First Roundup: Tiger Wins His Fifth Masters And 15th Major

It was a day unlike any other…oh no, wait. It was…

Tiger.

Fifth Masters.

15 majors.

He’s all the way back.

Remember, this didn’t seem like it was ever going to happen again. And now 2019 may join 1960, 1986 and 1997 on the Rushmore of epic monumental years in Augusta. Let’s save that debate for this week.

I’ve just filed a few pieces for Golfweek and USA Today’s print and digital editions, but who needs sleep. Let’s go.

Doug Ferguson’s AP gamer and lead: “Tiger Woods blazing to victory in his Sunday red at the Masters, a scene once so familiar, was never more stunning.”

Steve DiMeglio’s USA Today game story.

Bill Fields at Masters.com opened with the 16th hole, where Tiger last put a Masters away in 2005.

Here’s my completely not humble explanation for why I picked Woods at the beginning of the week and how he prevailed by going all Hogan on us, not worrying about chasing those FedExCup points and, as he said early this week, peak four times a year.

Will Gray captures the scene behind 18th as Tiger worked his way to victory.

David Dusek also walks among the patrons and tries to capture the sense of excitement at Augusta National.

Dan Kilbridge was out with Tiger all day and has some of caddie Joe LaCava’s reactions to the win.

Brian Wacker addresses the inevitable question now: is 18 majors back in play.

Key interviews were after the round in the Press Building, and this second—SECOND—Butler Cabin interview with Jim Nantz and Nick Faldo thanks to the early start and Tiger’s return before CBS began a final round rebroadcast.

Here is 10 minutes of press conference video, not all but most. Masters.com video of Butler II here.

A Golfweek roundup of Tweets, including Jack Nicklaus’ congratulations and many other luminaries from sport and politics.

The weird Sunday start will be a footnote in the history books, but it still is worth considering how it impacted the event, writes Dave Shedloski.

Here is the lowdown on the gum. Yes, I asked but the rest of the answer about what gave him a sense of calm and confidence is ultimately more interesting.

The images are stunning, as you’d hope for a historic Masters.

The Masters.com gallery is here and focuses on the 18th hole scene and aftermath.

Golf Digest’s team of Furore, Cuban and Iooss captured some beauties here.

The Augusta Chronicle’s image gallery is also worth your time.

They also put up this separate gallery of the impromptu outdoor jacket ceremony originally cancelled.

The Masters Instagram story from Sunday was outstanding with some never-before-seen moments from after the win. Get it while it lasts!

The Woods round in 3 minutes:

Watch the final-round highlights from 2019 Masters champion @TigerWoods. #themasters pic.twitter.com/WIb5AnsPHQ

— Masters Tournament (@TheMasters) April 14, 2019

The entire final round is now online for viewing here.

Tiger’s first Tweet:

I can’t thank my family, friends and fans enough for their support. Having my family by my side today is something I will never forget. To not only be able to play again, but to be able to win again, is something I will forever be grateful for. This jacket sure is comfortable. pic.twitter.com/LsOUX2dWH1

— Tiger Woods (@TigerWoods) April 14, 2019

CBS' 2019 Masters Saturday The Highest Rated Golf Telecast In Four Years

A huge rating for CBS Saturday seems more like it for a Tiger telecast from Augusta, making ESPN’s ratings decline even more bizarre.

For Immediate Release:

CBS SPORTS’ 2019 MASTERS THIRD-ROUND COVERAGE IS HIGHEST-RATED

SATURDAY GOLF TELECAST ON ANY NETWORK IN FOUR YEARS

RATINGS RISE  5% FROM LAST YEAR

CBS Sports’ third-round coverage of the 2019 Masters on Saturday, April 13, is the highest-rated Saturday golf telecast on any network in four years since 2015’s Masters third round (6.5/16).  Yesterday’s coverage earned a ratings increase of 5% from last year’s third round (5.7/13) with a 6.0/15 average household metered market rating/share. 

This year’s third-round rating peaked with a 7.0/16 rating/share from 6:00-6:15 PM, ET.  

