“Hooks and Slices” will bring you our view on whats happening in the golf world.
There was plenty of great stuff going on at Augusta on Friday. The great play continued, some players moved up the leader board, some packed their bags and left, we said goodbye to Fuzzy and watched Gary Player say one last prayer of thanks on the eighteenth green. It rarely gets better than this in golf. The Masters is a special tournament and each day brings us something wonderful.
Gary Player’s walk up eighteen was the day’s highlight. Player knelt as he stepped on the green as if to say thanks to Augusta, to the fans and to golf. It is Player that deserves our thanks. Thank you Mr. Player for spreading golf all over the world, for always playing like a champion, for your spirit and for living your life with integrity, morality and sportsmanship. Gary Player is one of a kind.
Chad Campbell played well but Kenny Perry caught him with a 67. Last year Perry set a goal of making the Ryder Cup and we all know what happened. This year his goal is to win a major. I wonder if he is thinking, “I should have started this goal setting thing sooner.”
Anthony Kim shoots 65 with 11 birdies. Wow, now that’s something special. Kim broke Nick Price’s record of 10 birds and jumped into contention. Could he be the first since Fuzzy to win at Augusta in his first try?
Goodbye to a bunch of great players as they couldn’t find their games: Ernie, Freddy, Zach, Goose, Norman, O’Meara, Adam, and Cink.
Augusta National isn’t immune to controversy. Rory McIlroy kicked the sand as he flubbed a bunker shot and left it in the bunker. It took officials until late last night to determine if he would be penalized. He was not. Paddy Harrington was not so lucky. Harrington was penalized a stroke after he grounded his putter behind the ball and backed off after a gust of wind distracted him. Then his ball moved due to the wind while he was backed off the ball. There is no way he caused the ball but to move, but the rule dictates a penalty if he had addressed the ball. That rule needs to be changed.
Phil Mickelson came to life on the back nine to jump into contention. He played 12 thru 15 in four under to shoot 68. Tiger played an uninspiring round and finished with a 72. His putter is cold and if you can’t drop some putts at Augusta you are in big trouble.
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