**2011 Masters Thread**

[Fumbleweed 465]

Yes, I know there's a thread about whether or not Tiger Woods will win the Masters, but I thought it might be nice to have a thread about the tournament as a whole, not just that one piece of it.

 

My prediction for Top 10 finishers is as follows:

 

1. Matt Kuchar- Consistency will turn into excellence this week.

 

2. Rory McIlroy- He keeps getting closer...will probably win a major in the next two years.

 

3. Phil Mickelson- Always contends. Will again based upon his game peaking at the right time.

 

4. Justin Rose- Great ball-striker...good history here. Wouldn't shock me if he won it.

 

5. Ben Crane- Yes, he plays slow...but he can putt. I look for a good week.

 

6. Francesco Molinari- Always a threat to win a major...tons of game.

 

7. Ryan Moore- Sneaky pick here...Moore is usually in contention at solid tournaments the last couple of years.

 

8. Dustin Johnson- Could win it if he can eliminate the bogeys. Will get plenty of birdies.

 

9. Paul Casey- Hits it long and high. His game fits Augusta National.

 

10. Charl Schwartzel- Very underrated player...could easily shoot in the 60's at least two days.

 

Other thoughts:

 

Despite their top ten status, I don't see Woods, Westwood, Kaymer, Donald, and Stricker as being factors this week on the weekend. Stricker is my favorite player, so I'd love to be wrong about that. Woods and Westwood just haven't played well enough of late to put it all together from my perspective. There are lots of potential winners..should be a great tournament.

[IronToe Nedney 0]

Semi dark horse pick: Bubba Watson.

 

No specific reason other than a hunch.

 

[KSB2424 3,088]

I like the Kuchar pick. He's been playing very consistent for a while now.

 

My Top Five:

 

1. Dustin Johnson - Long hitters do well at Augusta, and DJ is on the brink of stardom. Myrtle Beach baby!@#!

 

2. Tiger Woods - He finished 4th last year in the middle of all of those off the course stuff. I see him doing really well.

 

3. Graeme McDowell - Dude has ice in his veins. Sinks 12 footers like he's riding a bike. Gut feeling.

 

4. Luke Donald - Playing really well and an iron wizard. If he was a little longer off the tee he would be my favorite.

 

5. Nick Watney - Kid can go. The meltdown in the major he was leading last year served as a lesson to learn from.

 

And as always, I'll be pulling like hell for Freddy Couples to put four rounds together and his back to hold up.

[Stewburtx8 67]

I'll add Nick Watney as someone I really like this week. He has 3 top 20 finishes at Augusta in his only 3 starts there. He leads the TOUR this year in all-around scoring average. He also ranks 2nd in putting. Seems like someone who should have a good chance to be in contention this week.

 

I also like Hunter Mahan. He's finished in the top 10 the last two years in the Masters. He's been playing fairly well this year with 5 top 10's on TOUR.

 

Anthony Kim certainly has the ability to go low at Augusta, he just needs to put 4 solid rounds together and he could be in contention.

 

I like your Kuchar and Moore picks a lot, and obviously Mickelson is probably the favorite.

[hdaddy 17]

Here are the pairings:

 

