBC Heritage is the traditional stop on the PGA Tour the week after the Masters, and this year is no exception. After two rounds, Stewart Cink, who, at age 47, has revitalized his career with two top-ten finishes and one victory on the 2021 Tour already, has posted double 63s and has a 5-shot lead on the field heading into the third round.

In the “Horses For Courses” category, the RBC Heritage has been played with different sponsors and names since its inception in 1969, but always played at the Harbour Town Golf Links on Hilton Head Island in South Carolina.  As it turns out, Cink has won this tournament twice before, in 2000 and 2004.  While Cink would likely prefer a green jacket someday, he will gladly slip on the tartan plaid jacket, in honor of Sir William Innes, who was captain of the Society of Golfers at Blackheath in Scotland in the 1790s, awarded to the RBC Heritage winner late Sunday afternoon should the occasion arise.  

Sir Willie Then

Sir Willie Now

In that case, given his career renaissance, he most likely will not be heard singing the following sad refrain very often this season.

 

ONE STROKE OVER THE CUT

Original song:  One Toke Over The Line

Songwriters: Michael Brewer / Tom Shipley

One Toke Over The Line Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group

 

One stroke over the cut sweet Jesus
One stroke over the cut
Sittin' in my Lear on a red-hot tarmac
One stroke over the cut

Awaitin' for the pilot flying home, sweet Mary
Hopin' that the pilot’s  on time
Sittin' in my Lear on a red-hot tarmac
One stroke over the cut

 

Whoooo does golf love, I hope it's me
I've bin a struglin', as you can plainly see
I felt the joy and I learned about the pain missing the cut did
If I should choose to make this  part of my game surely fix my head

One stroke over the cut sweet Jesus
One stroke over the cut
Sittin' in my Lear on a red-hot tarmac
One stroke over the cut

Awaitin' for the pilot flying home, sweet Mary
Hopin' that the pilot’s  on time
Sittin' in my Lear on a red-hot tarmac
One stroke over the cut

I hit the ball a country mile,
But no strokes gained  and I don’t smile

I played all the shots and loved myself a few
Taken by surprise all the rough I've cut through
I ended over par  and now I'm
One toke over the line sweet Jesus

One stroke over the cut sweet Jesus
One stroke over the cut
Sittin' in my Lear on a red-hot tarmac
One stroke over the cut

Awaitin' for the pilot flying home, sweet Mary
Hopin' that the pilot’s  on time
Sittin' in my Lear on a red-hot tarmac
One stroke over the cut

I don’t want  to be
One stroke over the cut sweet Jesus
One stroke over the cut
Sittin' in my Lear on a red-hot tarmac
One stroke over the cut

Awaitin' for the pilot flying home, sweet Mary
Hopin' that the pilot’s  on time
Sittin' in my Lear on a red-hot tarmac
One stroke over the cut

Songwriters: Michael Brewer / Tom Shipley

One Toke over the Line lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group

 

© 2012-21 R.E. Kelly

AMDG

 

 

Lightning In A Bottle Or Horses For Courses

 What is it about the Masters, anyway?  After a record-setting romp through the field at Augusta National last November, defending champ Dustin Johnson failed to make the cut after two desultory rounds the past two days.  CBSSports reports that Johnson joins some unfortunate company by becoming the third defending Masters champion to miss the cut in the last five years.  The two others were Danny Willett in 2016 and Sergio Garcia in 2017. And in fact, Garcia has now failed to make the cut in the three Masters he has played after his 2017 victory, including this year’s, and Willett has missed the cut in four of the five Masters in which he has played, including this year’s, after his 2016 victory.  Wait, What?

And if you look at golf history, 142 male golfers have notched one majors’ victory.  Of those, only 19 have won the Masters as their only majors’ victory. With one exception (Fred Couples) none of them are in the WGHOF nor are likely to be enshrined in the future. Lightning in a bottle for sure - just ask Larry Mize.

