The Masters: Friday Had A Saturday Kind Of Feel
By W. M. Lawson
The Masters Golf Tournament has now concluded 36 holes. Most Fridays are about making cuts and staying ahead of the course. Today felt like moving day.
You knew early that this was going to be a tough day. Around noon, it became apparent that this wasn’t going to be a day of constant roars echoing through the Georgia pines. The early groups were grinding. And as the day progressed, lots of movement on the Leader Board, with every single player stalking every step, it felt more like a Saturday than a Friday at The Masters.
The story today was the course. Back in the day, Augusta National was a succubus. The most beautiful thing you’ve ever seen, only to turn out to be the most crushingly torturing thing you’ve ever seen.
More from ATL All Day
- Atlanta Braves: Felix Has Already Shown Enough to Win a Rotation Spot
- Atlanta Braves Implode Late To Phillies, Cole Hamels Remains Sidelined
- Kyle Wright Shines As Folty Struggles In Atlanta Braves Loss To Red Sox
- Atlanta Hawks Sweep Back-to-Back Games Over Weekend
- Atlanta Braves: Grapefruit League Play Check Up
In recent years, though, scores inflated like grades at a modern Liberal Arts College. A lot. I’ll not demure here as to why or how that happened.
This year is different. The very best players in the world are all saying variations of the same thing: “I hit quality shots. But wound up in bad positions. It’s tough out there.”
When the best in the world are saying that they are playing well, but the course is still too difficult for them to conquer it, it means the beauty is showing the beast again.
In addition, the first four Leader Boards read like a who’s who the PGA and Euro Tours Top 25. Mickelson and Tiger are struggling a bit, but both made the cut, and still hope for some magic.
In what has been hyped the last few days as the “most hyped” Masters in a while (see how that works?), the players are living up to the billing. Most of those dudes go out there and experience both roaring crowds cheering for them, and utter embarrassment met with an uncomfortable silence, all in one round.
Patrick Reed will sleep on a 2 stroke lead tonight at (-9). But there are no less than eight former major winners within 7 strokes and 2 days left.
Weather is on the way tomorrow, and truly, any one of those dudes could win this thing. The one thing we do know is that it will have to be in dramatic fashion.
Next: Atlanta Braves Continue Early Season Tear
With this many incredible players playing at a high level, and this course showing it’s teeth, this weekend could go down as one of the best in Augusta.