As my friend Bill Bryant, formerly of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, put it, spoiler alert: Tiger wins.
“But I don’t think prior knowledge is going to prevent what could be remarkable ratings for today’s replay of the 2019 Masters,” he wrote on his Facebook page. “We yearn for something that feels like normal and something that feels familiar. And that’s precisely the definition of the final round of the Masters on Sunday afternoon:
— We know the National (what Augustans call ‘the big course’) as well as the one we play on a regular basis.
— We know a 3-wood off the tee on 10 is often a better play than driver because it helps you sling it right to left and find the slot in that sloping fairway.
–That the tee shot on 12, especially if the wind is blowing the tops of the pines, puts hearts in the stomachs of the world’s best players.
— That a downhill lie for a short approach to 15 is inviting disaster.
— We know the voices that will narrate the story: Nantz, Faldo, Verne and co.
— We know we’re supposed to be in front of our television at 2:30 p.m. ET and not to expect anything productive from us the rest of the day.
Call if comfort food for a golf junkie. Yeah, Tiger wins. You still gonna watch? Does a golf ball have dimples?”
Well said, Bill, and thanks for taking me to one of my first trips to “the big course.”
It’s time. Buckle up. It’s going to be a bumpy ride…especially for Francesco Molinari, Brooks Koepka and other seekers of a first green jacket.
Tiger entered the final round at 11-under par, T-2 with Tony Finau, two shots behind leader Francesco Molinari. That trio comprised the final pairing and teed off on No. 1 at 9:20 a.m.
Hole 1: Par 4, 445 yards
