Monday's Telling News: 2014 PGA Championship At Valhalla

• There are certain questions that are always asked about specific sports over and over again in main stream media. Any time after a substantial international soccer tournament or a thrilling match in club play in Europe, people constantly wonder if soccer is truly growing into a major sport in the states. The World Cup is obviously a catalyst for this conversation because of just how important the competition is to the rest of the globe and even its popularity in America with people supporting the national team in large numbers in public fan gatherings. Even outside of the World Cup, which has gotten people invested in soccer for years, after Sergio Aguero scored the championship winning goal for Manchester City in their 3-2 victory over Queens Park Rangers in 2012, everybody began to ponder if European soccer leagues were becoming much more prevalent in the American view (I can watch Aguero's goal all day long). In golf, after each and every tournament where Tiger Woods is either out hurt or missing the cut while looking like a shell of his old self, the inevitable question that comes along is can golf flourish without Tiger? The NBA survived without Jordan (although for a while, any big player that came along was supposedly the "next Jordan," whether it was Grant Hill, Penny Hardaway, or Harold Miner), the NHL went on without Gretzky, but can golf really prosper without the single man who has dominated the game for so long and broke down so many golf barriers (remember, Tiger won his first major back at the 1997 Masters when he was only 21, so Woods has been the biggest walking golf story for nearly 20 years) The PGA Championship at Valhalla showed that golf does have the potential to be just as enthralling even without Tiger, with the right mix of drama and key players fighting it out on a Sunday (if Downtown Abbey can remain intact even after Dan Stevens was killed, so can golf without Woods).
• With remarkable late drama and four players having at least a share of the lead on the back nine, golf may lose some fans that only watched for the intrigue of Tiger, but it can remain very captivating if the final rounds are as climactic as the one at Valhalla this past weekend. The PGA of America could not have been much more fortunate because to go along with the late theatrics of the tournament, they could not have picked a better group of players to be involved in the late stretch of really tense golf. Rory McIlroy, the best player in the game and somebody who is well on his way to challenging for 10 to 15 majors over the next decade, came into the 4th round at the top of the leaderboard and was always the favorite to win the championship after his wins at Royal Liverpool and Firestone in late July and early August. The most beloved golfer on the tour for his class and near misses over the years, Phil Mickelson was able to turn his lackluster season around at the PGA and really get into the mix in the final round at Valhalla after he birded the par-3, 11th hole and had a share of the lead for a long stretch on the back nine. For as much as I admire Rory McIlroy for the force he possesses at the bottom of his swing and the turn he gets in his shoulders to just power through the ball, he is not a guy that is going to get a lot of new people into golf (unless your a single girl). However, Rickie Fowler is going to attract new fans into the game with his colorful clothes and sparkling play, and he was also in contention on Sunday for the 4th consecutive major (he also gives American golf fans some hope because Kevin Streelman at the Travelers Championship at TPC Rivers Highlands and Brian Harman at the John Derre Classic at TPC Derre Run are the only two US players to win on the PGA Tour in the last 10 events since early June). Finally, although Henrik Stenson is not a particularly alluring name (not nearly as much as his compatriot Zlatan Ibrahimovic), he won both the FedEx Cup and the Race to Dubai in 2013, and can spin back his irons like nobody else in the game (see his shot on the 13th hole onto the island green that set up his birdie to have a share of the lead), making him a very dangerous player to be around the top of the scoreboard on a Sunday. Golf without Tiger is not going to be easy, but with late drama and the right names in the mix on Sunday, it is still possible to reach Tiger-like excitement.
