Masters Thoughts

Some rambling thoughts in advance of the Augusta National Putting Championship:

* I'm in one of those 1A-1B-2C pools.  I took Els for my "A".  Though he's never won here, he's got a long history of good finishes.  Plus he's been playing well.  Other options were Mickelson (too shaky in '10), Casey/Poulter/Westwood (Euro curse at Augusta), Stricker and Furyk (nah) and his royal Tigness (still has to be some rust)

I took Paddy for my B.  How he is in the B group whereas some of the others were As is surprising.  Good value here.  This group also included Allenby (no chance), Sergio (the cowardly lion) and Goosen. 

For my two "C" players, I took KJ Choi, who has played surprisingly well this year after a down 2009, and Charl Schwartzel who already has two US Top 3 finishes this year.  Some have said he's already the best South African in the world.

* OMG, no Azaleas in bloom at Augusta?  It's true: http://www.weiunderpar.com/post/505616726/dogwoods-tigers-and-wisterias-but-no-azaleas

* Tiger.  Seriously, the 21-year old daughter of a neighbor?  What did you NOT try to hit these last few years?  And just because Tiger is smiling, signing a few autographs and taking a few pictures, I'm supposed to feel for him and take him back into my good graces?  After all this?  After trying to explain all this to a curious-but-not-quite-aware-yet 8yo?  It's gonna take some time, Tiger.  Not that you care.

* The Nike/Tiger/Ghost-of-Earl commercial is just craptacularly creepy.  This can not possibly be one of the steps in a recovery program.  There IS such a thing as bad publicity and this is it. 

* The weather looks good ... now give me an exciting Sunday finish which hopefully involves heroics and does not involve near 50 year olds skulling chips on the 71st hole of a major. 

2010 Masters Picks

Masters Pick: Phil Mickelson.

I don't care how poorly he's been playing or that Tiger is back or Ernie is on a hot streak. No one has played AN as well as Phil since the re-design, even TW. Ernie will be lucky to make the cut he is so pumped up. I have no idea what to expect from Tiger.

Rest of the top 10:
- Goosen - also has played the re-design well - needs to hit the driver a couple holes straighter a day
- Schwartzel - color me impressed
- Mahan - has played the big tournaments better than the gump events the last 2 years
- Cink - seems to only wake up a couple events a year now. this will be one of them
- Poulter - if he wants to get to #2 in the World Ranking, needs to play well in majors to get there
- Westwood - can't stay out of his own way, but playing well enough to top 10 this
- Campbell, C. - nothing all year to-date. hasn't stopped him before
- Furyk - long ball park doesn't help him contend, but playing well
- Kuchar - having a career year in 2010 - may win somewhere soon - say Memorial