PGA Tour First Major: The Masters

The 79th Masters is upon us signaling that spring is officially here.

The Masters is the only major championship played at the same course every year for the PGA Tour, so what makes it so special. Let me tell you that Augusta National is more perfect than any artist could paint or even imagine. Each and every year the course is in perfect condition, the tournament only lets the top 100 players in the world participate, and its the only tournament you can drink a beer for $4.00 while on the grounds.

Each and every year this tournament never lets us down. It brings us the excitement of the Super Bowl, the anticipation of the Kentucky Derby, and the intenseness of the Daytona 500 all in one weekend. This year is not different.

Tiger Woods is in the field for the first time in over 90 days after taking a leave of absence. Rory Mcilroy is the favorite with his impressive play this year. Jordan Speith the young gun of the tour is another player to watch out for, especially after his second place performance last year at this tournament. Two time Masters winner Bubba Watson is another hands on favorite not only as the defending champion but the the champion the last two out of three years. Don’t forget about Phil Mickelson, the 43 year old lefty still has plenty of game left in him. Phil has been the most consistent player on tour this year with three top 5’s in seven tournaments.

The Masters a tournament like none other will be no different this year. The field is wide open and ready to hold the drama that is Augusta National.  It has been called the most emotional golf tournament to play, and that goes the same for the ones viewing it.

Good Read: An Underdog Story

With all of the media outlets seemingly forgetting any sport besides golf this weekend, I found myself breathing a sigh of relief when I came across this interest piece about New York Knicks center Chris Copeland.

Copeland, a two-year starter at the University of Colorado, failed to reel in a draft spot in the 2006 NBA draft, eventually leading him to pursue a career across the pond. Throughout his time in European leagues, the modest Virginia native made a name for himself as a straight up worker. This drew the attention of a few teams in the NBA, eventually landing him a starting spot on the injury-stricken, yet widely successful, New York Knicks.

The article, which can be found on the sbnation blog here, focuses on the experiences of Copeland over his basketball career and opens your eyes to the true beauty and opportunities of sport.

“Even at 6’8 it was sometimes easy to forget Copeland played professional basketball. He’s friendly and unassuming, and his round, vibrant face and long lanky arms covered in a layer of baby fat often made him seem younger than he was. When I knew him, there was nothing in his game, at least visibly, to suggest he could ever, even in the most outlandish of clichéd fairy-tale stories, end up playing for the New York Knicks. Yet here he was, a 29-year-old NBA rookie coming off a 22-point master-class performance four nights earlier against New Orleans and in the starting line-up against the Pistons in London.”

So if you find yourself getting sick of hearing about Tiger’s chances or if Jason Day will implode in his final round on Sunday, head over to Flinder Boyd’s article on the Knicks star.

And for those of you who just can’t get enough golf, I’ve got you covered:

Check out this article about what seems to be the only inexpensive thing about Augusta National–the food.