From the Desk of the GM - Apr. 13, 2009

“Spring is here – the Masters told me so”

Staying with the golf theme of last week’s blog, it is a sure sign that spring is here when I find myself spending 10+ hours watching golf on TV over the course of four days in April. It’s not just any golf tournament that I will watch almost from start to finish. I can admit it, I love watching the Masters. No other tournament is like it and in the writer’s humble opinion, no other golf major is like it. Maybe it’s because it’s played at the same course each year, maybe because it’s the first major each year and maybe it’s because of that fancy green jacket the winner receives, there is something about the Masters that makes it that much more special than the other three majors. There is drama, there is jubilation, and there is heartbreak. Many an Easter dinner has been interrupted, postponed, delayed and cut short because of the final holes of the Masters. Something my wife Carleigh learned very early on was that my family is crazy about playing golf and watching golf, but when it comes to the Masters, the insanity reaches a whole new level.

There are so many memorable Masters moments, like Jack Nicklaus winning his sixth green jacket in '86 at age 46, the heartbreaking losses by Norman in 1987 and 1996, all the spectacular wins by Tiger (1997, 2001, 2002 & 2005), the pros who won their first major at Augusta like Mike Weir (2003), Phil Mickelson (2004) and Mark O’Meara (1998). Then there are the underdog stories of Zach Johnson (2007) and Trevor Immelman (2008).

This year’s version was no exception when it came to a memorable tournament. How could anyone not want one of the three guys who finished at -12 to win it all? Chad Campbell, Kenny Perry and Angel Cabrera all seem like down to earth guys and I would have been equally happy had any one of them won.

I can thank my mother for my love of golf. I've been playing since I was 10. I wasn’t terribly interested in playing the first couple of years, but I’m glad I was “encouraged” to continue because in the spring of 1994, I had the opportunity of golfing with Sam, and the rest as they say, is history.

I mentioned my “bucket list” a while ago. Without question, one item in the top ten on the list would definitely be playing a round at Augusta National. Not sure how I’m going to accomplish this, but one thing is for certain if I do, when I walk up the 18th fairway I will give a wave to the imaginary crowd just like Tiger, Jack, Gary and Arnie have done a combined 17 times.

Until next time…
-- Andrew