Top Five Rated Markets:

1)    Greenville-Spartanburg-Asheville- 10.8/20

2)    West Palm Beach- 10.6/22

3)    Ft Myers- 10.3/20

4)    Minneapolis- 10.2/26

5)    Nashvillle- 9.5/17

A Tradition We Hope To Never Replicate Again: The 2019 Masters Final Round Is Underway Early

Winter is coming in more ways than one.

It’s a Sunday unlike any other and we sure hope this early start never happens again. With potentially extreme weather coming around 2 pm, the players will have to move quickly, an near impossibility in threesomes and windy conditions.

Saturday was an epic in terms of scoring, reports Christine Brennan. The field was 80 under par, the scoring average the lowest for a third round (70.769) and yet, the field was the largest to make the cut (65).

Amen Corner Live and other feeds are live.

So enjoy! My five wild scenarios for Golfweek consider the range of possibilities.

Assuming we crown a winner, there will be no Green Jacket ceremony outdoors.

The Masters meets Game of Thrones. Whoa.

Instant Poll: Who Will Win The 2019 Masters?

You probably know the stat by now: the last time a Masters winner came from outside the top 5: 1990

Jeff Sherman’s updated final round odds:

2019 Masters updated after 3rd Round

F Molinari 7/4
T Woods 3/1
B Koepka 6/1
T Finau 13/2
D Johnson 25/1
I Poulter 30/1
X Schauffele 30/1
W Simpson 40/1
M Kuchar 40/1
L Oosthuizen 50/1
R Fowler 50/1
A Scott 80/1
J Harding 100/1
J Rahm 100/1
J Thomas 100/1
P Mickelson 150/1

— Jeff Sherman (@golfodds) April 13, 2019

Here they are (and ties). Vote away! And set those alarms for some early morning golf, as the last group will tee off at 9:20 am ET, usually the time members are just sitting down for a veranda breakfast.

Who will win the 2019 Masters?

Francesco Molinari

Tony Finau

Tiger Woods

Brooks Koepka

Webb Simpson

Ian Poulter

Someone outside the top 5 (and ties)

pollcode.com free polls

ESPN's 2019 Masters Second Round Draws 3.2 Million, Down From 3.9 Last Year

Guess the Tiger factor isn’t what it used to be, or streaming is eating into overall numbers, or Masters streaming has caused a downtick? Or all of the above?

For Immediate Release:

ESPN’s Second Round Masters Tournament Telecast Attracts 3.2 Million Viewers

ESPN’s telecast of the second round of the Masters Tournament on Friday, April 12, averaged 3.2 million viewers as golf fans tuned in to watch a charge by Tiger Woods on the second nine highlighting a fierce battle of golf stars at the top of the leaderboard. The telecast aired from 3-7:45 p.m. ET from Augusta National Golf Club.

The 3.2 million average, based on Nielsen Fast National data, was ESPN’s second-largest audience for the second round since 2013, exceeded only by the 3.9 million that watched last year. The viewership average does not include the rain delay that halted play from 5:03 – 5:34 p.m. on Friday. 

Friday’s audience was up significantly from 2017 (2.6 million) and 2016 (3.0 million), the last two years that Woods did not compete in the Masters due to injuries. It also was higher than 2015 (3.0 million, with Woods in competition) and 2014 (2.5 million when Woods missed the Masters for the first time in his career). 

For the second day, the Greenville-Spartanburg, S.C., market led the nation’s metered markets with a 5.0 rating, up from the 4.6 rating in the market on Thursday for the first round. Other top 10 markets for Friday were Ft. Myers/Naples, Fla., 4.7; Minneapolis-St. Paul, 4.2; Raleigh-Durham, 4.1; Buffalo, 3.7; Indianapolis, Columbus and Cincinnati, tied at 3.4; and Tampa-St. Petersburg and West Palm Beach, tied at 3.3.

Tiger's 14th Hole Birdie Gets Sliding Officer Off The Hook

You’ve surely seen it by now, an officer doing his best Chase Utley impersonation almost took out Tiger Woods in the name of well-intentioned but slightly overzealous policing of the patrons.

Golf.com’s Dylan Dethier talked to the poor lad, who is just happy Tiger capped off the hole with a birdie.