Then on the other hand, there are horses for courses.  One level up, there are 17 golfers who have won two or more Masters, led by the GOAT, Jack Nicklaus, with 6 green jackets. Of those 17, there are five whose only majors’ victories are in the Masters, four who played in the modern era:  Jose Maria Olazabal, Bernhard Langer, Ben Crenshaw and Bubba Watson.  All save for Watson are in the WGHOF.  While Olazabal and Langer  had extremely distinguished careers abroad, between them they only won 5 PGA Tour titles here in the United States aside from their four Masters’ wins. And Watson, who has 12 Tour victories, has won 8 of them on three golf courses, winning at Riviera Country Club 3 times. 

Name That Golfer - And His Sponsor!

So what will it be, lightning in a bottle for a rookie Masters winner, veteran (Rose with 24 professional wins including a major) or actual (Will Zalatoris in his first Masters’ appearance); long-shot (Bernd Weisberger, best Masters finish T24 in 5 tries, cut in 10 of 19 other majors’ tournaments); historic (Jordan Spieth completes his historic career comeback by winning his 4^th major; close but no cigar (Tony Finau, 8 top-ten finishes in 18 majors), or somewhere in between.  We will find out tomorrow evening as the sun sets over the loblolly pines in Augusta.

BTW, I’m still taking the field.

 

© 2012-21 R.E. Kelly

               AMDG

 

 

I’ll Take The Field

I have a confession to make. I am not much of a gambler. In fact, that’s an understatement.  I have never sat at a card table in a casino.  The last time I played poker for stakes (nickel, dime, quarter) was in a cozy game with friends three decades ago. I have somehow resisted the online gambling revolution and the constant assault on the senses through advertising by DraftKings,  William Hill, MGM and other assorted online gambling platforms that make it so easy for you to gamble. Just bet a dollar and you can win $100; it’s just that easy.  Right.

I do have one gambling weakness, however. I have been indulging in rotisserie baseball and fantasy football for at least 30 years. That satisfies my gambling itch. Of course, since fantasy sports are games of skill, not chance, perhaps that participation doesn't qualify as gambling in certain circles.

Which brings us to the Masters Tune-a-ment, which starts tomorrow.  I must say that I have never been as disinterested in arguably golf’s crown jewel (at least on this side of the pond) as I am this year. While I am no fan of no fan of Tiger Woods, his absence makes this year's tournament much less interesting both from a golfing and historical perspective. 

Speaking of history, Lee Elder, who in 1975 became the first Black man to play in the Masters, will be an honorary starter tomorrow morning alongside the sport’s elder statesmen 85-year-old Gary Player and 80-year-old Jack Nicklaus. That’s swell, but let’s remember how many Black golfers played, i.e., were invited, to play in the Masters between Elder in 21975 and Woods’ first appearance in 1995 at age 19.  The answer?  Precisely two, Calvin Peete and Jim Dent. As Clifford Roberts, one of Augusta National’s co-founders, said, “As long as I’m alive, all the golfers will be white and all the caddies will be Black.”  And the caddies were black, until the pros demanded they be allowed to bring their own caddies to the tournament in 1983. (But the overalls, still required to be worn by each player’s caddy, remain white.  Oh, the irony.)

 

I have reviewed the so-called Masters’ story lines on sports websites this week, and pardon me if they inspire a huge “ho-hum”. Some of the so-called big story lines:

1.  Can Dustin Justin repeat as champion?

This is mildly interesting.  Only three golfers have won back-to-back Masters since the tournament began in 1934; you may have heard of them Jack Nicklaus (1965-66), Nick Faldo (1989-90) and Tiger Woods (2001-02).

Should Johnson win this week, he will perhaps solidify his Hall of Fame credentials: he will move into a tie for 23^rd in most PGA wins with legend Johnny Miller and two others (no current active PGA tour golfer other than Phil Mickelson has more than 18 (Rory)); he will also have accumulated 3 majors victories; of active golfers, only Mickelson, McIlroy and Koepka, all sure-fire HOFers in waiting, have more. But if he does win, it will be hard to top the Champions Dinner menu chosen by “Mr. Johnson” for Tuesday night’s dinner: Pigs in a Blanket – Yum!  Lobster & Corn Fritters – a tip of the hat to his South Carolina roots; Entrée:  prime filet mignon or miso-marinated sea bass – Sign Me Up!

