The Masters

[swerb]

Who do you like this year?? Can Tiger put aside his fathers health problems and snag another green jacket? Does Phil ride the momentum of his HUGE win this week to a Masters win, as he did in 2004? Is it Vijay's turn? Do Els or Goosen finally break through at Augusta?

[yogi]

Tiger's gonna play well or miss the cut. Phil & Vijay will be top 10 but not as good odds to win it all as Tiger.

Hard to see someone other than the above winning it but my longshot is Adam Scott.

Sergio makes a run but disappoints again. May out-do Phil in heart-aches before he wins. He'll have an outstanding 1st or 2nd round be in it Sunday morning than fade badly (as usual).

Here's another solid bet. Bernard Langer & Freddy Couples will have top 20 finishes. They know this course and always play well here. If it was crappy weather all 4 days, I would like them to finish in the money.

Scott Verplank could be a player here also.

[swerb]

I like Verplank this week. Alot.

Verplank, Ames, Lehman, Lucas Glover, Angel Cabrera ... are all guys I like this week. Will throw down at least $5 on all of em to win, as all should yield good odds.

In the end ... I'm leaning Vijay. Last in putting last year and still contended. Hes due to play well. Coming in a little off the radar with no wins this year so far, but hes played well, top tenning almost every event.

David Toms as well. Long overdue for a 2nd major. Playing as good as he ever has. Masterful with his irons, which is mandatory at Augusta.

This is all subject to change. Gotta look at things a little closer. Just 1st impressions ...

[swerb]

Just hit Vijay at 11-1, Toms at 20-1, and Verplank at 100-1

[swerb]

Rod Pampling solo leader ... -2 through 10.

[swerb]

Rocco Mediate -4?

Ben Crenshaw shoots 71?

Wow ...

[Lebowski]

You sure that's not Crenshaw's age?

[swerb]

That putt Crenshaw hit on 17 was awesome.

Course played dry and fast today. Greens were lightning quick.

Vijay, bogey free 67. Looking strong early. Tiger shoots 72, but shot 74 in the 1st rd last year before rebounding to end -12 and get the 4th green jacket.

Rocco Mediate? This guy has been MIA for 4 years, qualifies for the US Open at Pinehurst last year and takes 6th ... which gives him an exemption for this years Masters, where he shoots 68 in rd one. Gotta love Rocco though.

My boy Oberholsers shoots 69. Kid is playing his ass off this year. All kinds of talent. And how bout Ben Curtis shooting 70?

Goosen, Mickleson -2. Campbell, Weir, Couples, Els all -1.

Leaderboard locked and loaded for what should be an incredible weekend.

[Guest]

I have Vijay at 11-1 and Lefty at 7-1
F Tiger

[swerb]

This rain delay was the best thing that coulda happened.

USA Today picking up the final 3 hours of round three tomorrow morning at 8 AM. I was surprised, usually the Masters Officials (why I have no idea) are sticklers about the TV coverage being limited to 3:30-7:00 on Sat and 2:30-7:00 on Sunday. Last year there was a similar delay, and no one got to see any of the leaders play the end of their 3rd round.

Leaderboard is STACKED.

Campbell leading at -6. Clark with a birdie putt to tie him to start the morning. ROCCO ... two birdies got him to -5. And a group of guys behind them that happen to go by the names Tiger, Phil, Vijay, Ernie, and Retief.

Cannot wait for tomorrow. Sunday at the Masters is tough to beat. And we get 27+ holes of coverage tomorrow.

[pup]

Man, that is going to be a long, trying day for the leaders. Can you imagine having to come down the back 9 at Augusta twice on Sunday? You have to think the Tiger and the boys slightly off the lead would be best suited to handle this type of day.

[swerb]

Man, that is going to be a long, trying day for the leaders. Can you imagine having to come down the back 9 at Augusta twice on Sunday? You have to think the Tiger and the boys slightly off the lead would be best suited to handle this type of day.

Tiger did the exact same thing last year. He started on 10 (round 3) Sunday morning last year, and got 9 in right before the horn again this year.

Big advantage for Tiger. Gets to start the day off fresh on the back nine right out the back door of the clubhouse as opposed to having to walk all the way out to 9 tee. Tiger 7 pars and 2 birdies today, just missed a couple others. Hes 3 back and the board is loaded ... but he is without a doubt the man to beat.

Should be an incredible day of golf tomorrow.

[yogi]

oooo babay, I think Tim Clark's chip in at the 18th allowed me to nip Kiggins for top prize in our Master's pool.

Say its so Swerbo!

[swerb]

Im pretty sure you're right Yogi ...

[Guest]

Lefty at 7-1 cashes in
Very nice

[yogi]

<--------------

that's my expression! woo-hoo!

[BGSU]

Phil Mickelson let the world and Tiger Woods know that he is a force to be reckoned with in all Majors. Lefty is on a Tiger-like roll in golf's biggest events after a Sunday stroll through Augusta National, his performance so dominating that he could stroll up the 18th fairway with not a care in the world.

Mickelson is the Masters champion for the second time in three years, a major winner for the third time in his last nine chances. How appropriate was it that Tiger Woods was the one who slipped the green jacket on Mickelson's shoulders in the Butler Cabin?

Woods is still the master of the majors, winning 10 before his 30th birthday. But Mickelson is making
up for lost time -- most specifically, that 0-for-42 record to begin his career. After his breakthrough victory at the 2004 Masters, Mickelson showed it wasn't a fluke by winning the PGA Championship last year. Now, with a two-stroke triumph at Augusta National he's won three of the last nine majors -- more than anyone else during that span."Three-for-nine sounds better, huh?" he asked, not needing an answer.

He didn't take any unnecessary chances. He didn't need to. No one else on the star-studded leaderboard made any sort of serious charge at the leader. Not Woods. Not Retief Goosen. Not Vijay Singh. Certainly not the other member of the Big Five, Ernie Els, who closed with a 76.

Mickelson mainly had to keep an eye on Fred Couples, his playing partner and closest challenger most of the day. Couples pulled even on the first hole, and they stayed that way until Lefty made a birdie on the par-5 eighth hole.

Couples squandered his chance to become the oldest winner in Masters history with atrocious putting. He three-putted three times. As Couples biggest fan, Marty Lance, knows you drive for show and put for dough or in this case the Green Jacket. "It was painfull watching ALL those missed putts," said a tearful Lance.

Tim Clark was two shots back in second, holing out a bunker shot at the final hole to take the runner-up spot. Couples, Goosen, Woods, Jose Maria Olazabal and second-round leader Chad Campbell were another stroke behind at 284. Singh, who led after the first round, finished at 285 with Angel Cabrera.

Woods hung around all day, but never made a serious run at the lead. Like Couples, he was doomed by a shaky putter that was needed 33 times. His back nine putting was something that I thought we would never see from Woods. It is starting to look like he might be human after all. "I putted atrociously," Woods said. "As good as I hit it, that's as bad as I putted. Once I got on the green, I was a spaz."

Not Mickelson, whose won $1.26 million and moved to the top of the PGA Tour money list. The victory also pushed him up to No. 2 in the world ranking behind Woods.

Does Mickelson have the prettiest smile? Of course I am talking about Amy -- WOW. It was very touching to see Phil congratulated and hugged by his children after such a dominating performance. Congrats Phil on being a great family man and a two-time Masters Champion.