- Scheffler is a great Masters champion. He earned it. He essentially held the lead for the vast majority of the tournament and didn’t do anything to put that lead at risk. He played relatively conservative golf, playing to his strengths. It’s probably the best wedge play I’ve ever seen.
- I am impressed by how grounded and composed Scheffler seems to be. The only emotion we saw from him all week was during his acceptance speech when he started talking about his faith and his family. Very impressive young man.
- I feel bad for Cam Smith. He seemed poised to strike on Sunday – until Scheffler chipped in on 3. He couldn’t get anything going after that.
- Rory’s Sunday round was one of the best ever. Remember – he lost the 2012 Masters by blowing up on Sunday afternoon back nine. He shot 32-32 on Sunday, so I’d assume the curse is broken. He’ll take that momentum into future majors.
- Justin Thomas’ weekend looks were the best – by a mile. Saturday’s pink cashmere sweater/green pants look and Sunday’s Palmer-esque Navy polo and yellow pants look were out of this world.
- Not impressed with the Masters merchandise this year. A lot of what I saw felt very Dick’s Sporting Goods, not keeping with the prestige of Augusta National. A lot of trendy skateboarder hats and printed polos. Hopefully they hear the feedback and return to the more traditional look(s). Or at least keep that as a part of the merch tents.
- The week-long Masters coverage is bad for my health. It’s all I watched, followed by the Braves games. I have no idea what’s going on in the world. Golf Channel’s ‘Live at the Masters’ is engaging, and the pre-CBS coverage on ESPN+ coverage of ‘featured groups’ is good enough – especially since they followed around Tiger on Saturday and Sunday. I’ve got to imagine they CRUSHED subscription numbers this weekend.
- Tiger Woods. Simply amazing. We are witnessing full Tiger 2.0. At this point, I think he’s shed all the issues with his past transgressions. I found myself pulling for him on every shot. Wincing when he was limping up and down the fairway, and trying to line up putts. I really hope he embraces the impact he has on the game, the younger players, and the fans. He shot 78-78 over the weekend, and he was smiling, gracious, and upbeat. Good for him.
What did you think?
Overall, one of my favorite Masters in recent memory. Course played tough enough, the best man won, and Tiger being there was icing on the cake. Scottie will be a household name for years to come
Liked the “Patron” hat but that was the only new merch that stood out to me. They finally changed the logo on the Tervis with the year so I had a buddy grab me one.
Super impressed with Scheffler. He seems like a solid young man who has his priorities in life in order.
It’s simply the greatest event production in the world. A marvel to watch and an important piece of American culture.
Alright, I’ll say it- from the standpoint of an at-home viewer, this year’s Masters was just OK. From a purely golf appreciation standpoint, it was fun to watch the pros respond to a variety of course conditions over the 4 days. From a competition standpoint, save a brief run by Cameron Smith, Sunday was pretty anti-climactic.
It was a fun tournament, Tiger making the cut, Cam crumbling, Rory and Morikawa’s bunker shots, but ya I feel ya. I always look forward to Sunday so much, and when any major has a guy that has a pretty considerable lead, it’s a little deflating.
I agree that overall the prints weren’t great, but I found a couple that I liked to balance my stable of conservative stripes. Also, one of the mens polos matched a toddler polo so I got one to match my 2 y.o. son. The Oxford shirts were incredible though! My first choice was sold out in my size but the associate offered me an alternative that wasn’t on the display that actually looked better than my first choice. Got it home to find out it was made of performance material. Will definitely be my go-to summer casual shirt!
While living in Atlanta, I attended my first Masters practice round as a guest in 1995. While there, I recognized an 19-year old Amateur in a Stanford hat on the putting green at his first Masters with nary a crowd watching him. I encountered both Byron Nelson & David Robinson leaving the Par 3 course (Robinson was carrying a bag and appeared to be caddying for someone). That golf experience at Augusta National forever hooked me on The Masters. Since then, I’ve submitted practice rounds every year but only hit pay dirt twice: 1999 and 2016. That’s a long time to wait between Masters. And I haven’t been selected since 2016. This year, I’ll be submitting my application for the first time from our home on Isle of Palms, SC and I hope to have greater luck with this southern exposure. If not, I’ll still enjoy every single minute on TV, as I did this year. And “thank you” for your Masters-related columns and photographs in “Red Clay Soul”.
So you have been 3 times and most people zero times. My zero times is a long time wait. HA
This was my first time attending. Tuesday practice round and had tickets since 2019 pre Covid but finally got to go with full attendance. Rain pushed us out around 11 unfortunately. I’ll always enjoy Sunday on my couch watching I think. Still dropped a few c notes in the merch store. Grabbed a rope hat with performance material that I hadn’t seen before. Keep up the great work RCS.
Took my son for his first ever Masters this year. He’s 10 and I felt he was finally ready for the hills and the grueling trek around the course.. My family has had badges since the 1940s so our annual trips have become a rite of passage. As we left he said, “that was a lot of fun”. This was right before we ran into 3 of the 5 guys from Dude Perfect, whom my son idolizes. Those guys were amazing to my son and ensured that this would be a experience he (and I) would share that neither of us will ever forget. And, isn’t that what it’s all about?
As for the merch. I always go with a couple of things in mind that I want. This year I had my heart set on a Peter Millar quarter zip vest and was disappointed that they didn’t have any (at least by the time I arrived on Friday). The hat game left a lot to be desired. Would love to see them put some emphasis in this area next year.
I was so happy to see Scottie win. The guys is first class in every way. That said, I was gutted for Cam and would’ve loved to see it come down to a putt on the last.
Finally, Rory and Colin on 18 was what the Masters is all about. However, I get a good laugh every time I see Rory’s spirit fingers celebration.
Agreed with the overall theme here that Scottie is a deserving champion. Just impressed by a kid from small town Highland Park, TX, pulling himself up by his bootstraps from obscurity to join the ranks of Matthew Stafford (UGA), Clayton Kershaw and John Stephen Jones.
Woods’ children will never shed the effects of his past transgressions. That cannot be compared to success in golf, or basically, anything. On the other hand, strictly relating to the sports of it all, he might make the biggest comeback in sports history. Hard not to admire just the pure athleticism of it all.