 

 

Certainly a DJ repeat would be historical,  but it won’t get me jumping off the sofa if he wins. (Gonzaga still has time to do something….!)

 

2.  Jordan Spieth is back:  yes, he has been on a statistical roll lately, especially with his iron play.  And his victory last week in the Texas Open certainly provides momentum going into Augusta.  But the TPC San Antonio Oaks Course is no Augusta National, and only four golfers, two since 1960, have won the <asters the week after triumphing in a Tour victory, and Mickelson was the last in 2006.  Admittedly, a fourth major would be extremely cool.  I could root for him; but I will root for one other golfer more…

 

3.  Rory McIlroy.  Yes, my Irish is showing.  And a victory at the Masters in 2021 would close his career Slam as well as lift him to 5 career majors; only 12 golfers have more, all of them legends. But to paraphrase the great philosopher Yogi Berra, "Golf is ninety percent mental. The other half is physical." Between the ghosts of his historic collapse at Augusta in 2011  and his puzzling chase of Bryson DeChambeau to be the longest driver on the tour (Rory is only one yard behind BdC in average driving distance – go figure). I don’t give Rory much of a chance.  If he can escape his traditional slow start, i.e., crashing and burning in Round One, perhaps he has a chance to wear the green jacket on Sunday.  I hope so.

 

Other story lines that just don’t interest me:  Brooks Koepka (hope he’s healthy, but I doubt it); Jon Rahm (baby delivered, now on to Augusta); do old golfers like Sergio, Lee Westwood and Paul Casey have a chance (No); and so on.

 

One story for which I actually have an affirmative repulsion: can Bryson “Big Science” DeChambeau wreck Augusta National with his booming drives and wedges into the part-fives.   Now let’s get something straight, long drivers have always had a distinct advantage at Augusta National (see Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods, whose 18 under par 270, leading the field by 12 strokes, in 1997 required immediate “Tiger Proofing” of the azaleas).  And Johnson has traditionally been one of the longest hitters on tour. But DeChambeau’s obsession with so-called “science” and with driving distance is, frankly, nauseating.  So I will be actively rooting against Big Science this weekend (which mean he will do extremely well.)

 

So, back to the gambling.  Here are the moneyline odds for some of the top players (according to Fanduel):

• Dustin Johnson: +950
• Jordan Spieth: +1150
• Bryson DeChambeau: +1150
• Justin Thomas: +1250
• Jon Rahm: +1250
• Rory McIlroy: +1900
• Patrick Cantlay: +2050
• Xander Schauffele: +2600
• Brooks Koepka: +2800
• Collin Morikawa: +3150
• Viktor Hovland: +3500
• Paul Casey: +3500
• Tony Finau: +3500
• Patrick Reed: +3500
• Webb Simpson: +3500
• Cameron Smith: +3500
• Matthew Fitzpatrick: +4000
• Daniel Berger: +4000
• Sungjae Im: +4150
• Tyrrell Hatton: +5000
• Hideki Matsuyama: +5000
• Lee Westwood: +5000
• Jason Day: +5500
• Scottie Scheffler: +5500
• Joaquin Niemann: +5500
• Tommy Fleetwood: +6000
• Sergio Garcia: +6000

Notables not in the above group: Phil Mickelson, Adam Scott, Scottie Scheffler, Justin Rose, Will Zalatoris, Bubba Watson, Matthew Wolff.  Hmm..

It would seem logical that the winner of the 2021 Masters would have to originate from the group of golfers with a money line of +3500 or less. I’ll take the field below +3500 and hope Rory or Jordan Spieth prove me wrong.  

Enjoy the piped-in birdies chirping on CBS.

 

© 2012-21 R.E. Kelly

AMDG