Why Are People Still Betting Tiger At 8-1?

/

I saw that the Las Vegas hotels did not change Tiger's odds after another mediocre performance at Bay Hill, which means people are still putting money on him at 7-1 or 8-1. Are they seeing something I'm not?

The folks at Today's Golfer report that a travel outfit is quite confident of Woods not winning next week.

No stranger to innovative promotions, one of Europe’s largest golf travel operators is promising to refund all holidays booked before The Masters, should Woods leave Augusta National on Sunday 10 April with a nap-hand of green jackets.

And if Tiger returns to form in Augusta, Your Golf Travel.com estimates it will be refunding holidays to the tune of £1.5 million.

The offer applies to anyone quoting ‘Tiger Masters’ for bookings made from Monday, March 28, until Wednesday, April 6, and golf travellers can choose from more than 2,000 Your Golf Travel.com venues and courses in the UK, Europe and worldwide.

Q&A With John Boyette

/

Augusta Chronicle sports editor John Boyette is the only media member to have walked all 18 holes with Jack Nicklaus during the final round of the 1986 Masters.

On the eve of next week's event, you can listen to John talk to Rod Morri about his new book, The 1986 Masters. The book is not only a wonderful recap of the event but a beautiful production featuring excellent reproductions of 150 or so Chronicle images from the week.

Boyette answered a few of my questions via email about the book and what we can look for from the Augusta Chronicle next week.


Q: So you were an apprenticing journalist for the Aiken Standard with no assignment, no press badge and just a patron badge. And you decide to follow Jack Nicklaus around for the final round in 1986? Really?

JB: Yes. I know it sounds a little crazy, but it’s true! I was a Nicklaus fan from early on and I thought I would follow him around that day. Believe me, he didn’t have that big of a following after he bogeyed No. 4 and missed a short birdie putt at No. 6. By the time he made the turn, it was hard to get a good spot to see. I had been to the tournament plenty before 1986, but that was actually the first year I wrote articles that were published.
 
Q: When did you decide to create a book about the day and what did you do to flesh out  story that has been pretty well told?

JB: I guess I would think about it on significant milestones or anniversaries. When we got to the 20th anniversary, that’s when I started becoming a little more serious about tracking down some guys and interviewing them. But the bulk of the work was done in the last year. I had incredible cooperation from the Nicklaus family and several others associated with that day. My goal was to put all of the stories about that year – the article taped on the refrigerator, the oversized putter, why he wore the yellow shirt – in one volume. I hope diehard fans who know a lot about 1986 will learn something new, and I hope those who don’t much about it will enjoy it as the story unfolds.

I think the 1986 Masters is great for a number of reasons. Nicklaus winning at age 46 is the main story, but there are so many good subplots going on around it. Nick Price shooting 63. Seve Ballesteros feuding with Deane Beman. The rise of Europe. A lot of future major winners in the hunt that day. To top that will really take something special.

Q: The endsheets of the book features Nicklaus's scorecard. Where is that and other '86 memorabilia displayed these days?

JB: I really don’t have a clue. I know Augusta National keeps the scorecards. I would expect to see them do a display on 1986 in their exhibition area. The Response ZT putter, I’m told, is missing.
 
Q: There were so many goose-bump moments from that day, was there any particular point in the day that stood out for you?

JB: Everything from 15 in was pretty good, but I think my favorite moment was at No. 16. I used to work on the scoreboard at the sixth green that overlooks 16 green, and I had positioned myself behind the green. When Jack’s shot nearly went in the hole, the ground shook and the gallery went crazy. And, of course, the photo of him raising his putter on the 17th green is one of the all-time great shots.
 
Q: You write about the scene in the press center when Nicklaus came in and looked for Tom McCollister to have a laugh about the infamous column that motivated Nicklaus. It's rather remarkable imagining one of today's players taking getting such motivation from one column!

JB: Yes, I wish I had access back then to the old Quonset hut that served as the media center. What a press conference that must have been. I don’t think Jack gave the article much thought at the time, really, but it’s one of those things that has gotten bigger through the years. I can’t see any of the current players giving credit to something like that.
 
Q: What will the Chronicle be doing to celebrate the 25th anniversary and has there ever been any thought of reprinting the 1986 sports page as a commemorative keepsake?

JB: Of course, we’re selling the book on our Web site and at augusta.com. We’ve also got a story by me looking back at 1986 in kind of an alternative format. I try to point out how rare that charge was (no one’s shot that low on the final nine and gone on to win since Jack) and we also have some other goodies. Our special section will publish April 3. We have talked in the past about reprinting some pages, but we’ll see. For the last few years, we have offered a plaque of the front page featuring the Monday cover of our special section to celebrate the new champion.
 
Q: Augusta.com is a production of the Augusta Chronicle and is always a great place to view the tournament from afar, what can we expect this year?

JB: Thanks, we have a lot of great folks here who make our print and online products shine that week. Look for us to do more blogging with more of our writers and updates from the tournament each day. Also, we have launched apps for the Android and Apple iPhone, iPad and iTouch mobile devices. This should allow folks on the go to keep up with the tournament most anywhere.

Poulter, McDowell, Stenson Turn Into Wang On Their Augusta Day Trip**

/

I wonder what the club thinks of the reigning U.S. Open champion, the reigning tour diva and the former Players Champion turning into auteurs for their drive up Magnolia Lane, the arrival in the locker room and their first glimpse of the course this year.

