"Augusta is now one of the purest majors we play."

SI Golf Plus's excellent year-end issue featured a roundtable with scribes Garrity, Van Sickle, Bamberger and Shipnuck joining the "anonymous tour pro" for a discussion about 2009.

It's all quite entertaining in an pared-down sort of way, but one comment from Mr. Anonymous made me hurl my magazine across the room.

ABOUT THE MAJORS

Bamberger: Augusta National sets up for some semiobscure guy — like Zach Johnson or Brandt Snedeker — to have a great driving and putting week. To me, they have taken the emotion out of the tournament by toughening the course so much.

Van Sickle: The course negates ability because now you make birdies only by accident. They pushed the course to the brink of difficulty, and weather conditions can push it over the edge.

Garrity: If they fix the course the way we want, they may be left, once again, with ridiculously fast greens as the course's only defense. I didn't like that, either. Ease back on the course, and a Masters-regulated ball may be the only solution.

Anonymous Pro: I hate to say this, but Augusta is now one of the purest majors we play. With the length, the rough and especially the trees, it's less of a bomber's paradise. The trees have changed the course. They have Tiger-proofed it. They've taken a lot of the risk out of the course. You have to plod along and play to point A and B and C.

So let me get this right. It's the purest major they play, yet it takes away risk and you have to plod along and play to committee-dictated points of interest?

That's what a pure major does? Yikes.

Comments

[thusgone]

as a law professor of mine was fond of saying: "it all depends on whose ox is being gored."

i never really understood what he meant, and i hope it is at least tangentially relevant here.

[Steven T.]

I guess it's "right out in front of you" now. Now, they just move the tees up on the back 9 on Sunday and try to manufacture some excitement to an otherwise dull event.

[Jack]

Don't be so harsh Geoff. I'd put it in the top five myself.

[Tighthead]

So, the anon pro is something of a shortknock, no?

[Jim Beckner]

we at least know why he is anonymous - Jim

[KFry]

Anonymous must be a young pro who never experienced how "pure" The Masters use to play....

[Claude]

These guys barely mentioned Padraig!

[Ky Laffoon's Ghost]

What an idjit! Pure? What kind of freakin' bombers' paradise is he talking about? Really, he must be some sort of short knocker, who can't putt either. I was last at the Masters in 1997...seem to remember something special happened that year. Anyway, I would take a free ticket now, but I won't go to any trouble to get one. There was that woman in the yellow tube top to the right of the 14th landing area, though. I wonder if she still attends? Hmm.

[neuf de fer]

"Augusta is now ONE OF THE PUREST we play."

So, how many majors do they play? Which of the other three is more pure than the Masters?

Well, at least I won't have to listen to Johnny Miller tell me the 14th is a "Risk/Reward" hole ever again.

[Old Tom]

I'm so f'ing sick of hearing the term "tiger proofed".

Tiger is not the longest driver on the tour. That is not how he wins tournaments. To Tiger-proof a course you would have to put windmills up and erupting volcanos etc etc. He wins by being the best overall player on the face of the earth. how can people be so stupid?