If you are looking for me from Thursday through Sunday, go no further than my couch in front of my 90-inch TV.
It’s Masters week and unless you are there, there’s no place greater than your couch.
That’s right, the best golf tournament takes place starting Thursday and ending on Sunday. It’s best tournament to watch each year and it’s not even close.
I have written about this before – well every year to be honest – what makes The Masters great is that the course is the same every year, making the suspense on Sunday amazing.
While the other majors rotate courses, Augusta National remains the host of the Masters. Oh, there has been some tinkering throughout the years, but the course essentially remains the same.
The popular saying is “The Masters begins on the back nine on Sunday,” and truer words may have never been spoken.
Once again, let’s take a look at the final nine holes.
10th hole (495 yards, par 4): Traditionally one of the most difficult holes on the course and not an easy way to get going on the back. There are plenty of chances to score in the final nine holes, but you have to get through the severely downhill No. 10, which usually plays to an over-par average.
11th hole (520 yards, par 4): The beginning of Amen Corner is another par 4 that is tough to score on. It also plays downhill and left to right. There is a pond guarding the left side of the green. A big tee shot makes it an easier approach but that is not a guarantee. Another hole that historically plays to an over-par average.
12th hole (155 yards, par 3): Now the fun starts. The walk over from the 11th green to the 12th tee and the wall of people sitting behind the tee box, is unnerving. The tee shot is all carry over water to the narrow green. Leave anything short and the ball is likely to roll back into the water. That is unless you are Fred Couples, who somehow got the ball to stop on the slope in the final round when he won the Masters in 1992. Hit the ball too far and you risk ending up in the plants and trees behind the green making for a nearly impossible shot. If you’re lucky, perhaps you land in the sand long but then you face a shot back towards the water that can easily roll off the front and into the water. No bargain on any shot here as the wind can make a three-club difference.
13th hole (545 yards, par 5): This is the first scoring hole on the final nine. A tributary to Rae’s Creek runs down the left side of the hole and then in front of the green. The big green looks inviting from the fairway, often prompting the golfer to go for the green in two but the raised green guarded by water in the front and four bunkers behind the green makes a layup sometimes the better choice. A minimum of a birdie here is a must if you wish to contend for the title on Sunday.
14th hole (440 yards, par 4): Is kind of a mundane hole compared to others and has no bunkers, but the contour of the green makes it tough. Finding the fairway is so important that hitting less than driver is often the better choice. If you find the fairway, there is a chance to score but push or hook your drive into the trees and the pine straw will make par seem like a blessing.
15th hole (550 yards, par 5): Is the second par 5 on the back and is reachable enough that anything above a birdie is like giving up a shot to the field. While it is reachable, the second shot has to cross a pond to another narrow green, guarded on the right by a bunker. The optimal drive is down the right side as anything to the left of the fairway could bring trees into play for the second shot. Anything down the right side over 300 yards jumps your birdie percentage to 58 percent, while anything left where the trees come into play drops the birdie percentage to 31 percent. Birdies on 13 and 15 are almost mandatory to have a chance to win the tournament.
16th hole (170 yards, par 3): The other par three on the back and equally as thrilling as No. 12. The hole is played entirely over water and has a green that severely slopes from right to left. What makes this hole so exciting is that a well-played tee shot will have the ball catch the slope and feed down to the hole. The noise grows louder as the ball comes down the slope to the hole, setting up a kick-in birdie or even a hole-in-one. Tiger Woods hit one of the greatest shots in golf history when his shot out of the rough on the left rolled away from the hole, then caught the slope and rolled tantalizingly slowly towards the hole, stopped for a minute, then rolled into the hole for birdie. It’s been said it was the loudest crowd roar in Masters history.
17th hole (450 yards, par 4): A trap hole if there ever was one. An uphill par 4 with a tough green guarded by bunkers. If the player tries to take a breath here, he can trouble off the tee and risk a chance at losing why they may have gained at 13 or 15. Play it smart and simple. Get it in the fairway, onto the green and two put for par. That breath you need can be had walking from the 17th green to the 18th tee – it will be necessary.
18th hole (465 yards, par 4): The deadly closing hole has been the death knell for many golfers over the years. The tee shot is out of a chute and offers a defense of bunkers down the elbow of the dogleg right hole, and trees/pine straw on the right. Get in the fairway and make sure to get to the upper half of the deep green and where the pin is for the final day. If you do that, par is almost a given. You can birdie the hole – it has been done to win the tournament – but you will feel a lot better if you just need a par.
It will be a great week of golf and it’s about time for me to claim my spot on the couch!
By Dennis Miller