7:45 a.m.-10:52 a.m. Jonathan Byrd, Ross Fisher, Sean O’Hair

7:56 a.m.-11:03 a.m.- Sandy Lyle, Alexander Cejka, a-David Chung

8:07 a.m.-11:14 a.m. -Jerry Kelly, Camilo Villegas, Jeff Overton

8:18 a.m.-11:25 a.m. – Ben Crenshaw, Brandt Snedeker, Kevin Na

8:29 a.m.-11:36 a.m. – Mark O’Meara, Anders Hansen, Heath Slocum

8:40 a.m.-11:47 a.m. – Dustin Johnson, Adam Scott, Nick Watney

8:51 a.m.-12:09 p.m. – Vijay Singh, Tim Clark, Aaron Baddeley

9:02 a.m.-12:20 p.m. – Gregory Havret, Carl Pettersson, Ryan Palmer

9:13 a.m.-12:31 p.m. – Martin Laird, Mark Wilson, Bo Van Pelt

9:24 a.m.-12:42 p.m. – Rory McIlroy, Rickie Fowler, Jason Day

9:35 a.m.-12:53 p.m. – Mike Weir, Hiroyuki Fujita, Retief Goosen

9:57 a.m.-1:04 p.m. – Padraig Harrington, Ryo Ishikawa, Bill Haas

10:08 a.m.-1:15 p.m. – Larry Mize, Rory Sabbatini, a-Jin Jeong

10:19 a.m.-1:26 p.m. – Martin Kaymer, Lee Westwood, Matt Kuchar

10:30 a.m.-1:37 p.m. – Hunter Mahan, Ernie Els, Francesco Molinari

10:41 a.m.-1:48 p.m. – Tiger Woods, Graeme McDowell, Robert Allenby

10:52 a.m.-1:59 p.m. – Arjun Atwal, Sergio Garcia, Robert Karlsson

11:03 a.m.-7:45 a.m. – Charl Schwartzel, Stuart Appleby, Charley Hoffman

11:14 a.m.-7:56 a.m. – Ian Woosnam, D.A. Points, Ben Crane

11:25 a.m.-8:07 a.m. – Craig Stadler, Kevin Streelman, a-Nathan Smith

11:36 a.m.-8:18 a.m. – Peter Hanson, Kyung-Tae Kim, Ryan Moore

11:47 a.m.-8:29 a.m. – Angel Cabrera, Ian Poulter, David Toms

12:09 p.m.-8:40 a.m. – Trevor Immelman, Lucas Glover, a-Hideki Matsuyama

12:20 p.m.-8:51 a.m. – Zach Johnson, Yong-Eun Yang, Miguel Angel Jimenez

12:31 p.m.-9:02 a.m. – Jose Maria Olazabal, Davis Love III, a-Lion Kim

12:42 p.m.-9:13 a.m. – Tom Watson, Ricky Barnes, Jason Bohn

12:53 p.m.-9:24 a.m. – Fred Couples, Luke Donald, Steve Stricker

1:04 p.m.-9:35 a.m. – Anthony Kim, Henrik Stenson, Steve Marino

1:15 p.m.-9:57 a.m. – Bubba Watson, Paul Casey, Edoardo Molinari

1:26 p.m.-10:08 a.m. – Stewart Cink, Jim Furyk, Yuta Ikeda

1:37 p.m.-10:19 a.m. – Justin Rose, K.J. Choi, Louis Oosthuizen

1:48 p.m.-10:30 a.m. – Phil Mickelson, Geoff Ogilvy, a-Peter Uihlein

1:59 p.m.-10:41 a.m. – Jhonattan Vegas, Gary Woodland, Alvaro Quiros

[cbfalcon 824]

Rory is my pick. Of all these up and comers, he is the guy that strikes me as being capable of winning 5-10 Majors and dominating golf for a long period of time.

[JTB 52]

Here are the pairings:

 

