2006 MASTERS: SECOND ROUND RECAP
The best thing about the CBS HD broadcast: its refreshing lack of graphics. While watching the Players Championship, you have stat boxes all over the screen: length of the shot, the distance to the green, scrolling leaderboards, the hideous blue overlayed "FedEx reliability zone" (hitting it in the middle of the fairway gives you a better chance to score? Who knew???)--the sporting event ends up almost completely obscured by graphics. However, the Masters doesn't have any of that, except the occasional leaderboard, which lets you see the course in all its glory. Yeah, maybe CBS leans toward hyperbole when talking about "golf's hallowed ground", but they're not that far off. It's a beautiful and historic course, and the HD broadcast is certainly doing it justice.
(One observation: I don't understand why most highlights/rebroadcasts are shown in 4:3 and not in their initial 16:9 widescreen format. For instance, last year's Masters was most certainly in widescreen, so why show the replay of Tiger's famous 16th hole chip in 4:3 with gray bars down the sides? Do they cheap out and not record it in 16:9? It's got to be money. I also have to find out if all the cameras are owned by CBS, because then they have no excuse.)
As we hit the halfway mark, just a few notes about the 2nd Round:
* Veeger came back to the pack with a rollercoaster 74 on Friday. They said something about a three-putt double bogey being "uncharacteristic", but who are we kidding? It was completely characteristic! VJ having a lead after the 1st round, now THAT was uncharacteristic.
* Freddie had a nice round to stay 3 back of the leader, the Chadmeister General.
* FIGJAM had two birds and two bogies, including one in the drink and two putts that lipped out, to break even and stay at -2. He's tied with Els, Howell, and the two Clark(e)s.
* Goose, Tigs, Weir and Crenshaw are all hanging close at -1.
* Meanwhile, Oberholser collapsed and looked very shaky dropping 6 shots behind. Furyk hit a nice putt on 18 to barely make the cut, and Olazabal and Bjorn just snuck into paycheck territory as well.
* It really is a shame about David Duval. He was the #1 ranked player in 1999, and everyone thought he'd be up there with Tiger Woods as one of the top players on the PGA Tour for years to come. Now it seems like he can't even compete with the big boys anymore, and his 5 year exemption from his 2001 British Open win is up this year, so this may be his last Masters. He's only 34 so maybe he can turn it around, but shooting a 10 on the 3rd hole yesterday (before having a nice back 9) doesn't tell me he's ready to do that yet.
Looks like rain today in Georgia, but most of the spectator's umbrellas have been put away (as I check the "Live from the Driving Range" camera), so it shouldn't be a complete washout. Maybe it will be just enough for the greens to slow down for Saturday, which is typically "Moving Day".
They're already underway in the Third Round! Good show, Hensby!
UPDATE - 2:00 PM: Rain has suspended play.
