Photo Credit: Augusta.com
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The Masters‘ tournament starts this morning. Last year it was the last major of the year. It now goes back to its first major of the year. There will be a major difference this year and that will be no Tiger Woods. Woods will be out after being in a car accident last month. He suffered broken legs and is rehabbing. This is a huge blow to the golf world. When Woods is playing there are many more eyes on that tournament. Just two years ago Tiger won his fifth green jacket. Last year’s winner, Dustin Johnson, will now defend and get to host the champions dinner which happens on Wednesday night. His choice was, for starters pigs in a blanket, and lobster fritters. For the main course, it’s salad, filet, and sea bass. For dessert, it was a peach cobbler and apple pie topped with ice cream.
No Tiger
This will hurt not to see one of the best players in the world not play. The Masters is where Tiger seems to shine more than any other tournament. He is only one green jacket short of tying Jack Nicklaus. With the recent setback, it is hard to say if we will ever see him play golf or in the Masters again. I think there will not be as many watching but there are still great players that can win their first major or add one more to their list. I will be watching for the beauty that Augusta National has to offer. We will get to see the beautiful colors of the flowers and how green the grass will be. Last year, due to Covid-19, we did get to see that beauty. The field of 88 will still bring some excitement in 2021.
Fans allowed.
This year there will be patrons allowed to follow the players, unlike last year. Golf is a sport that makes it more exciting when there are fans to cheer the players on. I think the fan favorites will be defending champion Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka, Jordan Spieth, and Bryson DeChambeau just to name a few. I will be watching two players real close in Rory McIlroy and Lee Westwood. McIlroy will be looking to complete the career grand slam. He needs the Masters to win all four as he has won the other three. For Westwood, who has shined on certain majors but has never won one, maybe this is the year he breaks through and gets his first. Augusta has and will bring many players to its knees so let us see what the winning score will be.
The field also will have Phil Mickelson who has won the tournament twice. He always makes majors exciting. Mickelson is 50 but still has the game to win again. Another player that will be fun to watch is Justin Thomas. Thomas said earlier in the week that Woods not playing this week will be disappointing. The tournament will begin with Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus, and Lee Elder. Elder was the first African American to play the Masters. It will be cool to see three again because it was Arnold Palmer who teed off with Player and Nicklaus. This major was my uncle’s favorite to watch and my mother who passed away in January loved to watch it with me.
Author Profile
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Bradley Walker serves as the Director of Operations for NGSC Sports, bringing extensive experience across collegiate, professional, and amateur athletics. His coverage spans USF Athletics, including football, baseball, lacrosse, and softball, as well as University of Tampa baseball.
Bradley also provides coverage of minor league baseball with the Clearwater Threshers and Major League Baseball with the Tampa Bay Rays. On the national stage, he covers college football bowl games and conference championship matchups, along with premier golf events across the PGA Tour, LIV Golf, and LPGA Tour.
In addition to his reporting work, Bradley is the play-by-play announcer for Pinellas Park High School Patriots football, lending his voice and insight to Friday night lights.
He is also an active podcast host and contributor, serving as a co-host on the P&W Sports Report and hosting The Walker Report, where he delivers in-depth sports analysis, interviews, and coverage across multiple levels of competition.
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