2006 MASTERS PREVIEW EXTRAVAGANZA!

The Masters is finally here! It's an annual rite of spring, and this year I'm thankfully going to be able to watch it in full high definition splendor. The Augusta weather is supposed to be spectacular (sunny/80), and the azaleas, dogwoods and magnolias should be in full bloom as the players tee off at 8:00 AM on Thursday.

Fun facts about the tournament:
* It has been played at Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, GA since 1934, and is rich in history, due to the fact that it is the only one of the four majors that does not change its locale.
* This year, it's a 7,445 yard long par 72 (nearly 500 yards longer than it was 5 years ago);
* Jack Nicklaus has won the most titles (6);
* Amen Corner, one of the most crucial sections of the course encompassing the 11th, 12th and 13th holes, was named after the jazz tune "Shouting at Amen Corner" by clarinetist Milton Mezzrow, and coined by writer Herb Wind in the April 21, 1958 edition of SI;
* The defending champion gets to choose the menu for the traditional Tuesday night Masters Champions dinner. This year, Tiger Woods went with a spicy menu, including salsa, guacamole, stuffed jalapenos and quesadillas for starters, and steak and chicken fajitas, Mexican rice and refried beans for the main course, with apple pie and ice cream for dessert. (Okay, so he's not a gourmet.)

Here are the official Masters TV broadcast times:
Thursday, April 6 4:00 - 7:00 pm USA (LIVE)
Friday, April 7 4:00 - 7:00 pm USA (LIVE)
Saturday, April 8 3:30 - 7:00 pm CBS (LIVE)
Sunday, April 9 2:30 - 7:00 pm CBS (LIVE)

There's also going to be live streaming video coverage from Amen Corner on the Masters.org website (holes 11, 12, 13) during the following times:
Thursday, April 6: 10:30 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Friday, April 7: 10:30 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Saturday, April 8: 12:30 p.m. - 5 p.m.
Sunday, April 9: 1:30 p.m. - 6 p.m.

This is similar to the brilliant live coverage from all the par 3s at the 2005 PGA Championship. Should be good!

Naturally, no one ever mentions the HD schedule: not CBS Sportsline, Masters.org, ESPN, PGATOUR.com, nobody! Ugh. So here's what HDSportsGuide.com says about HDTV viewing:

2nd Annual HDSportsGuide.com Early Round Masters TV Watching Guide
It starts at 4pm ET on both Thursday and Friday. The high definition coverage will be on both UniversalHD and the CBS Television HD Network (Analog CBS will be showing normal programming at this time). Because fiber optic lines were buried throughout the course at Augusta a few years back, this is the best high definition golf coverage we will see. This is mainly because the need for the use of standard definition wireless cameras around the course has been minimized. Enjoy!

Thanks, I will! Thank god someone isn't asleep at the wheel.

So who's going to be alone atop the leaderboard after it's all over?
Here are the current Bodog odds as of 10:55 PM ET on 4/5/06:

Tiggs: 2/1
FIGJAM Mickelson: 9/2
Ernie: 9/1
The Goose: 17/2
VJ Martha Singh: 12/1
Chris "Repair Your Ball" DiMarco: 23/1
Jose Maria Bob Loblaw: 24/1
Luke "The" Donald: 25/1
Serge "Los Pantalones Feos" Garcia: 25/1
David Toms: 28/1
Jim "Hitch" Furyk: 30/1
Adam "Great" Scott: 33/1
Davis "Crazy In" Love III: 36/1
Paddy "Whiskey" Harrington: 42/1
Mike "Canuckelson" Weir: 43/1
Darren "Hideous Pants" Clarke: 50/1
Henrik "Not Lundqvist" Stenson: 50/1
Rory Sabbatini: 80/1
"Full Of Himself" Monty: 90/1
K.J. "Bok" Choi: 90/1
Scott "Walk" Verplank: 90/1
Stuart "Don't Eat At" Appleby(s): 90/1
Freddie: 85/1
"My Name Is" Lucas Glover: 110/1
Thomas Bjorn "Again": 120/1
John "Seven Meals" Daly: 130/1
Mark "Good Show" Hensby: 150/1
Field (Any Other Golfer): 10/1

* No surprise seeing the defending champ at the top. Although his dad's fight with cancer may be taking an emotional toll on him, you should never count him out. His focus and accuracy off the tee early will indicate if he's in the hunt for his 5th green jacket. I think he's going to come up short this year.
* Has anyone ever won the Masters AND the previous week's tournament? Probably not, and I don't see Phillis doing it either. The only thing he proved with his -28 BellSouth blowout win is that he's a pressure player: a low one, like atmospheric pressure.
* Els isn't quite back to form yet after his knee surgery, VJ looks tired and his putting has been typically atrocious, and Goose has been uncharacteristally shaky down the stretch in the past few majors (especially the 2005 PGA).
* Serge is way too high on this list, and he's been too inconsistent.
* My dark horses: Luke Donald and Darren Clarke.
* Chris DiMarco, last year's playoff runner up, is a solid all-around player, and he's my 2006 Masters pick.



