2022 Masters

[Don Wassall]

Tiger Woods has been teasing his fan club, aka the golf media, all week about whether he's going to play in this week's event. His latest quote is that he is.

This eliminates watching "Live From The Masters" on Golf Channel as the over-the-top change agent Rich Lerner was already speaking about nothing else yesterday. But I still can't wait to watch the tournament itself. I don't expect Woods to contend and hopefully he doesn't as the media will go berserk with Tigermania if he does. I'm hoping for the usual great event with all its accompanying drama as it's rare when The Masters doesn't make for compelling viewing and memorable finishes.

 

[icsept]

I can’t remember being less excited about the Masters. The Tiger love fest makes it almost unwatchable. My two favorite players, Jordan Spieth and Rory McIlroy, are no longer contenders. I haven’t gotten into any of the newer guys. No Phil this year.

 

[Don Wassall]

It won't be the same without Phil the Thrill for sure, but I'm confident you know who isn't going to contend. Maybe Rory or Jordan will come through now that almost no one expects them to. Last year was a downer with Matsuyama winning, who showed about as much emotion doing so as a corpse.

 

[Booth]

I hated to hear Jack Nicklaus would not be playing in the par 3 contest anymore. He said he was unable to play anymore. Father time waits for no one as I am quickly finding out.

 

[BeyondFedUp]

Being a wide open tournament isn't really what I want either. I'm just a bit unenthused this year. As long as Woods is even in the slightest contention, it's somewhat ruined because of the announcers and worshippers and as Don said, the media is his official fan club. I'll still watch in all likelihood.

 

[Jerry Reb]

Going to be a rough one without the great Phil. I don't think any athlete should be considered bigger than their sport, but if one were, Phil would be a far better candidate than he who shall not be named.

 

[Leonardfan]

I don't know much about golf - just looked up Woods current world ranking. He is ranked 973 in the world. Doesn't make much sense for someone ranked that low to be invited to the masters. What allows a player to get a masters invite?

 

[Don Wassall]

Winning it five times previously, including just three years ago (his one and only major win since 2008).

 

[Leonardfan]

Winning it five times previously, including just three years ago (his one and only major win since 2008).

So there is no process than. His ranking is arbitrary? I was just wondering if there is a typical cut off or actual selection process.

 

[Don Wassall]

So there is no process than. His ranking is arbitrary? I was just wondering if there is a typical cut off or actual selection process.

If Woods hadn't won The Masters in 2019 or previous years, or qualified for any of the other exemptions, he wouldn't be in the field because of his current low ranking. Many tournaments have sponsors exemptions and other loopholes but I don't think The Masters is one of them. Winning tournaments results in benefits when it comes to qualifying for future events for a period of time, especially when it comes to the four majors.

Winners having lifetime exemptions at Augusta is a cool thing. That's how legends like Arnold Palmer and Gary Player played into the event into their 70s. Golf in general is very sentimental about its heroes and traditions, especially everything concerning The Masters going back to the days of Bobby Jones and that's a great thing. It's true also of the British Open.

 

[BeyondFedUp]

If Woods hadn't won The Masters in 2019 or previous years, or qualified for any of the other exemptions, he wouldn't be in the field because of his current low ranking. Many tournaments have sponsors exemptions and other loopholes but I don't think The Masters is one of them. Winning tournaments results in benefits when it comes to qualifying for future events for a period of time, especially when it comes to the four majors.

Winners having lifetime exemptions at Augusta is a cool thing. That's how legends like Arnold Palmer and Gary Player played into the event into their 70s. Golf in general is very sentimental about its heroes and traditions, especially everything concerning The Masters going back to the days of Bobby Jones and that's a great thing. It's true also of the British Open.

Even as a not-so-avid follower of golf, and really only the Majors and The Players Championship some years, I do like that fact that the "old-timers" bring the nostalgia of the glory years and fond memories to so many fans. Golf has been and continues to be a gentleman's sport, and hasn't become full-on woke to turn off their faithful, steady and long-time fan base. It's one of the last sports I'm able to really enjoy and not just "tolerate". I may be a "golf only" guy if things keep going on the current downward trend. We should enjoy what we can.

 

[Don Wassall]

Even as a not-so-avid follower of golf, and really only the Majors and The Players Championship some years, I do like that fact that the "old-timers" bring the nostalgia of the glory years and fond memories to so many fans. Golf has been and continues to be a gentleman's sport, and hasn't become full-on woke to turn off their faithful, steady and long-time fan base. It's one of the last sports I'm able to really enjoy and not just "tolerate". I may be a "golf only" guy if things keep going on the current downward trend. We should enjoy what we can.

