Written by Kyle Porter at CBSSports.com
The Masters defies even units of time. That annual tournament in Augusta is the one week on the calendar that stretches from Sunday evening to Monday morning. It begins when the final putt drops in Houston and ends when the winner discards an empty champagne bottle somewhere in north Georgia early on Monday morning following 72 life-altering holes of golf.
The Houston Open is now over which means the Masters has officially started. And this is the best part, isn’t it? It’s Sunday night. The golf world is descending upon the fringes of Augusta National before completely engulfing the place here in a few days.
Here’s what to expect as the week unfolds.
Monday: Practice rounds and press conferences begin. Not all the stars will be there, but you can bet Phil Mickelson will take the Air Thumb 1 as quickly as possible from Houston in an effort to secure tee time No. 1 (and possibly Nos. 2, 3 and 4) on Monday morning.
Tuesday: The practice rounds will be in full swing. More money will be distributed on Tuesday than on Sunday evening to the 50 golfers (plus ties) who make the cut. Also,Jordan Spieth will offer up some Texas barbecue and wine to past champions. He said it’s the part of defending he’s most nervous about.
Wednesday: Par 3 Contest time. Rory McIlroy is out. Some people hate it, but I always enjoy the decompression time before the cauldron begins in full on Thursday morning.
Thursday: Game time. Did you know time: In the last 10 years, nobody has come from outside the top 10 after Round 1 to win the Masters. We will likely know on Thursday night the small group the winner will come out of.
Friday: 50 golfers (plus ties) will make the cut. And maybe more if the leader hasn’t run away. Anyone within 10 strokes of the lead makes it to Saturday. Here’s a closer look at the cut line at Augusta National.
Saturday: Moving day. There’s a case to be made that Saturday could actually be better than Sunday. That might have been the case back in 2010 when Phil Mickelson went eagle-eagle-birdie to take that year’s tournament by the throat. Either way, Saturday kicks off the best 36-hole stretch of golf of the entire season.
Sunday: A national holiday. I screened the tremendous documentary Golf Channel made on Jack Nicklaus’ win in 1986 recently (it airs Tuesday). The very end was a bit about how that day wasn’t necessarily for Jack Nicklaus but for all of us. That’s what I feel about Sunday at the Masters. The champion is obviously laden with riches upon riches, but everybody wins when we get an epic Sunday ride.
To continue reading this article, click here.
