Dustin Johnson, the world’s No.1-ranked player and the favourite entering the week to win the green jacket, is questionable to compete in the Masters after suffering a freak back injury on Wednesday.
The field for the 81st Masters contains 94 players. But only one ponytail. So picking out Curtis Luck shouldn’t be a problem for anyone inclined to follow the 20-year-old West Australian.
The mystique, the undulations, Rae’s Creek, the azaleas – all the subtle nuances of Augusta National provide something no other course can. And it takes remarkable vision to ‘see’ certain shots; shots you truly only witness at the Masters. Shots like this.
Disregard the knee-jerk response to see when Tiger Woods is playing and there’s still much to digest with the release of the groupings the first two days at Augusta National.
The carnage of Jordan Spieth’s collapse and the fortitude Danny Willett showed on the back nine of the Masters last April made for scintillating viewing, although for a moment of sheer golf madness – in a good, although freakish way – nothing topped Louis Oosthuizen’s ace at the 16th hole.
The archive of Phil Mickelson short-game stunts is vast, like that warehouse at the end of “Raiders of the Lost Ark”. To Lefty, the phenomenal has become standard; in his mind, it’s an aberration when the magic doesn’t happen.
Tiger Woods has yet to commit to next week’s Masters, which isn’t necessarily a surprise: he waited until 8 PM on the Friday before last year’s tournament to withdraw, which is saying something given he missed the entire season.
Tonight marks one week until the 2017 Masters tees off and the turning of the calendar each year from March to April generates a heightened level of excitement in every golfer.
Australian Golf Digest