7:45 a.m.-10:52 a.m. Jonathan Byrd, Ross Fisher, Sean O’Hair

7:56 a.m.-11:03 a.m.- Sandy Lyle, Alexander Cejka, a-David Chung

8:07 a.m.-11:14 a.m. -Jerry Kelly, Camilo Villegas, Jeff Overton

8:18 a.m.-11:25 a.m. – Ben Crenshaw, Brandt Snedeker, Kevin Na

8:29 a.m.-11:36 a.m. – Mark O’Meara, Anders Hansen, Heath Slocum

8:40 a.m.-11:47 a.m. – Dustin Johnson, Adam Scott, Nick Watney

8:51 a.m.-12:09 p.m. – Vijay Singh, Tim Clark, Aaron Baddeley

9:02 a.m.-12:20 p.m. – Gregory Havret, Carl Pettersson, Ryan Palmer

9:13 a.m.-12:31 p.m. – Martin Laird, Mark Wilson, Bo Van Pelt

9:24 a.m.-12:42 p.m. – Rory McIlroy, Rickie Fowler, Jason Day

9:35 a.m.-12:53 p.m. – Mike Weir, Hiroyuki Fujita, Retief Goosen

9:57 a.m.-1:04 p.m. – Padraig Harrington, Ryo Ishikawa, Bill Haas

10:08 a.m.-1:15 p.m. – Larry Mize, Rory Sabbatini, a-Jin Jeong

10:19 a.m.-1:26 p.m. – Martin Kaymer, Lee Westwood, Matt Kuchar

10:30 a.m.-1:37 p.m. – Hunter Mahan, Ernie Els, Francesco Molinari

10:41 a.m.-1:48 p.m. – Tiger Woods, Graeme McDowell, Robert Allenby

10:52 a.m.-1:59 p.m. – Arjun Atwal, Sergio Garcia, Robert Karlsson

11:03 a.m.-7:45 a.m. – Charl Schwartzel, Stuart Appleby, Charley Hoffman

11:14 a.m.-7:56 a.m. – Ian Woosnam, D.A. Points, Ben Crane

11:25 a.m.-8:07 a.m. – Craig Stadler, Kevin Streelman, a-Nathan Smith

11:36 a.m.-8:18 a.m. – Peter Hanson, Kyung-Tae Kim, Ryan Moore

11:47 a.m.-8:29 a.m. – Angel Cabrera, Ian Poulter, David Toms

12:09 p.m.-8:40 a.m. – Trevor Immelman, Lucas Glover, a-Hideki Matsuyama

12:20 p.m.-8:51 a.m. – Zach Johnson, Yong-Eun Yang, Miguel Angel Jimenez

12:31 p.m.-9:02 a.m. – Jose Maria Olazabal, Davis Love III, a-Lion Kim

12:42 p.m.-9:13 a.m. – Tom Watson, Ricky Barnes, Jason Bohn

12:53 p.m.-9:24 a.m. – Fred Couples, Luke Donald, Steve Stricker

1:04 p.m.-9:35 a.m. – Anthony Kim, Henrik Stenson, Steve Marino

1:15 p.m.-9:57 a.m. – Bubba Watson, Paul Casey, Edoardo Molinari

1:26 p.m.-10:08 a.m. – Stewart Cink, Jim Furyk, Yuta Ikeda

1:37 p.m.-10:19 a.m. – Justin Rose, K.J. Choi, Louis Oosthuizen

1:48 p.m.-10:30 a.m. – Phil Mickelson, Geoff Ogilvy, a-Peter Uihlein

1:59 p.m.-10:41 a.m. – Jhonattan Vegas, Gary Woodland, Alvaro Quiros

 

 

I believe it's to be very hot. Do the earliest tee times have an advantage?

 

 

Just a point of discussion. I know my azz gets real hot and I play worse when I'm sweating like a wh0re on nickle night!

[Cruzer 1,993]

I believe it's to be very hot. Do the earliest tee times have an advantage?

Even in Georgia, it's hard to get really hot in early April. Early tee times do have an advantage usually, but it's bcoz of the wind, not heat.

[Meglamaniac 380]

According to "Lefty" the later the tee time at Augusta the better as in his words, " things tend to calm down a bit around 5pm' I assmume he is talking about the wind

[KSB2424 3,088]

Here are the pairings:

 

10:19 a.m.-1:26 p.m. – Martin Kaymer, Lee Westwood, Matt Kuchar

10:30 a.m.-1:37 p.m. – Hunter Mahan, Ernie Els, Francesco Molinari

10:41 a.m.-1:48 p.m. – Tiger Woods, Graeme McDowell, Robert Allenby

If I was there, I would be following around these three tee times. Pretty good back to back to back groups to watch.

