OT: 2020 Master's

[Chin Diesel]

Like everything else 2020, it's off schedule, but it's here.

Plenty of story lines.

Can Tiger do it again? No. Not really. Maybe? His game is no where near able to support 72 holes of championship golf.

Can Bryson obliterate another course with brute distance? Maybe. Probably? Will it be enough to win?

Can Rory complete career grand slam? Probably not. If course is damp Rory is one of the best mudders out there.

Koepka is healthy again.

DJ is in form.

JT??

Young gun Matt Wolffe. Almost a young gun Xander?

Can Morikawa get his second major??

Rickie, Matsuyama, Kuchar,,,,, anyone else looking for a major???

 

[XLCenterFan]

I have plenty of action this year. Can't wait. Got my bets in early (February) so I got awesome prices.

DeCham 25-1 *absurd price
Rahm 14-1
JT 16-1
Finau 28-1
Webb 66-1 *this price is criminal
Bubba top 20, even money
Tiger wins zero majors this year, -500

I would bet that Tiger is more likely to miss the cut than place top 10. Ricky is toast - he stinks right now. Hideki made a run last week so he's in good form. Kuch has had a trash year. Xander, Wolff and Morikawa are all good choices. JT is hot. Rory has been so-so. Brooks probably won't do anything this week, but DJ could. Bubba is actually playing well. I like Hatton - he's in great form. I can't believe Berger and Henley aren't in the field.

 

[Chin Diesel]

I have plenty of action this year. Can't wait. Got my bets in early (last February) so I got awesome prices.

DeCham 25-1 *absurd price
Rahm 14-1
JT 16-1
Finau 28-1
Webb 66-1 *this price is criminal
Bubba top 20, even money
Tiger wins zero majors this year, -500

I would bet that Tiger is more likely to miss the cut than place top 10. Ricky is toast - he stinks right now. Hideki made a run last week so he's in good form. Kuch has had a trash year. Xander, Wolff and Morikawa are all good choices. JT is hot. Rory has been so-so. Brooks probably won't do anything this week, but DJ could. Bubba is actually playing well. I like Hatton - he's in great form. I can't believe Berger and Henley aren't in the field.

So I intentionally didn't look at world rankings and knew I would miss a name or two. I almost wanted to see who I was over looking.

And Rahm is that guy. He is definitely a threat.

Agree Tiger is more likely to be a MC than a top finisher. Which means he probably wins.

 

[Peacefrog]

I’m very interested to see how the course looks and plays this time of year. A once in a lifetime occurrence. Really looking forward to it.

Tiger has been playing poorly and the likely cold mornings are not going to help his back.

DeChambeau, the distance will help but Augusta’s defense is its greens. If he can’t parlay long drives into putting approach shots in the right parts of the greens it won’t matter.

I’m kind of hoping DJ can put four good rounds together here.

Let’s see what the weather report looks like.

 

[jleves]

I started reading about the differences between playing in April or November. One of the biggest differences is they have over seeded with winter rye so the fairways will be more lush and have less roll. Also the wind direction will be from a different direction (generally) and is considered a tough wind (from the north). Those two things give some advantage to the longer hitters which is a different take on the Masters for sure.

Bryson should have a good week. Koepka appears healthy and had a pretty good week last week. Most every player has put in two competitive rounds since the US Open; the exceptions being DJ & Tiger with just 1 and Wolff with 3.

My heart says Rory for the grand slam. My head says don't bet against Koepka in majors.

 

[gwhuskyfan]

This thread makes me sad. Had tickets to the practice round that would've been today. Oh well... guess I'll keep my fingers crossed things work out for April and enjoy it from the TV

 

[FatHank]

Aside from the Master's, Game Day is gonna be there! This Saturday is gonna be epic!

 

[HuskyHawk]

Like everything else 2020, it's off schedule, but it's here.

Plenty of story lines.

Can Tiger do it again? No. Not really. Maybe? His game is no where near able to support 72 holes of championship golf.

Can Bryson obliterate another course with brute distance? Maybe. Probably? Will it be enough to win?

Can Rory complete career grand slam? Probably not. If course is damp Rory is one of the best mudders out there.

Koepka is healthy again.

DJ is in form.

JT??

Young gun Matt Wolffe. Almost a young gun Xander?

Can Morikawa get his second major??

Rickie, Matsuyama, Kuchar,,,,, anyone else looking for a major???

My sister had practice round tickets this year. Of course this was the year she finally got them in the lottery. Sucks. It will be interesting to see a Masters with no Azaleas in boom.

I think you’ve covered the main names. I expect there will be 2-3 surprise guys as always. Maybe one old and two young. Rickie is a bit due and plays the course well.

