The New Master

Something called Charl Schwartzel (or as I affectionately refer to him, Charles Schwab)  is the 2011 Masters Champion, winning what quite possibly might be the most exciting golf tournament ever played. Coming down the home stretch on Sunday afternoon, at one point there were 9 golfers within two shots of the lead, on the back nine. That's unprecedented, and quite frankly, nuts. Here are some of the highlights, and lowlights according to me from what truly was a masterful tournament.

• I don't know who the hell Schwartzel is, or where he came from, but the dude has some giant stones. Birdieing the last four holes at Augusta National with a packed leaderboard was insane. Apparently he's a protege of Ernie Els, and I have no idea what that exactly means, but the Big Smooth taught him well. 2010 was a nuts year for guys winning majors who have never even been relevant prior to their win (Mickelson was the exception of course) and it looks like with 'ol Charlie Schwab winning the first major of 2011 that trend will continue.

• I can only feel so bad for Rory McIlroy. The kid is uber talented and I fully expect him to win a few majors in his career, unless he turns into Sergio Garcia. He's only 21 with a ton of talent, but man, when he gacked he definitely did it in style. That was not the wheels coming off, that was the car blowing up. At about 1:00 this afternoon he was probably thinking about all the red headed Irish babes he was going to be pulling with his new green jacket , and 3 hours later he had to be thinking how many of those babes would have shot better than 80 in the final round of the Masters.

• There is going to be a lot of talk about how Tiger is back, he's not. He had a great round today and made an exciting charge, but remember, he finished 4th in this same tournament last year, and went on to do squat since. Augusta National, more than any other course I've ever seen is crazy for how the past champions always play well there. I mean Fred Couples, who can barely even walk four rounds was in contention as late as Saturday. Angel Cabrera who looks like a garbage man, and has been playing like one for almost 2 years damn near won the tournament today. So, Tiger contending was not surprising at all, but believe me, he's a long way from being back for one reason and one reason only, he can't putt. Plain and simple. He had 33 putts on Saturday! Turn that number into the normal 26-28 putts, and you throw in the missed eagle on Sunday at 15, and Tiger should have won the tournament by 4 strokes easy. Until he figures out the flat stick he'll continue to finish in the top ten on pure ball striking, but until that point I don't see him winning. The only major where he'll be able to pull off such shoddy putting is the British Open, he'll be lucky to make the cut at the U.S. Open putting that way.

• The announcers mentioned it a couple of times, but I do think it's true, nobody is scared of Tiger anymore, and they shouldn't be. I think Charlie Schwab aside, this tournament was huge for several players. Adam Scott, Jason Day, Luke Donald, these guys are coming away from the weekend knowing they can win a major now.

• Speaking of Donald, I'm no fashionista, but what in the blue hell was he wearing Saturday? It might be the only time I was actually grateful I didn't own a hi-def television. On the top half he looked like Pepto Bismol, and the bottom half he looked like what happens if you don't take Pepto Bismol. I know these European guys like to be eccentric, but give me a break.

All in all it was a fantastic tournament, and I enjoyed the heck out of it.

Finally, this has nothing to do with this Masters, but I do feel the need to write about it. This past week a friend of mine from high school and college, Chad Wells, was killed tragically in a car accident. Chad and I had not talked in years, but it was still a devastating blow, and my thoughts and prayers go out to all of those who were blessed enough to get to know Chad. I can't pinpoint exactly when Chad and I became friends, or when we lost touch, but I can tell you in the time in between he was a fantastic friend. The best compliment I can give anyone is they are genuine, and that was Chad perfectly. He never tried to be anything he wasn't, and he was always true to himself and his spirit. For me, he was also a musical guru who turned me on to so many bands that I still listen to even today. We spent a ton of time in both high school and college just talking about music, and he was constantly giving me something new to listen to. More than anything else though, I'll remember how incredibly funny he was. He wasn't cracking jokes all the time, but when he did, his timing for the best jokes was just incredible. I'll fondly remember all the times when we were up to no good, but really not doing any harm and just having so much fun doing it. He was always incredibly loyal, and would do anything for you, he was a true friend and I'll miss him.