[Mike FF Today 613]

Gary Woodland is my sleeper.

[patweisers44 712]

Gary Woodland is my sleeper.

Tiger was talking recently about playing with this guy and how long and high he is. Augusta is the place for that.

 

I will take a stab in the dark with Sergio. WAY under the radar...and he's due for another second place finish...

[WhiteWonder 2,249]

According to "Lefty" the later the tee time at Augusta the better as in his words, " things tend to calm down a bit around 5pm' I assmume he is talking about the wind

 

yep.

 

i posted a response earlier in the day but it must have timed out or something.

 

the later tee times are generally better as the wind and weather calms in the late afternoon which would be perfect for those groups back 9's.

[WhiteWonder 2,249]

I believe it's to be very hot. Do the earliest tee times have an advantage?

 

 

Just a point of discussion. I know my azz gets real hot and I play worse when I'm sweating like a wh0re on nickle night!

 

only supposed to be in the low to mid 80's

[TAS 2]

Tiger was talking recently about playing with this guy and how long and hard he is. Augusta is the place for that.

 

I will take a stab in the dark with Sergio. WAY under the radar...and he's due for another second place finish...

 

 

[WhiteWonder 2,249]

 

4. Luke Donald - Playing really well and an iron wizard. If he was a little longer off the tee he would be my favorite.

 

 

Luke won the par 3 contest. Not looking good for him this year

[WhiteWonder 2,249]

I mentioned my favorites in the Tiger thread but i'll give some reasoning for them here.

 

Bubba Watson - contended in last years US Open, and Augusta sets up well for lefties as well as long hitters. You can bomb it all over the place and still have shots. Granted, 3 of the wins were Mickelson but since 2003, left handers have won 4 times

 

Hunter Mahan - I like guys who can make birdies in bunches at the Masters. Anthony Kim would also fall in this category but I dont think hes playing quite as well as Hunter. Mahan also has top 10's in his last 2 Masters.

 

Ian Poulter - One of the better Euro putters. Was in the thick of it early on last year.

 

Justin Rose - Playing well right now and has historically played well at Augusta. If he can have a good 4th round, this might be our winner.

 

Phil - Duh, winning. 3 time winner, loves Augusta, defending champ, winner last week... the lefty bomber thing....

 

Aaron Baddeley - Just think he is playing like a top 5 golfer right now.

 

 

and my darkhorse is Ricky Barnes

[Fumbleweed 465]

Goosen gets an eagle on the Par-4 1st hole.....wow.

[dain11279 935]

Goosen gets an eagle on the Par-4 1st hole.....wow.

 

Saw that

[dain11279 935]

Also, anyone follow Jason Sobel's live blogs on espn.com? He normally runs them during the weeks of majors. Enjoy those. Curious why he's not doing one this week.

[cbfalcon 824]

Also, anyone follow Jason Sobel's live blogs on espn.com? He normally runs them during the weeks of majors. Enjoy those. Curious why he's not doing one this week.

 

I always follow his blog. Not having it is going to make this a longer more boring day, to be sure.

 

Rory was my pick to win it, and the kid is looking good!

[Cruzer 1,993]

The piano music played during Masters broadcast is to golf what John Facenda was to NFL Films.

[Cruzer 1,993]

Having a pretty hard time getting anything done at the office watching the stream feed of Amen Corner live.

[Mike FF Today 613]

Having a pretty hard time getting anything done at the office watching the stream feed of Amen Corner live.

 

I must say, the live streaming on masters.com pretty cool.

[Cruzer 1,993]

The World #1 (kaymer) looks more like the 101st ranked player today. He's sucking - pretty astonishing considering conditions are ideal for scoring.

 

 

[remote controller 138]

Ryan Palmer has a shot and he didn't hurt himself today with a -1.

 

http://www.cbssports.com/golf/players/playerpage/PGA/2011/554014/292758

Anyone else think McIilroy resembles Carrot Top?