 

[LIuconn]

If it’s soft it will favor the bombers. Looks like lots of rain thru Thursday

Bryson said he’s playing it as a par 67. Chamblee did some good analysis on his tee balls and he’s going to obliterate the place.

I picked Rory in my 1 and done

 

[Chin Diesel]

My sister had practice round tickets this year. Of course this was the year she finally got them in the lottery. Sucks. It will be interesting to see a Masters with no Azaleas in boom.

I think you’ve covered the main names. I expect there will be 2-3 surprise guys as always. Maybe one old and two young. Rickie is a bit due and plays the course well.

Out of curiosity, did your sister get the tickets through the lottery system or the secondary market?
I've twice gotten tix through lottery and have been there for Tuesday and Wednesday practice rounds. Tuesday I liked better because more of the players are on the course and you can see them practicing shots from specific areas on course- runoff area chip shots, and putts where the caddies throw down disks on the ground where they know pins will be placed throughout the week. Wednesday has way fewer players on the course but has the Par 3 tourney so you get the benefit of seeing some of the older players who don't play in the tourney.

As for Rickie, I'm not a big fan of him. I put him in the Sergio category. He'll catch fire one week and get over the hump and win a major but he is no longer a threat each major. That being said Rickie is really good around the green with his wedges and putter so he will probably cash another top 10 paycheck.

 

[Greathusky]

I have been playing the Masters lottery for 10 years and have come up empty.

My pick: Bubba

 

[Duncan Idaho]

Rahm

 

[NC_Uconn_Fan]

I started reading about the differences between playing in April or November. One of the biggest differences is they have over seeded with winter rye so the fairways will be more lush and have less roll.

The Masters has been played on perennial rye overseed for decades now and is definitely more lush in the spring as its had more time to establish. Augusta is a cool season course, shut down in summer. The difference with turf at this event is the Bermuda is not fully dormant yet, so there is a rye overseed with Bermuda mixed in. I'm sure the course will be beautiful. The weather is going to be something to watch, very heavy rains in the southeast the next few days, very tropical. I think this enhances scoring.

 

[HuskyHawk]

Out of curiosity, did your sister get the tickets through the lottery system or the secondary market?
I've twice gotten tix through lottery and have been there for Tuesday and Wednesday practice rounds. Tuesday I liked better because more of the players are on the course and you can see them practicing shots from specific areas on course- runoff area chip shots, and putts where the caddies throw down disks on the ground where they know pins will be placed throughout the week. Wednesday has way fewer players on the course but has the Par 3 tourney so you get the benefit of seeing some of the older players who don't play in the tourney.

As for Rickie, I'm not a big fan of him. I put him in the Sergio category. He'll catch fire one week and get over the hump and win a major but he is no longer a threat each major. That being said Rickie is really good around the green with his wedges and putter so he will probably cash another top 10 paycheck.

Lottery. She and I and my dad submit a lottery request every year. She lives in Aiken, S.C., which is very close to Augusta. So it's an easy matter to go down, stay at her house and head over for the rounds. We don't have the challenge of hotels etc. and even eating out is relatively easy in Aiken rather than Augusta during the tournament. I haven't been yet, but my parents have.

I'm not a big fan of Rickie either, but he has the ability to get hot and play well on that course. Speaking of Sergio, he just withdrew. DJ is at even odds with Bryson. Interesting. Also, Rahm and Justin Thomas ahead of Rory.

 

[storrsroars]

I'd love to see Bryson and Brooks in the final group on Sunday and Brooks just stoning BDC.

For sentimental purposes, I also want to see Mike Weir make the cut at 50.

 

[Chin Diesel]

The Masters has been played on perennial rye overseed for decades now and is definitely more lush in the spring as its had more time to establish. Augusta is a cool season course, shut down in summer. The difference with turf at this event is the Bermuda is not fully dormant yet, so there is a rye overseed with Bermuda mixed in. I'm sure the course will be beautiful. The weather is going to be something to watch, very heavy rains in the southeast the next few days, very tropical. I think this enhances scoring. View attachment 61072

leave it to Augusta to figure out how to get fall foliage just perfect for the event. That is a beautiful picture. Almost makes you wonder and realize if Augusta ever wanted to host a fall event, such as a Champions event or even an NCAA championship, they could do it no problem

In the mid-South the over seed with Rye and Bermuda existing at the same time definitely requires tuning up your short game. Wedges and irons which can scoot right through the thinner, whispier rye, get caught up in Bermuda. Steeper angles and high lofted chips are the remedy.

Figuring this out with Augusta's greens will be a big key to success. Higher lofts require flying the ball closer to the pin which creates different landing areas on different slopes.

I was listening to golf channel last night and they were saying the dryer the course and greens are the more players have to shoot to locations on the green and let the ball work its way to the pin. When greens are softer players, especially those who hit high irons, can fire closer to the pin since there is less roll out.

