by Aaron Isaac Feldstein
March Madness once again lived up to its name. But instead of sitting here complaining about my bracket and how it’s currently in flames in the trashcan, I’ve decided to move on.
My birthday is today, and when that happens it can mean only one thing – it’s time for the Masters.
The only story anyone seems to be talking about is Tiger Woods being able to win another green jacket. You watch all the shows like Pardon the Interruption or First and 10 and they always have to choose between Woods and the field. Nearly every time these television sports journalists always take Tiger.
I understand why these journalists choose Woods. No one is arguing that there is a better player out there. In fact, there is no one in Tiger’s league in any sport. The closest was tennis phenom Roger Federer, but even he has fallen off this year.
Therefore, instead of taking the easy route and sitting here telling you what a golf god that Woods is and that no one is going to beat him, I am going to give a few names that might have a chance at beating the four-time Masters’ winner.
Let’s look at who is currently on a role. The first name that comes to mind is Geoff Ogilvy. This past weekend the Australian tied for second at the Shell Houston Open and two weekends ago won the World Golf Championships - -California. Ogilvy currently has a scoring average of 69, three strokes below his career average. With his win at the World Golf Championships, the 10-year-pro has nearly equaled his career money total of 2007 and has improved his scrambling percentage, which is the percentage of pars made after missing the green in regulation. A skill that will be necessary on a course that will play as tough as Augusta does.
A good way to challenge Tiger on a course this difficult will be to take advantage and get eagles and birdies on the Par-5 holes. The key to having this opportunity is a good drive off the tee. Currently leading that statistical category is Bubba Watson. Off the tee, he is averaging 313.5 yards per drive, and back-to-back solid shots will give the Florida native a chance to score low on those particular holes. However, Watson averages 30 putts per round and Augusta’s tricky pin placement could be a problem for this powerful golfer.
If I were going to take someone with a big drive who I can trust in a major, Phil Mickelson would be my bet. Although Sergio Garcia has a farther driving distance average, the guy chokes more than UCLA in the Final Four. Mickelson on the other hand has won two green jackets, is in the top five this year in scoring average and can still knock it solid off the tee, averaging 293 yards a drive. But the lefty from San Diego has only two top-five finishes on the tour this season, and both were over two months ago.
Tricky pin placements on tough greens are going to make putting very important. Enter British Open Champion Padraig Harrington. The Irish golfer is averaging only 26.81 putts per round. Harrington has been able to thrive under the pressure. He was able to take advantage when Garcia cracked at the British Open and brought Ireland its first British Open in 60 years. This year, Harrington has improved on his average driving distance, his scrambling percentage and his scoring average. Harrington finished 26th in the Shell Houston Open this past weekend, but that doesn’t mean he won’t have a chance at Augusta.
Harrington will be turning 37 this August, but how about some of the young guns that will be battling this weekend.
No one is coming in hotter than Johnson Wager. The Texas-born Virginia Tech graduate earned a victory at the Shell Houston Open last weekend, in which he beat solid players like Ogilvy, Harrington, Mickelson and Davis Love III. A flawless first round with seven birdies and one eagle put Wagner nine strokes under par and gave him the ability to cruise to his first tour win.
The win also earned the 28-year-old an invitational to the Masters.
But golf is the type of sport that just because you are young, doesn’t mean you have a better chance. For the best example, look at Fred Couples. The 1992 Masters champion has started his 18th season as a pro on a hot streak, making up for a sub-par year in 2007. He has already made five more cuts than he did all of last year, including a fourth-place finish at the Shell Houston Open. Couples had a final round of 66, that included six birdies, but more importantly no bogeys. Couples also has his drive back, averaging 12 yards more per drive than he did in ’07. Plus, it was only two years ago Couples was right in the mix and finished tied for third at Augusta.
Finally, there are tons of big guns I haven’t even mentioned. Ernie Els, Vigay Singh, Retief Goosen, Jim Furyk, Jose Maria Olazabal or defending champion Zach Johnson. Out of the list above, no one needs it worse than Olazabal who hasn’t won a major since winning this tournament in 1999. Even David Duval has a major win more recently than the Spanish golfer.
Els has the fire in his eyes that earned him the British Open back in 2002, the last major win for the man nicknamed the Big Easy. Els had an impressive victory at the Honda Classic at the beginning of March, with a come-from-behind win. According to the PGA Tour website, the course the Honda Classic was played on was the third toughest course on the tour last year, and the weather conditions didn’t make it easy this year. Augusta should play at or over par, and with the weather that plans to slam the year’s first major, Els has the potential to use the same mentality he used to win the Honda Classic and bring home his first green jacket.
In the end, I understand how easy it is just to pick Tiger Woods to win. If he wins, it was a forgone conclusion. If he loses, well, it was a big field and to quote LIU’s own Scottish golfer Greg Nicolson “even a blind squirrel finds a nut.”
That’s why I am going to take the other route and pick the field. I think Els or Ogilvy have a great chance of keeping Tiger Woods from getting his fifth jacket. However, I’d have a better chance if I called Dr. Frankenstein and had him make me a creation that had a little bit of everyone I mentioned above. That creation could keep up with Tiger, but more than likely lose nine out of 10 times.
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