Masters 2010: Not The Year To Be In Europe!

I love Spain; I am currently in the north, in Asturias, in Gijon. Golf exists up here, but the real sporting news (besides Sporting Gijon) is the Real Madrid-FC Barcelona match of Saturday. The team of Sergio Garcia and Cristiano Ronaldo lost by a deuce to Barza, giving the Catalonians of sweep of the season series.

2010 is not a good US Masters for Spanish golfers. Former champions Olazabal and Ballesteros are not entered; Alvaro Quiros missed the cut and Sergio Garcia is taking dead aim on a third over-par round for the tournament. The US Masters is all about chipping and putting, something that Quiros and Garcia don’t do well enough to contend at Augusta. Vaya, que’ triste.

So I am told that Phil went aguila crazy yesterday, making two in a row and almost a third. Good for him. I didn’t pick him in my Fantasy League; didn’t think his putting was up to it yet. Clearly he knows that holed irons and nearly-holed wedges render putting unimportant. I am told that Tiger is in contention; I iterate that his golf is separate from his personal life. Those who wish to vilify him should be reminded that he can be like us or he can be a champion; he cannot be both. Let’s hope that he earns the designation of champion again soon. As for the personal, forget about it. There are no more pure human beings, just as there are no pure champions. We are human, we are flawed.

I did pick Lee Westwood and Ian Poulter. Right now, I look pretty bright. I do hope, being red, white and blue-blooded USA and all, the Westwood wins this week. He is no Monty and he should not ever be compared to Monty. A major win in the USA will eliminate that comparison forever. Do we speak of Lyle and Faldo in the same breath as the curly, cranky one? No, we do not.

I like Poulter. I like a guy who makes it later in life, works his way out of the pro shop and onto the tour. I hope he wins a major in 2010.

Who do I think wins today? I do not know. None of the top four is currently unbeatable and totally reliable, so I can’t place one at the fore. As for Fred Couples? No, I don’t think so. He has more ghosts at Augusta than he does championships and I believe his fifty-year old nerves will not hold up this afternoon at the graveyard of champions.