by Carly
9. April 2010 15:00
HOW BOUT THAT!
So far, that was the best quote of the week from four time champion Tiger Woods. Tiger was not commenting on his opening round 68, but on the first rounds scores shown by 50 year old Fred Couples and 60 year old Tom Watson.
As you no doubt know by now, Couples is the first round leader after his six under 66, and Watson, a two-time MASTERS champion fired his lowest round since the Coolidge administration with a five under 67. It was great fun to watch and be a part of. The media building is never as alive as it is when it comes to covering the successes of someone they have been covering for years. I will never forget in 1986, as Jack rolled over Norman, Kite and Ballesteros to win his sixth MASTERS, the cheers that went up for each birdie. It's just plain fun to be there when history is being made.
Will history be made this year? To tell you the truth, I always hope so. The question in the media center late last night, and early this morning is...(Hold on, let me look, yea, there are some media here at 7:15 this morning)... Can they hold on? Will the magic continue here in the second round of the Metamucil MASTERS? The consensus is, Freddie can continue. There's agreement that it will be much harder for Watson. Over the last few years Tom has made it very clear that he finds it hard to compete on this golf course when it is stretched out. Hitting woods into par four's is no fun...I know. But, since Billy Payne has been the Chairman, much has been done to manipulate the course for each and every round. Never forget that the course that creates the roars on the back nine Sunday is not the course the players usually see over the first two days.
What will the setup be today? Will last night's rain have any effect? Will the course be set up for scoring as it was in the first round? If so, then Watson has a chance to continue his good scoring. Freddie just has to keep playing well, and they both have to hope that they can hold off the likes of those young whippersnappers chasing them, like the almost 40 year old Phil Mickelson at five under. And can they hold off one of Europe's best, Lee Westwood? Will the Asian invasion be a threat, as KJ Choi and PGA Champion YE Yang are both five under.
Who would have thought that with all the hype leading up to the tournament, that after the first day, and his first competitive round in five months, Tiger Woods would have been about the third or fourth storyline of the day. How would he be received? Well. How would he play? Good. Is his game good enough to win? I think he got a better idea to the answer to that question after the first round. We'll all have a better idea of where the tournament is heading for all of the participants, young and old by Friday night. Enjoy the second round of the 2010 MASTERS!
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