It earned the Menery treatment…

What We Can Learn From Zach Johnson's Spectacular 13th Tee False Start

So many wacky things happened Friday that we still mustn’t let Zach Johnson’s practice swing gone bad go forgotten. Oh, and besides an S-bomb from Zach—understandable—it’s a teaching moment about intent and the rules, writes Doug Ferguson.

Zach Johnson just laid up off the tee pic.twitter.com/rvjsf7UlMm

— Bunkie Perkins (@BunkiePerkins) April 12, 2019

Hopefully A Tradition Never To Happen Again: Masters Will Need To Mull A Full Monday Finish

I spent the latter parts of Friday’s exciting final round reading weather reports for this weekend’s violent storms and as Jim Nantz noted during the broadcast, the situation is ominous given an added element: high winds.

I do not envy the committee’s job given all of the logistics involved and unpredictability of weather, but as I lay out in this Golfweek column, no change in the bleak forecast and this leaderboard should make the call relatively easy: postpone the final round to Monday.

ESPN Suffers Transmission Failures During 2019 Masters; Round 1 Ratings Down From 2018

I write for Golfweek on the tech issues for ESPN and a surprising drop in round 1 ratings given the hype for this Masters.

The social media account has Tiger “hitting” birdies too on top of, uh, rock and roll going to commercial? Glad Clifford Roberts wasn’t around to see this…

Tiger was pumped up after hitting this birdie on the 15th hole 💪 pic.twitter.com/LadiMAYY3e

— ESPN (@espn) April 12, 2019

Round One Wrap, Day Two Preview: Tricky Pins No Defense Against Soft And Wind (When It's Down)

So goes the wind, so goes scoring at Augusta National. That seemed to be the takeaway Thursday after tough, swirling winds kept scoring in check and players pleased with their under par scores early. The afternoon wave suffered early, but if they survived the difficult front nine, the wind laying down late led to a birdie barrage that put afternoon starters Bryson DeChambeau, Brooks Koepka, Phil Mickelson and Dustin Johnson at the top.

As I note here for Golfweek, players brought up the hole locations after their round and I interpret what that means.

The day one locations can be referenced here. No let up in the tucked hole locations on a soggy day 2 morning:

Here are the hole locations for the second round of #themasters. pic.twitter.com/NTJedx273Q

— Masters Tournament (@TheMasters) April 12, 2019

The big stat on so many minds given the leaderboard and history:

27 of the last 28 Masters champions were inside the top-10 after the 2nd round. 4 of the last 5 held the 36-hole lead or co-lead.

— Justin Ray (@JustinRayGolf) April 12, 2019

The shot and moment of the day belonged to Bryson DeChambeau, whose 18th hole second shot hit the flagstick and stayed out, leading to his ninth birdie of the round and the co-lead with Brooks Koepka. The magical finish and story from Beth Ann Nichols.

Phil Mickelson had his best first round since 2010 and is just one stroke back of Koepka and DeChambeau.

Your groupings and TV info here.

WSJ: Augusta National Has Spent $200 Million On Real Estate Purchases, New TV Compound Coming Next

Thanks to reader JB for Brian Costa’s Wall Street Journal look at Augusta National’s real estate purchases, with the Journal estimating $200 million spent.

From the story, with some really nice graphics and an overhead aerial of 2002 vs. 2018 worth playing with too.

In the areas immediately surrounding golf’s most exclusive club, there are generally only two types of properties: the ones Augusta National has acquired—and the ones it will acquire.

In the last 20 years, the club has spent around $200 million to buy more than 100 pieces of land totaling no fewer than 270 acres, according to a Wall Street Journal analysis of property and tax assessor records and interviews with people familiar with the transactions.

To further insulate one of the most hallowed grounds in American sports from the outside world, Augusta National has bought and demolished entire residential blocks and commercial strips. It has purchased properties more than a mile from its iconic clubhouse. And it is hardly slowing down.

The Augusta Chronicle’s Susan McCord looks at the announcement Wednesday by Chairman Fred Ridley explaining what some of these purchases mean: a new television compound across the street.

