Tiger Woods Gets Screwed On the Course For Once

Another story from Augusta was the Tiger Woods penalty stroke debacle. I believe that the correct call was made, Tiger took an illegal drop and was correctly assessed a two-stroke penalty instead of the ridiculous disqualification that was apparently possible. That two-stroke penalty put a wrench in the momentum he had been building all Friday afternoon, preparing himself for what seemed like a typical Tiger-Saturday charge up the leaderboard. Ultimately, the charge never came and we will be left to wonder what might have been.

Tiger wasn't the only one that dropped the ball on Friday afternoon.

Now while I say the correct call was made, I don't think there should have been a call to make in the first place! There is no way that a television viewer should be able to call in and affect a major golf championship. Can you imagine if the NFL or NBA allowed people to call in and tell them whether it was a pass interference penalty or a charging foul? It bothers me a lot that someone sitting at home has potentially robbed us of seeing Tiger Woods back to his major contending ways.
That should not be possible, and I am pleased to hear that the PGA has already adjusted the rule in order to protect players from situations like this in the future.

Augusta Produces Yet Another Magical Sunday

Adam Scott made history with one swing of his putter on Sunday afternoon. His birdie on the second playoff put the green jacket on the shoulders of an Australian for the first time at Augusta National Golf Park. 

Even after recording a 3 under round of 69 on Sunday he still had to get past former champion Angel Cabrera in a sudden death playoff. Scott birdied the 18th hole to get to 9-under, only to witness Cabrera hit one of the greatest approach shots I have ever seen on a Sunday in a major golf championship. 
This forced them to replay the 18th as the first hole in the sudden death playoff. Both players hit the fairway, but then left their approach shots short of the green within 20 feet of each other. After they both got up and down for par they headed to the 10th hole where Scott and Cabrera both hit the green and left themselves with birdie opportunities. Cabrera's putt barely missed the cup and he twirled his club in disbelief as it trickled by the right side of the cup.  This gave Scott the opportunity to clinch and he duly obliged by stroking the ball into the left center of the cup to take golf's most sought after fashion item down-under for the first time.
This end's one of the stranger streaks in sports that had never seen an Australian win the green jacket since the Masters tournament was established in 1934. It's hard to belief that a country that has produced other quality golfers such as Greg Norman, Geoff Ogilvy, and Jason Day, who finished third this year after tying for second place with Scott in 2011, has never had a man capable of conquering Augusta until today.