Ahh, The Masters

I know many of you are just as jazzed about Masters week as I am. For me it's a toss up between the Masters and US Open, but the Masters probably wins out as my favorite tournament. It's such a special week and for us golfers in New England it definitely marks the beginning of spring. The forecast in Augusta is for iunseasonably cool weather the early part of the week with the temps not reaching the 70's until Thursday. With the wind blowing early in the week, hopefully the course will be playing fast for the players. At 7,400 yards they'll need all the help they can get.

I checked out the Masters web site www.masters.org last night for the first time. You know it's a different era when the Masters is on Facebook and Twitter. I'm not on Facebok and I hardly even know what Twitter is. I hope Mr. Roberts and Mr. Jones aren't rolling over in their graves. The Masters has always embraced change which is a good thing with technology and for us television "patrons" being allowed to watch all 18 holes unlike the old days when the telecast didn't come on the air until 4:00. I know I'm not alone in thinking that they've overcooked the golf course, though. The back nine excitement has been stifled with the course now more characteristic os US Open survival than old-time Masters charges. It seems almost impossible to think that a player could should 30 or 32 on the back nine to mount a charge - which is too bad. But it's still the Masters and I'll be watching.

Every few years or so Masters Sunday falls on Easter and when I found out that that was the case this year I immediately lobbied my family for an early dinner. My sister who lives in Providence is hosting so I called her up and said, "How does a 1:00 dinner sound to you?" After I explained my ulterior motive she agreed. She was probably rolling her eyes on her end of the phone, but that's OK. I'll be back in front of my 40-inch screen in time for the leaders to make the turn.

Is Tiger Woods unbelievable? The media has run out of superlatives and who can blame them. I thought there was no way he makes that but on the 72nd at Bay Hill. Absolutely unreal. So good for the game that he's back. He may well be putting on another green jacket come Sunday. Either way I can't wait.