 

[Chin Diesel]

Lottery. She and I and my dad submit a lottery request every year. She lives in Aiken, S.C., which is very close to Augusta. So it's an easy matter to go down, stay at her house and head over for the rounds. We don't have the challenge of hotels etc. and even eating out is relatively easy in Aiken rather than Augusta during the tournament. I haven't been yet, but my parents have.

I'm not a big fan of Rickie either, but he has the ability to get hot and play well on that course. Speaking of Sergio, he just withdrew. DJ is at even odds with Bryson. Interesting. Also, Rahm and Justin Thomas ahead of Rory.

Nice. In the southeast it's an inexpensive trip for a practice round or two. Even the merchandise sold on the premises are dirt cheap compared to what they could charge. One of the running jokes me and my golf buddies have when we play scrambles and other tournaments is to guess how many player will show with Master's embroidered logos on shirts, hats, etc.

 

[Chin Diesel]

I have been playing the Masters lottery for 10 years and have come up empty.

My pick: Bubba

I live right in the middle of Bubba country on the gulf coast. Would love to see him win and do well. They talk about horses for courses and Riviera, River Highlands and Augusta have done him quite nicely. He's playing well now but don't think he pulls it off this week.

He did have a revealing article a few weeks ago in USA Today where he went in to deep details of his anxiety and depression.

Bubba Watson on dealing with anxiety: 'I thought I was going to die'

On many sleepless nights, Bubba Watson thought he was going to die. Alone in the darkness with only his thoughts to keep him company as he dealt with crippling anxiety that kept him up at night, Wa…

golfweek.usatoday.com

On many sleepless nights, Bubba Watson thought he was going to die.


Alone in the darkness with only his thoughts to keep him company as he dealt with crippling anxiety that kept him up at night, Watson contemplated his mortality and often thought back to the passing of his father and namesake, Gerry, a former Green Beret who battled post-traumatic stress disorder and died in 2010 after a long battle with cancer. Not even wonderful memories of his wife, Angie, and their two adopted children, Caleb and Dakota, gave him comfort enough to sleep.


His days weren’t easy, either.


“I had a lot of noise in my head,” Watson told Golfweek in a recent phone interview about some of his darkest moments some two years ago. “I thought I was going to die. It was rough.”


So, too, were the three times in recent years he was rushed to the hospital thinking his life was going to end from a heart attack. Or when he just didn’t feel like playing and wanted to withdraw from a tournament. Or the time 18 months ago when he tipped the scale at 162 pounds, some 30-35 pounds below his normal weight, because the fear raging through his body made eating nearly impossible.


“When I started losing the weight and was getting skinny, it gave me flashbacks to my dad,” Watson said. “So that gave me more mental issues, more anxiety.


“So I quit weighing myself.”

 

[HuskyHawk]

Ok @Chin Diesel and @XLCenterFan I'm joining a Masters pool. I pick six golfers and get to use my top 4 scores. But they are tiered, so only one of the top 10 guys. Need some help. Any underdogs who may exceed expectations?

Tier 1: DJ or Bryson or Rory?
Tier 2: I think Koepka is the best bet, but Wolff is here and Reed.
Tier 3: Rose? Lowry? Tiger? Kuchar?
Tier 4: Bubba and Jason Day, Westwood, Kevin Na
Tier 5: Rickie and Phil main guys I know. Reavie? Stenson? Poulter?
Tier 6: The rest of the field. Lots of old guys here.

 

[Chin Diesel]

Ok @Chin Diesel and @XLCenterFan I'm joining a Masters pool. I pick six golfers and get to use my top 4 scores. But they are tiered, so only one of the top 10 guys. Need some help. Any underdogs who may exceed expectations?

Tier 1: DJ or Bryson or Rory?
Tier 2: I think Koepka is the best bet, but Wolff is here and Reed.
Tier 3: Rose? Lowry? Tiger? Kuchar?
Tier 4: Bubba and Jason Day, Westwood, Kevin Na
Tier 5: Rickie and Phil main guys I know. Reavie? Stenson? Poulter?
Tier 6: The rest of the field. Lots of old guys here.

Full disclosure. I suck at these things. But you want free advice, I'll give you your money's worth.

Tier 1: I think either DJ or Bryson will do better than Rory. It nags at me to write this, but go with Bryson. Unless something goes drastically wrong, he will be -10 minimum.

Tier 2: I'd go with Reed. He knows this area of the country and the mixed grasses better than most and is really good around greens.

Tier 3: Looks like trash. I don't think any of them are playing well. Have at it.

Tier 4: Bubba has been playing well as has Jason Day. Day's back is always a crap shoot but I'd go with him.

Tier 5: Trash again.

