I know that for a lot of you, the Masters are old news by now, and that's ok, but I wanted to have a few days to process what happened down at Augusta before I recorded them. And now that I have reflected upon the tournament that was I am ready to make a few observations.
1. What will this year's defining moment be? After Kenny Perry's tee shot at the 16th I thought that would be the defining moment, but obviously Perry didn't win, so that shot will be more a reminder of his collapse than anything else. The defining moment was really Angel Cabrera's par save on the first playoff hole, which was remarkable, despite not being very pretty to watch. As someone who plays from the woods a lot, and who doesn't save par from there very often, I really respect what Cabrera did there. The punchout, approach shot and putt were all perfect, and under pressure too.
2. What will we ultimately remember about this tournament, however, is yet to be determined. If Phil Mickelson never wins another major, we will remember how his putter betrayed him on the back nine. If Phil had swung the flat stick decently on the back, he could have easily been -13, and the outright winner. Likewise, if Tiger never completes a final-round comeback to win a major, we will remember this Masters as a time when he squandered a chance to do so. I honestly thought Tiger would nail his eagle putt on 15, and carry that momentum to the final three holes to cap a miraculous comeback. Tiger is still the best player in the world, and is still almost a mortal lock in my opinion to surpass Jack Nicklaus as the all-time major winner, but right now I think it's fair to question his ability to win a major when he's not dominating, and to score when he's behind. Tiger needed a low number on Sunday, and he was playing well enough to do so, he just didn't come through, and until he does, there will be a hole in his resume.
3. My final impression is that Augusta is still Augusta. It has been beaten to death that since being "Tiger-proofed", Augusta no longer rewards risk-taking and creativity, the traits that made it famous, and allowed players like Seve Ballesteros to showcase their games. I think Sunday should debunk that notion. If Mickelson hadn't putted like an amateur on the back nine, he could have easily broken the scoring record for a major. Woods was a few putts away from posting an extremely low round too. And although people will always maintain that Angel Cabrera didn't win the Masters, Kenny Perry lost it, the Argentine made three birdies on the back nine to keep the pressure on Perry. In all, it was the best Masters I've watched since Tiger's famous chip-in in 2005, which is hands down the best golf shot I have ever seen. What makes Augusta great is that it rewards players for making great shots, and the course did that this week.
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