Here is a hole by hole analysis of the famous course:
No. 1, 455 yards, par 4 (Tea Olive), Rank: 7
A slight dogleg right with a deep bunker requiring a 327-yard carry off the tee. The bunker now has a tongue in the left side, so anything that barely enters might be blocked by the new lip. The tee has been moved back 20 yards, and trees were added on the left side.
No. 2, 575 yards, par 5 (Pink Dogwood), Rank: 16
A dogleg left that can be reached in two by the big hitters. Fairway bunker on the right comes into play, but it’s difficult to reach the slope, which shortens the hole. Green guarded by two bunkers in front.
No. 3, 350 yards, par 4 (Flowering Peach), Rank: 14
One of the best par 4s in golf, a hole that hasn’t been changed in 23 years. Big hitters can drive the green, but not many even try because of all the trouble surrounding the L-shaped green that slopes severely from right to left. Most players hit iron off tee to stay short of four bunkers on the left side.
No. 4, 240 yards, par 3 (Flowering Crab Apple), Rank: 3
Tees moved back 35 yards into the woods behind the third green, and tee slightly elevated. Should be a long iron for big hitters, fairway metal for others. Deep bunker protects right side of the green, with another bunker left. Club selection remains crucial because of the deceptive wind. Green slopes to the front.
No. 5, 455 yards, par 4 (Magnolia), Rank: 5
The hole was lengthened by 20 yards four years ago, and the fairway bunkers extended 80 yards toward the green. Bunkers are so deep that players can only see the sky. Green slopes to the front.
No. 6, 180 yards, par 3 (Juniper), Rank: 12
An elevated tee to a large green with three tiers, with significant slopes marking the three levels. Getting close to the hole is a challenge. Hole has not been changed in 31 years.
No. 7, 450 yards, par 4 (Pampas), Rank: 13
This hole’s changes likely will get the most attention. The tee was extended by 40 yards, and some trees were trimmed slightly on the left side. The tee shot is through a chute of Georgia pines, played to the left-center of the fairway into a slight slope. Green is surrounded by five bunkers.
No. 8, 570 yards, par 5 (Yellow Jasmine), Rank: 15
An accurate drive is important to avoid the fairway bunker on the right side. The hole is uphill and features trouble left of the green. No bunkers around the green, just severe mounding.
No. 9, 460 yards, par 4 (Carolina Cherry), Rank: 11
Tee shot should be aimed down the right side for a good angle into the green, which features two large bunkers to the left. Any approach that is short could spin some 60 yards back into the fairway.

No. 10, 495 yards, par 4 (Camellia), Rank: 1
A long hole that can play shorter if drives catch the slope in the fairway. Difficult to save par from the bunker right of the green. The putting surface slopes from right to left. Has played as the most difficult hole in Masters history.
No. 11, 505 yards, par 4 (White Dogwood), Rank: 4
Amen Corner starts here. Tee has been lengthened by 15 yards, and more pine trees were added to the three dozen on the right side, tightening the fairway. A 300-yard drive is required to get to the crest of the hill. A pond guards the green to the left and a bunker is to the back right. The safe shot is to bail out short and to the right in a swale.
No. 12, 155 yards, par 3 (Golden Bell), Rank: 2
Perhaps the most famous par 3 in golf, and the shortest hole at Augusta. Club selection can range from a 6-iron to a 9-iron, but it’s difficult to gauge the wind. Rae’s Creek is in front of the shallow green, with two bunkers behind it.
No. 13, 510 yards, par 5 (Azalea), Rank: 17
An accurate tee shot to the center of the fairway sets up players to go for the green. A tributary to Rae’s Creek winds in front of the green, and four bunkers are behind the putting surface. From tee to green, there are about 1,600 azaleas.
No. 14, 440 yards, par 4 (Chinese Fir), Rank: 8
The only hole on the course without a bunker. Even if the drive avoids trees on both sides of the fairway, the green has severe contours that feed the ball to the right.
No. 15, 530 yards, par 5 (Firethorn), Rank: 18
Tee has been moved back about 30 yards and to the left about 20 yards. A cluster of pines is starting to mature on the right side of the fairway, making it critical to be straight off the tee. The green can be reached in two with a good drive, but a pond guards the front and there is a bunker to the right. Gene Sarazen made a double-eagle from the fairway in 1935, the shot that put the Masters on the map ("Shot Heard 'Round The World).
No. 16, 170 yards, par 3 (Redbud), Rank: 9
The hole is played entirely over water and eventually bends to the left. Two bunkers guard the right side, and the green slopes significantly from right to left. Pars from the top shelf of the green on Sunday are rare. Woods’ chip in 2005 made a U-turn at the top of the ridge, trickled to the cup and paused two full seconds before dropping for birdie.
No. 17, 425 yards, par 4 (Nandina), Rank: 10
The tee has been extended 15 yards, making the Eisenhower Tree to the left of the fairway more prominent and 210 yards from the tee, requiring another accurate tee shot. The green is protected by two bunkers in the front.
No. 18, 465 yards, par 4 (Holly), Rank: 6
Now among the most demanding finishing holes in golf, this uphill dogleg right is protected off the tee by two deep bunkers at the left elbow. Trees get in the way of a drive that strays to the right. A middle iron is required to a green that has a bunker in front and to the right.