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.