The 2017 U.S. Amateur runner-up, Doug Ghim, had a memorable week at Augusta National, garnering low amateur honors and holing out twice on #18. On Thursday he found the cup from the fairway for an eagle 2 and finished up his play Sunday with a hole out from the front left green side bunker for a birdie 3. What a week for the University of Texas senior. I hope we see more of him in the future.
CBS flashed a stat during yesterday’s round that showed the 16th hole as the most frequently aced par 3 on Tour in the recent past. So, the obligatory hole-in-one was produced by Charley Hoffman. His slightly rugged iron caromed off the second cut just outside the left green side bunker and took a 90 degree right hand turn into the hole! Nice shot, Chaz.
21 year old Chinese National Haotong Li has a great week, finishing in 32nd place at his first MASTERS. At one point in Thursday’s round he was on top of the leaderboard at 3-under par. Highlight of his week might be the save he made on #13 Sunday when his second shot hung up in the rough on the downhill side of Rae’s creek. An impossible lie to a close pin over the creek, Li lofted a soft lob that settled in birdie range and he converted. Maybe this kid can spark more interest in China for the game right now. The Chinese government has put restrictions on play and golf course development.
Rory McIlroy was whistling in the dark during post Saturday round interviews when he tried to place all the pressure on the leader, Patrick Reed. He made a plausible case but it proved a psychological smoke screen. Clearly, Rory felt the burden of his historic quest, apparent right out of the gate. He was a shadow of the player he was on Saturday during the final round.
The redemption trail for Rory continues at Augusta. He only needs the victory here to achieve the career grand slam but he must get past the 2011 collapse on the second nine to exorcise those demons. The convergence of those two issues, a historic defeat coupled with a historic achievement, might be a climb to high for the 28 year old. I hope not, but his quest will bring added drama to each MASTERS until it is resolved, one way of another.
The 5th hole ranked sixth in difficulty for the tournament but it proved to be the toughest whole, in my opinion, for both Rory and eventual runner-up Rickie Fowler. Both players bogeyed this from the fairway, with Rickie flying the green and Rory coming up short. For all intents and purposes, Rory was done after that dropped shot. And it was Rickie’s only bogey on the card, without it he finishes at 15-under, waiting for Reed in the clubhouse. What might have been.
Prior to the start of the tournament, Augusta National Chairman Fred Ridley made an astonishing announcement, completely out of the blue. He explained the Club’s decision to initiate a women’s amateur championship that will culminate with the final round at Augusta National on the Saturday preceding the MASTERS. What a great move designed to grow the game, with a special emphasis on girls and women. It seems not that long ago (actually, 15 years) that ANGC was in a pitched battle with Martha Burke and the National Council of Women’s Organizations over the club’s policy of no women members. Hootie Johnson might be turning in his grave but ANGC has moved on under the leadership of past chairman Billy Payne, continuing with Ridley, evolving into a progressive leader in the growth of the game and the preservation of it’s traditional values. Who says a zebra can’t change it’s stripes?
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