Here's Jack Nicklaus's final hole at the British Open, at St. Andrews, the oldest and most revered of the courses in the Open rotation (which he of course birdies!). It took place in 2005 when he was 65. A lot of casual sports fans and casual golf fans may not appreciate it, but those who love golf, its history and its legends savor moments like these.

 

[BeyondFedUp]

What a classic sequence of events for that hole and the appreciation of the fans. Only golf has that kind of feel and history. Fantastic. I love how the announcers had enough insight to just let things play out as they did. Epic. Thanks for posting that.

 

[Don Wassall]

And at 11:05 am EST, April 7th, 2022, the world stopped as Tiger Woods teed off at the first hole of The Masters. When I checked at 10:30, both ESPN and the Golf Channel were already covering this historic event non-stop. ESPN was especially helpful, as the bottom left of the screen contained a graphic counting down how many minutes and seconds were left until Woods was to tee off.

Many thousands of White supremacists exercised their White privilege by gathering round the first tee and up and down the fairway to the green to root for this oppressed person of color.

And now, the corporate media will watch and chronicle every swing, every move, and every gesture of their hero. If Woods wins, or even contends, it will be portrayed as the greatest achievement in the history not only of golf but all sports, maybe even all of mankind's recorded history. The world, now stopped, awaits. . .

 

[Flint]

Tiger worship makes the event unwatchable to me. One station went over his every shot today. I think he’s in the lead right? Sure sounds like it.

I hate this guy. It’s not about race, I hate his over the top pained look when he shanks a shot. His wrinkled sad face, near tears when he misses a putt. I’d hate this guy if he was white. I don’t understand the love for him from the fans. He’s a douche in real life and if he were white he’d be the most hated guy in sports.

 

[Carolina Speed]

Tiger worship makes the event unwatchable to me. One station went over his every shot today. I think he’s in the lead right? Sure sounds like it.

I hate this guy. It’s not about race, I hate his over the top pained look when he shanks a shot. His wrinkled sad face, near tears when he misses a putt. I’d hate this guy if he was white. I don’t understand the love for him from the fans. He’s a douche in real life and if he were white he’d be the most hated guy in sports.

I tried to watch a little of the coverage this afternoon and yes they showed Woods' every move including watching him walk all the way down the fairway after one drive. He walked with his driver in hand to his next shot. So, I decided to leave the house and go play at my local course.

 

[Don Wassall]

I didn't start watching until Woods' round was over. He's in contention, barely, after one round.

I find Tiger to be more human than he used to be, he's almost semi-fan friendly now. It's the media that makes the events he's in unwatchable. No more dead eye stares at fans calling to him, spitting, cursing, throwing clubs. But he's gotten so many passes from his corporate media fan club/cheerleaders. They chatter on about how he is coming back from a serious car crash, but what's not mentioned is that he was high as a kite on a cocktail of drugs early in the day, driving over twice the speed limit on a road with super-sharp S-curves. He could have easily killed someone, but instead we keep hearing about how he "nearly had to have a leg amputated." How does that happen? Either a leg needs to be amputated or it doesn't. It's become a tall tale similar to the one that claims he played the final round of the 2008 U.S. Open with a broken leg. Right.

 

[Carolina Speed]

Here's Jack Nicklaus's final hole at the British Open, at St. Andrews, the oldest and most revered of the courses in the Open rotation (which he of course birdies!). It took place in 2005 when he was 65. A lot of casual sports fans and casual golf fans may not appreciate it, but those who love golf, its history and its legends savor moments like these.

Thanks for posting the video of the GOAT Don. Two records Tiger will never reach, Jack's 18 Major championships and 19 runner-up Major championship finishes. The 19 second place finishes are almost as impressive as the 18 wins. Also, third in 9 Majors. Top 3 in 46 Majors!! Will never happen again!

 

[Don Wassall]

Thanks for posting the video of the GOAT Don. Two records Tiger will never reach, Jack's 18 Major championships and 19 runner-up Major championship finishes. The 19 second place finishes are almost as impressive as the 18 wins. Also, third in 9 Majors. Top 3 in 46 Majors!! Will never happen again!

As Booth mentioned earlier in the thread, Jack pulling out of the par 3 contest is concerning. I don't think he golfs at all anymore. It was so sad when The King passed, it will be almost as sad when we lose the great Jack Nicklaus, one of the last great sports hero from America 1.0 still alive.

 

[Flint]

As Booth mentioned earlier in the thread, Jack pulling out of the par 3 contest is concerning. I don't think he golfs at all anymore. It was so sad when The King passed, it will be almost as sad when we lose the great Jack Nicklaus, one of the last great sports hero from America 1.0 still alive.

Good point Don, other then Jack there aren’t many great ones left. Some team sport players are still hanging on, Sandy Koufax is still around, Carl Yastrzemski, Brook Robinson, Joe Namath, Fran Tarkington, Dick Butkus, Mike Ditka, Jerry West, Bobby Hull, Bobby Orr. But as team players I don’t think they carry the same weight as Nicklaus.

