Friday, April 09, 2010

Masters, Tiger, and Ernie

The second round of the Masters was played today, and it's really my favorite tournament of all. The pristine beauty of Augusta National is beyond anywhere I've seen. I can only hope one day to step foot on that course, if not play a round there.

Tiger got a warm reception yesterday at the first hole. The patrons gave him a very welcome reception, which I can't say I expected. He's possibly the best golfer in our lifetime, yet his personal life has certainly been a disappointment. If he wins, I'll be impressed that he can win another Major after not playing for nearly 150 days.

Ernie Els had a problem on the 15th hole, which if it not for the patrons could have been an even bigger disaster. It was a Rules of Golf learning moment. On his approach shot on 15, he hit his ball into the water. He took a drop, and then made a second approach shot, which sailed over the green.

Ernie then pitched the ball over the green, and it rolled off the front side of the green out of Ernie's site. He heard the groans of the patrons, and in past years the ball would have run off into the lake. Ernie was about to drop another ball when patrons told him not to do it.

If he had dropped the second ball, it would have been in play. He would then suffer a two-stroke penalty, since his first ball was in play already. There is no provisional ball for a ball that is hit into a hazard.

Thanks to his new friends, Ernie shot a 7 on the par 5 instead of a 9 because of the fans.

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