SHUHEI MATSUO
Sports Assistant
It feels like the year 2006 just started not too long ago. But the daylight-saving time change made me realize it’s already April. It’s the season of baseball? Yes, of course, but not quite exciting yet. The beginning of daylight-saving time always reminds me of playing golf until it gets dark around 8 p.m. Yes, the month of April is the beginning of the most exciting part of the golf season.
Before the PGA Tour tees off its first major of the year with the Masters today, the LPGA had its first major of the season, Kraft Nabisco Championship, last week.
I was hoping to see the world’s best female golfer Annika Sorenstam defend her title, but her rival Karrie Webb was the one who got to jump into the Champions Pond after winning the sudden-death playoff with Lorena Ochoa, who was leading the entire field until Sunday afternoon.
Michelle Wie actually could have won this tournament, if she decided to putt her third shot on the 72nd hole. With her ability, it should have been easy to two-putt from the back fringe for a birdie to go on to a playoff.
But obviously, what she wanted was not a playoff: she wanted a win without a playoff. So she went for it.
But the goddess of golf didn’t let a 16-year-old girl, who was playing for her first major tournament as a professional, win. Wie’s ball rolled 10 feet over the hole, and she also missed the birdie putt.
But still, she tied the tournament third, beating many big names including Hall of Famers Juli Inkster and Sorenstam, and other young stars Paula Creamers and Morgan Pressel.
Last Sunday might have been a disappointing day for Wie, but her third-place finish brought her a $108,222 check. She is sponsored by Nike and Sony, making millions of dollars. She will get more sponsorship as she continues to succeed as a professional.
How much can a 16-year-old girl’s life get better than this?
Not very much.
When I was 16, I remember I was paying to go to high school to study stuff like U.S. history and algebra, which I didn’t really enjoy. But I loved playing golf every day after school.
Wie, as well as other professional athletes, is doing what she loves and getting paid.
But being a sports lover, I know how hard it must be as a professional athlete. Those athletes out there try so hard to make a living. They deserve it.
All right. Now this week is the Masters’ week.
I love the Masters because it’s the only major tournament that doesn’t change the host course, but more importantly, I love it because it always brings drama at the end.
Last year was especially amazing.
I thought there was no way that Tiger Woods was going to win the 2005 Masters, after shooting a 2-over 74 on the first day. But he dominated the second and third rounds and took the lead.
After the third day, I thought it was going to be an easy win for Tiger, but Chris DiMarco, who was the leader after the second round, came back and made the match against Tiger exciting.
The best moment of this tournament was at the par-3 No.-16 on Sunday. Honor DiMarco hit the ball on the middle of the green to give himself a birdie opportunity, while Tiger hit over the green.
It’s hard to tell from TV, but the 16th green has a severe slope from back to front. So a bogey is almost guaranteed if you hit over the green.
At the moment, I thought Tiger was going to have a bogey, and DiMarco was going to sink the birdie putt to tie the lead.
But I was wrong. Very wrong.
Tiger hit the ball to the opposite direction from the hole, but the ball slowly rolled toward the hole and stopped by the lip. And it dropped.
Literally, unbelievable.
There was only one person in the world who could chip in the shot under that kind of situation. And that was Tiger Woods.
Tiger bogeyed the last two holes and forced himself to a playoff with DiMarco, who pared the last three holes. But he still won his fourth Green Jacket with the traditional Tiger style when he made a birdie putt on the first play-off hole.
This year, the Augusta National is a little different – it added more distance, again. It will be another new test for the players.
Defending champion Tiger has been playing pretty well this season, and is the favorite of many Masters watchers.
He is obviously the golfer who knows how to play that course the best, but I’m not sure if he can defend his title this week.
Having an ailing father in his home state California, Tiger might not be able to focus on his best game. But it’s Tiger Woods. No one knows what he is capable of doing.
But I think Phil Mickelson has a good chance of winning his second Green Jacket this week. He has won at Augusta before, and he game has been really good lately especially with the dominating victory at last week’s BellSouth when he won it by 13 shots. He is probably the hottest player out there.
Retief Goosen and Luke Donald might have a chance, too. They’ve been playing pretty solid lately and they love the Masters.
Maybe DiMarco will bring some drama three years in a row.
But I think Mickelson’s going to do it this year.
I know some people don’t consider golf as a sport. That’s fine. It’s a game. But I can tell you one thing for sure: It is the hardest game in the world. I know this game. It’s hard.
So try watching the Masters this weekend to see who is the best in this game.
And if you see Mickelson walking around the Amen Corner, give him a golf clap.
04-06-2006
