The Good, the Great, and the Ugly from the 2011 Masters

The Good, the Great, and the Ugly about the 2011 Masters. The Good- For Rory Mcllroy, the first sixty-three holes of the Masters was a truly great story. He stepped on the stage on in my mind is the greatest stage of American Golf and slayed the demons also known as nerves. He stared down tough golf situations and built a lead that was exciting, and perhaps historic as he stared down the field and had a 'tigeresque' lead coming down the back stretch at Augusta. The good will turn to great if Rory knows he will get future chances to win tournaments and major ones at that if he keeps his head on straight. Tiger Woods- You knew this was coming. Tiger Woods was written off by nearly everyone coming into this Masters. Heck, I am number one in his list for him to get back at anyone that ever said they are disappointed in his behavior. He hung around and hung around all weekend long and on his outstanding front nine Sunday, he strung together perhaps the most important golf he will play in the future at a course he has used as a footstool four times in his mostly brilliant career. When Tiger got to 10 under, you could sense that Tiger was accomplishing perhaps his greatest feat and this includes his brilliant 2007 Masters victory and his one legged US Open win just a few short years ago. Even though he stalled out on the back nine Sunday, it was a win for him in that he got it back for a long stretch and lets him know that with hard work, he could get back some of what he lost after the Incident in November 2009. Great- The Field- What a stretch of golf we saw on Sunday. Clutch shot after clutch shot. To watch a cluster of golfers including Schwartzel, Day, Scott, Oglivy and Donald among others string together below par golf on a test of golf with a degree of difficulty that will test the world's best from tee shot to nerve wracking putt is a testament to a great sport with a bright future. The PGA Tour would be wise to start marketing the younger players who will carry the sport now and in the future as Tiger is still wobbly and in my mind will never unring the bell that he rung in the minds of many in the public. -The Masters is a throwback to what we all love about sports. The old fashioned hand-held scoreboards are refreshing when the big electronic scoreboards have taken over sports and are a part of our sports culture and in the case of the Palace, they scare the hell out of me when they blow off that sonic cannon twice before the game and this includes when I know it is coming. This is as close as we get to Wrigley Field or Fenway Park. Looking at the Azaleas and the beautiful mulch and pinestraw is breathtaking and is the opening day of the official northern golf season to me. Equally charming is the ban on electronic devices on the course. I think most people are pretty dependent on this and (yes, my hand is raised). how refreshing it must be to not get the event on the phone or leader updates and have to depend on the roars you hear to perhaps tell you what is going on on the course.  Can you imagine what was going on in the minds of those attending the event when Mcllroy shot his snowman Sunday? How about Oglivy and his four consecutive birdies? It must be riveting to watch the leaderboard change. What drama it is to watch it.  - By all accounts Rory Mcllroy was all class. His interviews on CBS and with the press afterward may brand him forever as a man who handled a potentially career altering collapse with as much dignity and class as a man in his position could have. It speaks volumes that after witnessing him speaking to the press that he received a standing ovation from the members of Augusta National who are experienced at witnessing great golf and great collapses. From Peter King of Sports Illustrated's Peter King: Tweet of the Week III "Oh and congratulations charl schwartzel!! Great player and even better guy! Very happy for him and his family!'' --@McIlroyRory, Irish golfer Rory McIlroy, who entered the final round of the Masters in the lead, only to shoot seven-over on the back nine and lose I think many people could say they would have done the same but would you or I have meant it? Final, Charl Schwartzel. What a finish. Finishing with a final round 66 after three other below par rounds shows that Charl is the man for the 2011 Masters. It proves that if you hang around and hang around and finally break through, you have a chance to win a golf tournament and Charl deserves to be the champion. Now take your money and buy some advice from other multiple major winners and find out what they say are the common denominators to winning majors. Then talk to fellas that have never won after winning their first ones and see what the difference is. Also, now that you have all that money, ask Vanna White to let you buy a e and an s. I cannot for the life of me call a grown man Charl.   The Ugly Tiger Woods- After signing his scorecard yesterday, Tiger was interviewed on CBS by I believe Bill McAfee. He was short and curt and McAfee did not deserve short answers to good questions such as "Tiger, does this finish help you gain momentum for future golf tournaments?" Tiger, "we'll see." It wasn't the words but the poor attitude. One of these days he will have to play a club short as a reporter will wrap a club around his neck and tie it tight and will go Jim Gray all over him. Tiger better get it together or the public may continue to be frosty to him and perhaps he might consider being the opening act for someone else with tiger blood. That would be one Charlie Sheen. -The golf ball going to far. Gary Player told ESPN during their weekend broadcast that the ball is going to far and they will need to build a golf ball for the pros to play at their tournaments. He said and I agree that you cannot make golf courses 8,000 yards long for reasons from maintenance to real estate issues. While I have not been to Augusta, he said there is essentially no more room to many golf courses including many Pine Valley that have no more room and are seen as being to short to hold pro golf tournaments. -Finally, The Augusta National Golf Club- We've come a long way baby. Well, a security guard at Augusta did not get the memo and a female reporter was not allowed to interview Rory Mcllroy after his epic collapse. Columnist Tara Sullivan of the Bergen Record in New Jersey was stopped from interviewing Mcllroy after his collapse and had to resort to receiving notes from another reporter after the fact. In the Master's defense, they later apologized to Sullivan and blamed it on an 'overzelous' security guard. While it is true, I'm sure that there is a staging area for reporters and what is interesting to me is that the culture of men only still exists at this private club that gives the public a peak at its inner sanctum on its terms once a year. Still, it is a great week with a little of good, great and ugly.