The Masters

I have loved The Masters since I was a little boy; I watched my first one in 1969 when I was eleven years old. It holds an allure, a charm, unlike no other sporting event, always slightly edging out the World Series in my mental rankings. It's not that The Masters is always better than the World Series, or other sporting events - there have been duds here and there, last year included. I simply look forward to it more. The only other events that possibly rivalled it in anticipation were the heavyweight championship bouts of years gone by - Ali, Frazier, Foreman, etc. But boxing is now not only a dead sport but a farce, and championship bouts are won and lost these days without my even taking notice.

Alas, The Masters too is no longer what it once was. The course changes at Augusta may have made it a better course but they've made the tournament less fun. The extra length, the rough, the added trees, the lightning-fast greens that were never meant to be that fast, have combined to make Augusta a beast - and that's the problem. Augusta was always difficult, owing mostly to the slope and speed of its greens - the greens were always Augusta's last (some said only) line of defense. But its wide-open fairways allowed players to put themselves in position to score, if they executed. If they didn't, the trouble on and around the greens could mean disaster. It was the greatest risk/reward golf course ever set up and the drama it created year-in and year-out was riveting. Back-nine 30s would set the place abuzz; back-nine 40s would break golfers - and their fans - hearts. It was exciting - it was simply SO MUCH FUN!

No more. The course won't allow hot streaks like it used to. The tournament has become a grind rather than a shootout with consequences. Risk-taking on so demanding a course is suicidal in most cases. So the golfers play it safe, calculating their way around the course like it was a U.S. Open set up. They pick their spots. This is not The Masters I grew up with and came to love. Zack Johnson's win last year - at +1 - bordered on the boring. He played excellent golf, no doubt, but there were no charges, no heartbreaks, and little excitement.

Don't get me wrong. I'll still watch every minute of the broadcast, including Wednesday's first ever showing of the par-3 tournament. I'll be online during the non-televised portions of the event, checking out the scores. It's still a great tournament played on an outstanding course by the best in the world. It's just not as fun. My ardor leading into this year's Masters is a bit muted from past years. I hope I can come back next Sunday evening and tell you I was a complete idiot for posting this and that the 2008 Masters was the most exciting ever.

Well, except for Jack's win in 1986. Nothing ever has or ever will top that.