Naturally, all I could notice was how much the ninth hole fairway continues to be widened out.

Here's Poulter's Tweeted video. And McDowell going up Magnolia Lane and his balcony view, noticeably less Soderberghian in his camera gestures than Poulter.

Contest: The 1986 Masters, Where Were You?**

/

**I'm moving the contest thread up to the top again just in case...

This one's simple: pen a post about your memories of watching the 1986 Masters on that epic event's 25th anniversary. It seems just about anyone in the game over the age of 32 remembers where they were when they watched or heard about Jack Nicklaus' sixth Masters win.

A few of the rigorous guidelines:

- Try to keep the posts under 500 words

- No fighting, gambling, bare feet and especially no swearing.

- Your words remain your property

- If you are a member of the media, please post your memories of that day, but you can't win a prize.

- Please post your email in the box a provided under your screen name. Aliases are fine, but you can't win if I can't email you your prize.

Ah, the prizes. A panel of esteemed three experts will select their favorite three entries Thursday and then you will get the chance to vote on your favorites Thursday through Sunday. The winner will be announced Monday, April 4, as the Masters kicks off.

First Prize: A copy of John Boyette's 1986 Masters, a DVD that any fan of the '86 Masters will love and, even though I know all of this website's readers already have one, a one-year subscription to Golf World.

Second and Third Prize: All of the above except Boyette's beautiful book, which they'll have to buy. (Boyette will be the subject of a Q&A later this week.)

So there you have it. Write away, don't be ashamed. This is about celebrating the greatest Masters ever and one of the iconic moments in the game that so often has people asking and certainly never forgetting where they were when Nicklaus won his sixth Masters.

"I'm just not going to hit 3-woods off the tee and play that course strategically the week before Augusta."

/

Dave Shedloski files an interesting item about Phil Mickelson and Houston next week that should be noted for you Masters pool players who look at the previous weeks play.

"Houston is not going to set up well for me," Mickelson said Saturday after a 3-under-par 69 at Bay Hill Club. "The way the course is set up, you can't hit it more than 285-290 off a lot of the tees. It's not going to be a course where I'm going to play the most strategic and expect to really score well."

The Tournament Course at Redstone is a big ballpark, 7,457 yards, par 72. It would seem a good venue for Mickelson's high-ball power game - if the wind doesn't blow. But many fairways aren't as open as he'd like at the 300-yard mark. Mickelson finished T-35 there a year ago.

"The problem for me there is there is so much water that pinches off the tee, and I'm just not going to hit 3-woods off the tee and play that course strategically the week before Augusta," Mickelson said. "And then when it gets windy and I'm trying to hit high balls for Augusta and it requires a low knock-down shot, it's not going to work.

Having not seen the course, I'm not sure this is more of a statement about the set-up or the design. Knowing Phil's love of Rees Jones' oeuvre, I'm guessing the latter.

"Last week I saw an article that said I was one of the best putters on tour. I laughed when I read that."

/
John Huggan files and aptly timed Sunday column profiling Martin Laird, who holds a two-stroke lead going into the final day at Bay Hill. Laird also recently scouted Augusta in advance of his first Masters and found it familiar from television, with one caveat.
Read More

Contest Reminder: Your '86 Masters Final Round Memories

/
I know that in between doing your taxes so that GE doesn't have to and watching the NCAA tournament...oh and the Arnold Palmer Invitational...you are working on your post for Monday, March 28th, telling us where you were and what you remember from watching the 1986 Masters. They can be short and sweet or up to 500 words or so, and these can be horror stories of missing the round, of watching in an airport or just cuddling up with your significant other and crying your brains out.
Read More

Wagering On Golf Up; Suckers Still Liking Tiger At 7-1

/

Did I say suckers? I meant the wise American public.

John Strege says the Las Vegas Hilton folks expect to surpass last year's Masters wagering, even with Tiger and Phil struggling. Or maybe because of Tiger and Phil are struggling says the Hilton's Jeff Sherman.

"Tiger's right up there with most tickets written compared with other players. But we had most of our money taken [when he was] at 4 or 5 to 1. At the same time, with his odds being higher, Nick Watney at 15 to 1, Dustin Johnson at 20 to 1, all these guys in the 15 to 20 to 1 range, a lot of people are taking a lot of chances on these guys.

"The most popular golfers right now, ticket-wise, are Dustin Johnson and Matt Kuchar. There are a lot of golfers with a lot of tickets on them. [Tiger's slump] has really spread it out."

What happens should Woods handily win the Arnold Palmer Invitational this week? Or should he miss the cut?

"Based on that scenario [winning handily], I could see him going down to 9 to 2," Sherman said. "If he misses the cut, the odds could hit 10 to 1."

Why haven't the odds moved to 10-1 already?

New Masters Journal/Mystery Image

/

The new Masters Journal is out and and usual it's an impressive publication, but this year it's a must-have for MacKenziephiles due to the inclusion of the original hole diagrams and green complex watercolors that appeared in the hard-to-find original program.

But I've been pulling my hair out trying to figure out this unlabeled page 101 image. Anyone care to guess what old hole we are looking at? I'm pretty sure it's Augusta based on the trees, bumps and the whacky shape of the green, which screams MacKenzie.