Until Amen Corner Live Comes Around, How To Use The (Incredible) New Masters.com Toy To Reviewing Every Shot, Every Hole

Christmas in April arrives around 11:15 am-ish ET in the form of Amen Corner Live. That’s about when Andrew Landry, Adam Long and Kevin Tway will be arriving to kick off the coverage from Augusta National’s 11th, 12th and 13th holes.

But before then, you can sample the new Masters.com leaderboard announced Wednesday and see every shot hit so far, within minutes of actually happening. The early signs are beyond encouraging.

A few observations:

—We are already seeing new camera angles and shots we have not seen before.

—The shots include graphics with score information as well.

—The design is simple and makes sense on a desktop or on the Masters app.

—Speed is varying, from within minutes of a player completing the hole to a half-hour in some cases.

Here’s how to use it:

Pull up any Masters leaderboard, both traditional and modern views. Players whose score features a while backdrop will feature a replay of all shots. Scores in grey have yet to be posted.

The look on mobile:

Ridley Draws The Line On Distance? No 13th Hole Changes Until Distance Report Arrives

The predicted (second) lengthening of Augusta National’s 13th hole will not be happening in the summer of 2019 based on Chairman Fred Ridley’s prepared remarks delivered to the media Wednesday.

Read carefully and read between those lines…

It should come as no surprise to any of you that we continue to study other enhancements to the golf course.  That includes much‑talked‑about changes, potential changes, to the 13th hole. 

Admittedly, that hole does not play as it was intended to play by Jones and MacKenzie.  The momentous decision that I've spoken about and that Bobby Jones often spoke about, of going for the green in two, is to a large extent, no longer relevant. 

Although we now have options to increase the length of this hole, we intend to wait to see how distance may be addressed by the governing bodies before we take any action.

I think the former USGA president may have just suggested he senses action is coming.

I’m sorry, I interrupted…

In doing so, we fully recognize that the issue of distance presents difficult questions with no easy answers.  But please know this:  The USGA and The R&A do have the best interests of the game at heart.  They recognize the importance of their future actions.  You can be assured that we will continue to advocate for industry‑wide collaboration in support of the governing bodies as they resolve this very important topic. 

Of course, no resolution has been the stance of the PGA Tour, PGA of America and most major manufacturers, so the idea of a conclusion to the liking of Mr. Ridley and Augusta National would seem to include some form of new distance regulation. Or a new tee that they clearly do not want to add.

First Of First World Matters: Augusta Country Club Now Visible From Augusta National

While Big Oak gabbers have been looking over shoulders for a more interesting conversation, some have noticed the shocking sight of Augusta Country Club in the distance.

Now, most people would appreciate such views to capture the scale and grandeur of a property, but Augusta National values its privacy. So the ability to see through may not be something the club is too excited about.

From Doug Stutsman’s Augusta Chronicle story:

After a land deal between the two clubs in 2017, Augusta Country Club underwent a regrassing and bunker renovation project through most of last year, while holes Nos. 8 and 9 received an architectural change. During the project, which forced Augusta Country Club to close its course for 5 1/2 months, trees were removed from No. 8, in turn leaving a more unobstructed view of both courses.

“Taking out trees to the left of No. 8 at Augusta Country Club really opened it up,” Mize said. “But, look, these are two great clubs. Two tremendous clubs. So this is OK. This isn’t a bad thing.”

2019 Masters Picks Roundup: Will A Soft Course Favor Bombers?

The tradition unlike another other

I penned this almost-opinion piece for Golfweek about the soft conditions and whether the players who carry the ball longest will be an a distinct advantage. My instinct says yes, but Jordan Spieth, Dustin Johnson and others made a case that distance will have just its normal advantage. In part, that may stem from the fairway cut here that has minimized roll in the last decade.

That said, here are the leaders in PGA Tour carry distance.

Remember, No. 5 adds another driver back in the hands of the big boys.

David Dusek looks at the statistics if you’re wanting to validate a case for longer players.

Dan Kilbridge reaches out to the last minute gamblers and fantasy players with his advice for Golfweek.

Ryan Herrington offers up nine "sneaky” picks for Golf World.

ESPN’s Chris Fallica is picking Jon Rahm and expanding his efforts to the Masters, reports Doug Stutsman for the Augusta Chronicle.

The Golf.com gang makes their picks here.