Tee It Up

Founded by Bobby Jones and Clifford Roberts in 1934, The Masters is set in stone as the first major of the PGA Tour season. It is an opportunity for spring to appear in your neighborhood directly through your television set. A grey, overcast day in New England is usually contrasted well by the beautiful blue skies, azaleas, and white dogwoods of Augusta, Georgia.

The Masters is an annual platform for the dramatic. Broadway can’t hold Amen Corner’s jock. One victory here can change a golfer’s life forever. Think of Craig Stadler, Fred Couples, Mike Weir, Larry Mize, Sandy Lyle, and Zach Johnson. All are accomplished Masters champions who stick in the public’s consciousness primarily because they can lay claim to having the most beautiful, yet ugly sport coat in their wardrobes.

Augusta National is also where legends are made. It’s where Arnie’s Army marched to victory four times from ’58 to ’64. It’s where Gary Player proudly captured three titles as one of the tournament’s greatest champions. Jack Nicklaus redefined the importance of The Masters while earning six green jackets. His last title came at the age of 46 in a dramatic comeback win that still makes my dad smile when he speaks of it. For me, it’s ’97 and Tiger blasting onto the scene with a 12-shot victory as a 21 year-old phenom. Remember that Nike ‘Hello World’ ad leading up to his historical victory?

This year, we escaped from our Easter dinner hangover to watch an epic run by two giants of the game, Woods and Phil Mickelson. Their respective quests for another major fell short but Mickelson’s record tying 30 on the front-nine and Tiger’s usual brilliance made the paring must-see TV. The drama didn’t recede after Tiger and Phil signed their scorecards rather it carried over and intensified through the efforts of 48-year old veteran Kenny Perry, the determined Argentinean, Angel Cabrera, and the strong Texan, Chad Campbell.

At the end of four grueling rounds, the three were tied and headed towards a sudden-death playoff. Had Perry not bogeyed 17 and 18 down the stretch, he would have become the oldest major champion ever. Had Campbell just made one more put on the back nine, he would have vindicated the pain of falling just short of winning the 2003 PGA Championship.

Angel Cabrera won the U.S. Open just two years prior. He had the cache of knowing how to close out a major title. In the end, Cabrera held on to beat a nervous Perry and a shaky Campbell to become the 2009 Masters champion. He also became the first player to have his first two PGA tour victories come in majors.

With the inspiration of high-level golf being played during The Masters, we now seamlessly transition over to the opening week of golf on the Vineyard. All across the Island, hacks and amateurs dust off their clubs, call friends, make tee times, and dream of logging the lowest round of their careers. Shooting that low score would be the equivalent of winning a major title. We dream of playing more than we did last season. Yet family, work, and other distractions will inevitably cloud those lofty dreams. And so begins our 2009 golf season. No green jackets or big pay days here. Just bogeys, beers, and the most fun you can have being mediocre at something.