Tier 6: You say lots of old guys. Someone like Langer who is still competitive on the Champion's tour and plays regularly would be a name to put down.

I don't see Rahm, Justin Thomas, Schauffele or Morikawa listed anywhere. I'd look in to them depending on their tier.

I will say this about Morikawa. I've unabashedly been high on him all year and believe he is a money making machine good for 4 or 5 majors and 20+ career wins. Last night watching his interview he mentioned how he liked being able to see the course in it's stripped down state and being able to see the course as it lays without grandstands, chairs, scoreboards and everything else. Kid is pretty bright and seems to have a game plan. If he is comfortable with how he sees the course, he may be real dangerous.

 

[HuskyHawk]

Full disclosure. I suck at these things. But you want free advice, I'll give you your money's worth.

Tier 1: I think either DJ or Bryson will do better than Rory. It nags at me to write this, but go with Bryson. Unless something goes drastically wrong, he will be -10 minimum.

Tier 2: I'd go with Reed. He knows this area of the country and the mixed grasses better than most and is really good around greens.

Tier 3: Looks like trash. I don't think any of them are playing well. Have at it.

Tier 4: Bubba has been playing well as has Jason Day. Day's back is always a crap shoot but I'd go with him.

Tier 5: Trash again.

Tier 6: You say lots of old guys. Someone like Langer who is still competitive on the Champion's tour and plays regularly would be a name to put down.

I don't see Rahm, Justin Thomas, Schauffele or Morikawa listed anywhere. I'd look in to them depending on their tier.

I will say this about Morikawa. I've unabashedly been high on him all year and believe he is a money making machine good for 4 or 5 majors and 20+ career wins. Last night watching his interview he mentioned how he liked being able to see the course in it's stripped down state and being able to see the course as it lays without grandstands, chairs, scoreboards and everything else. Kid is pretty bright and seems to have a game plan. If he is comfortable with how he sees the course, he may be real dangerous.

All those missing names you listed are tier 1. Yes, Langer is in the final tier, with all the former champs who get to play, Couples, Singh, McDowell. So are guys like Spieth, Zach Johnson, Weir.

In Tier 3, Kuchar as the lowest putting average on tour. Other in 3: Im, Lowry, Ancer, Woodland, Kokrak, Leishman, Scheffer.

 

[storrsroars]

Hard to really offer recommendations w/o seeing who's at what tier. Since you mentioned you only get to pick one top 10 guy, that's a tough call. Morikawa would be in that group most likely, and I don't know if I'd pick him over Bryson (and I don't like Bryson either).

Dark horses down ballot (probably tiers 3-4 on your card) likely to make the cut include guys like Ancer, Hughes, Cantlay, Dahmen and Redman. I've used those guys in my pools this year with very good results.

 

[HuskyHawk]

Hard to really offer recommendations w/o seeing who's at what tier. Since you mentioned you only get to pick one top 10 guy, that's a tough call. Morikawa would be in that group most likely, and I don't know if I'd pick him over Bryson (and I don't like Bryson either).

Dark horses down ballot (probably tiers 3-4 on your card) likely to make the cut include guys like Ancer, Hughes, Cantlay, Dahmen and Redman. I've used those guys in my pools this year with very good results.

Yes Morikawa is tier 1. And Cantlay and Thomas and Rahm. I’m tempted to take Rahm or Thomas.

 

[Caronimo]

Bryson, Day, Webb, Matsuyama

 

[XLCenterFan]

Ok @Chin Diesel and @XLCenterFan I'm joining a Masters pool. I pick six golfers and get to use my top 4 scores. But they are tiered, so only one of the top 10 guys. Need some help. Any underdogs who may exceed expectations?

Tier 1: DJ or Bryson or Rory?
Tier 2: I think Koepka is the best bet, but Wolff is here and Reed.
Tier 3: Rose? Lowry? Tiger? Kuchar?
Tier 4: Bubba and Jason Day, Westwood, Kevin Na
Tier 5: Rickie and Phil main guys I know. Reavie? Stenson? Poulter?
Tier 6: The rest of the field. Lots of old guys here.

1. I would pick Rory last here. It comes down to DJ or DeCham, and in that case, pick the player you think will be the least owned. Depending upon the amount of casuals, it could be DJ or Bryson.

2. Wolff.

3. A tough choice here. None are really in great form. I'd take Rose because all of the fish will be on Tiger.

4. Bubba or Day and it's not even close. Both are in great form.

5. Poulter. His track record here is great and he's a player - especially in big events. Ricky stinks right now, Phil can only beat seniors, and Westwood? Chez would be 2nd here IMO.

6. Saying "the rest of the field" is crazy here. The winner will be from here. Either JT, Rahm, Xander, or Webb will work.