 

[Phall]

Tiger worship makes the event unwatchable to me. One station went over his every shot today. I think he’s in the lead right? Sure sounds like it.

I hate this guy. It’s not about race, I hate his over the top pained look when he shanks a shot. His wrinkled sad face, near tears when he misses a putt. I’d hate this guy if he was white. I don’t understand the love for him from the fans. He’s a douche in real life and if he were white he’d be the most hated guy in sports.

Completely agree. It's just completely wanton idol-worship from our media overlords, the type so brazen and blatant that Our Lord would be raining down hellfire and flood waters if only this was a chapter in the Old Testament.

An aside, and bear in mind this is just hearsay: Rob Manfred quietly got booted from the Augusta National Golf Club. The baseball commish went all "woke" recently by pulling the MLB All-Star Game from Atlanta due to the passing of Georgia's "racist" voter ID law. Lots of grandstanding from all across the nation's class of celebrity millionaires (though I repeat myself), and I can only imagine without researching that Manfred himself had a few repugnant quotes about his erstwhile circle of conservative, politically-influential friends. Manfred has had a membership to the prestigious, exclusive, and very expensive Augusta National Golf Club, which he recently refused publicly to renounce. Well, the word on the unsourced internet message boards is that the members voted to revoke that membership. Watch that doorknob on your way out, Rob!

I wasn't aware of any aspect of this dynamic until earlier today when I stumbled across it. It still warmed the cockles of my heart to think that a member of our self-hating, anti-white overclass is made to suffer socially in some small way as a consequence of their actions. They usually do not.

The story/rumor reminds me of the Tom Wolfe novel 'A Man in Full,' which informs and accounts for most of my exposure to Atlanta sports politics despite being fiction. The late Wolfe was a brilliant contemporary writer and author. I would recommend this book in particular to any CF reader.

And now, back to golf!

 

[Jerry Reb]

I hate this guy. It’s not about race, I hate his over the top pained look when he shanks a shot. His wrinkled sad face, near tears when he misses a putt. I’d hate this guy if he was white. I don’t understand the love for him from the fans. He’s a douche in real life and if he were white he’d be the most hated guy in sports.

Great points. Imagine if Barry Bonds, with his permanent attitude of hostility and constant "ah dindu nuffins" regarding steroids, were white. He'd be the most hated baseball player in history. Or imagine if a white NBA player had done a "The Decision"-type special like LeBrown James. The level of hatred the hypothetical white player would get would be unreal.

 

[Don Wassall]

Even Tiger's cursing makes them giddy with happiness. Actually, I think it's a lot more the case of the writer/loser projecting his own deep love for anything and everything Tiger does on the fans at Augusta:

Mics picked up Tiger Woods dropping a tremendous F-bomb after a shot and fans loved it

https://ftw.usatoday.com/lists/masters-tiger-woods-f-bomb-fans-loved-it

 

[Ben Sharp Arrow]

Great points. Imagine if Barry Bonds, with his permanent attitude of hostility and constant "ah dindu nuffins" regarding steroids, were white. He'd be the most hated baseball player in history. Or imagine if a white NBA player had done a "The Decision"-type special like LeBrown James. The level of hatred the hypothetical white player would get would be unreal.

Being a NY Ranger fan I used to buy the NY Post just for the hockey articles. This guy has been mentioned here before but writer, Phil Mushnik beats on Tiger all the time. Whether it was for the infidelity or multiple DWIs or his just unlikable personality . Mushnik hits all the right chords for me and spares no one. Whether its a baseball player not running hard for the bases or the petulant bat flipping or whatever. He is extremely hard on the NFL and Roger Goodell who back in the day was opposed to gambling on NFL games and now is propped up by the likes of Fanduel etc . Mushnik always attacks the criminality of NFl players and how they almost always get a free pass or the idiocy of Colin Kapernik who Mushnik claims could give a rat's ass about social justice but was smart enough to get a 40 million payday to represent NIKE. He is a Jew but I remember back in the days of the Marv Albert scandal. PM was very consistent of the scathing of Albert also being a fellow Jew. I really hope Woods does not make the cut. I concur the kid is a class A buffoon.

 

[Booth]

I am not trying to start a conspiracy or anything I just want to know how Tiger got to drop his ball in the fairway after hitting it in the woods on 18. Did his ball hit a tree and come back in the fairway? I know they said he got relief for causal water but was his ball in the woods when he got relief is what I want to know? I have never seen that before. One other thing Gary Player wore a Golf Saudi logo on his sweater and not a sound from PGA officials that I heard. I could be wrong because I didn't watch all of the program.