OB SPORTS GOLF & LEISURE
x
WINTER 2019
x
obsports.com
l
TOUR REPORT
THE MASTERS
April 11-14; CBS/ESPN
C'mon – were you expecting anything
else? Even the January promos get us
worked up for the greatest stage in golf,
Augusta National in the spring. Sure, a
competitive Ryder Cup might challenge
the Masters for "Greatest Spectacle"
honors, but this isn't a Ryder Cup year,
and besides, the 2018 edition was a let-
down. The Masters never lets us down.
The Venue: One reason the Masters
never fails is thanks to its fabled layout,
which inevitably wows with drama-in-
ducing holes and an eye-candy setting.
Even amid the rare runaway, we can
soak in the dogwoods, azaleas, brilliant
white ovals of sand and stately pines.
Toss in Rae's Creek at 12 and 13 and
ball-gobbling ponds at 15 and 16, eagle
possibilities at the par 5s and some of
the most vexing greens in golf and you
have a recipe for unforgettable finishes.
The Cast: Tiger Woods returned to
the Masters in 2018 in shockingly fine
form, yet it was beyond wishful think-
ing – and borderline lunacy – for some
to have made him the favorite. Yet, after
Tiger's sensational second half of 2018,
it wouldn't be folly to peg him as the
man to beat this year.
There's a constellation of stars who
wish to deny Tiger his fifth green jacket,
including newly svelte defending champ
Patrick Reed and Brooks Koepka, who
had to skip the 2018 Masters due to a
left wrist injury. Of course, Rory McIl-
The
par-3
12th
hole
at
Augusta
National
is
one
of
the
prettiest
in
the
world.
fi
Courtesy
yourgolftravel.com.
