I don’t know what it is with these people who want to see nothing but birdies. They’re the equivalent of baseball fans who want to see nothing but home runs, unable to appreciate the subtler beauties of the game.

For my money, and viewing pleasure, I enjoy watching the world’s best golfers have to work at the game. I like seeing them scramble for par. The best golfers in the world SHOULD be striving for perfect shots.

Having said that, I think the Masters has diminished with all the changes to Augusta National. It isn’t just the added length, although that probably eliminated 70 percent of the field. It’s the way they changed the course to take away options for lighter hitters.

If you’re going to penalize pros who don’t hit it 350 yards, at least give them a chance to make up for it with creativity.

Look at Tim Clark. He was in it for a while, an anomaly, and I was pulling for the little fella. He fell out of it Saturday with an 80. For Clark and others, the Masters is simply out of range.

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