[WhiteWonder 2,249]

Didn't think rory would play that well but Damn he looks good

[MedStudent 56]

Rory is my pick. Of all these up and comers, he is the guy that strikes me as being capable of winning 5-10 Majors and dominating golf for a long period of time.

 

I like this kid. He just looks like a regular dumpy disheveled kid. Kind of the anti-Tiger. Would love to see him and Tiger fighting it out. I will probably try to catch the final few holes on TV if Rory or Tiger are still in contention.

[cbfalcon 824]

I like this kid. He just looks like a regular dumpy disheveled kid. Kind of the anti-Tiger. Would love to see him and Tiger fighting it out. I will probably try to catch the final few holes on TV if Rory or Tiger are still in contention.

 

I read this in another Masters preview, but Rory is golf's version of a 5 Tool Player. Every aspect of the game seems to be a strength of his (that includes his mind, which is the one tool many guys are missing) and nothing seems to be a weakness.

 

Really, he just needs some experience. But in 2 seasons, he already has 4 top 10's in Majors so he may even have enough of that.

 

Post Tiger, he's the first golfer I've seen come along that I've thought was likely to become an all time great (6+ Majors).

[Fumbleweed 465]

Man, my predictions are going great so far...we'll see if it holds up. I still think Kuchar wins this thing, but McIlroy could be hard to catch.

[cbfalcon 824]

Man, my predictions are going great so far...we'll see if it holds up. I still think Kuchar wins this thing, but McIlroy could be hard to catch.

 

I point you to last years British Open.

 

McIlroy went 63-80-69-68. So his 2nd round was only 17 shots worse than his first.

[remote controller 138]

Man, my predictions are going great so far...we'll see if it holds up. I still think Kuchar wins this thing, but McIlroy could be hard to catch.

They were real good. I don't feel Rory can run away with it.

[BunnysBastatrds 1,963]

Why is it that the network continues to show putting more than any other shot on the course? I know putting is half the game for these guys, but i'd much rather watch players drive the ball on par 5's and par 3's than miss an eight foot put on the sixth hole.

[cbfalcon 824]

Why is it that the network continues to show putting more than any other shot on the course? I know putting is half the game for these guys, but i'd much rather watch players drive the ball on par 5's and par 3's than miss an eight foot put on the sixth hole.

 

I actually agree with this.

 

They have to show the putts, as that's the "score". But I wish they'd come to the putt later as oppose to giving us 30 seconds of set up. Thus fitting in more drives and irons, which I find more pleasing to view.

[zmanzzzz 1]

my top 5:

 

Rory McIlroy

Alvaro Quiros

Y.E. Yang

K.J. Choi

Matt Kuchar

[cbfalcon 824]

my top 5:

 

Rory McIlroy

Alvaro Quiros

Y.E. Yang

K.J. Choi

Matt Kuchar

 

And the award for stupidest joke goes too......

[Cruzer 1,993]

That group of Quiros and Woodland was ridiculous off the tee. #15, 530 yard par 5 - Quiros hits it 340 and Woodland hits it 343 off the tee. 8 Irons into that green.

[hdaddy 17]

That group of Quiros and Woodland was ridiculous off the tee. #15, 530 yard par 5 - Quiros hits it 340 and Woodland hits it 343 off the tee. 8 Irons into that green.

 

Yeah, pretty entertaining to finish the round. Even Vegas had that nice Eagle.

[WhiteWonder 2,249]

 

 

and my darkhorse is Ricky Barnes

 

Doing well.

[cbfalcon 824]

Doing well.

 

Ricky Barnes is on the list of golfers that are uncomfortable to look at along with Steve Marino (dumpy), Rocco Mediate (gay guy characteristics) and many more.

 

With Barnes, he has no lips, wears a bad hat, and is unnaturally muscled. Can't root for a guy like that. I hope he falls out of contention so I don't have to see him on television this weekend.