• The amazing theater of the PGA Championship was only intensified because of its stark contrast to the dreary previous two majors of the season. Martin Kaymer just obliterated the field at the U.S. Open from Pinehurst No. 2 and not only did the course not look like a typical U.S. Open with thick rough when it was replaced by sandy waste areas next to the fairways, but it was the first time I can ever remember my dad saying he did not even watch a single shot of tournament because of just how little intrigue there was in the event. At the Open Championship from Royal Liverpool, Rory McIlroy went wire-to-wire for the victory and literally nobody else in the field even put up a mild challenge to stop him from doing so (It was Rory's second wire-to-wire victory at a major, putting him in a select group of players to have multiple wire-to-wire wins at major championshps. Arnold Palmer won the 1960 and 1964 Masters in such fashion, Jack Nicklaus won the 1972 Masters, 1972 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach, and 1980 U.S. Open at Baltusrol all in wire-to-wire wins, Raymond Floyd did it at the 1969 PGA at NCR, 1976 Masters, and 1982 PGA at Southern Hills, and finally Tiger won the 2000 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach, 2000 PGA at Valhalla, 2002 U.S. Open at Bethpage Black, and 2005 Open at St Andrews in wire-to-wire victories). I guess you could say Sergio Garcia came close to putting up a fight at the Open Championship this year, but everybody knew Sergio would pull a "Sergio" somewhere in his final round, and that came with his horrible bunker shot on 15 that never left the sand and led to a bogey on the par-3, all but ensuring a title for Rory in England. Over the past decade, there have been plenty of head-to-head battles amongst golfers at majors, which is always gripping stuff with each guy trying to pull away, whether it be Retief Goosen and Phil trading blows at the 2004 U.S. Open from Shinnecock Hills, Tiger and Chris DiMarco being so close during the final round at the Masters in 2005, Stewart Cink and Tom Watson going into a playoff at the 2009 Open Championship from Turnberry, or Y.E. Yang and Tiger going at it in the 2009 PGA at Hazeltine. However, it is much more rare to see a major golf tournament, like this year's PGA, where coming down the back nine so many different players have a share of the lead and a chance to take home a major championship with the utmost suspense attached to it. The 2001 Masters with Tiger, David Duval, and Phil all in the hunt was quite tense, Phil overcoming K.J. Choi and Ernie Els in the 2004 Masters for his first major was so exciting, and the 2006 U.S. Open at Winged Foot with Geoff Ogilvy, Jim Furyk, Phil, Colin Montgomerie, and Padraig Harrington passing around the lead was wild. The 2014 PGA Championship gave us all of the late drama that the game had been missing over the past several majors with guys trying to match one another on every hole coming down the final stretch.
• Enough about how Rory McIlroy is the future of golf because he is the here-and-now of the golfing world after his PGA Championship at Valhalla. On a day in which everybody around him was making serious moves on the front nine (Phil was 4-under, Stenson was 5-under, and Rickie was 3-under on the first nine holes), Rory shot a 1-over 36 (he bogeyed 3 and 6 before finally making a birdie on 7) and could not really get anything going or any big birdie putts to go down to gain some momentum. However, the fact that Rory showed so much resolve to keep on fighting, even as his final round lead was shrinking, should really worry the rest of the players on tour. If Rory has the unwavering mental strength that he showed this past weekend to go along with his immense golfing talent, he should be well on his way to double-digit major championships. When Rory won the 2011 U.S. Open at Congressional, he did so by eight strokes over Jason Day and set records for the fewest shots and lowest score under par at the world's hardest golf tournament in his blowout win. McIlroy destroyed the field once again at the 2012 PGA Championship at Kiawah Island and took home the Wanamaker Trophy after winning by eight strokes over David Lynn, the most ever in tournament history. Rory entered the final round of this year's Open Championship leading by six strokes (in the last 60 years only Tony Lema in 1964 had a bigger lead going into the fourth round of the major when he was up on Jack Nicklaus by 7 strokes at St Andrews) and nobody ever really came close enough to scare McIlroy for the title, or put any significant pressure on his game. Any time you have three majors in the bag at the age of 25, the talent is obviously there, but McIlroy's fourth major proved the resolute and obstinate nature that he has built into his mentality, which so few golfers truly possess. The great ones in every sport have this unshakable tenaciousness to always fight through various challenges, no matter the circumstances around them. For the first time at Valhalla, people saw Rory's unyielding personality on the golf course, because even when he wasn't at his absolute best and guys were right on his back, he stayed strong through the adversity and the pressure. In a week where McIlroy only gained 1.1 strokes on his putting (in comparison, Phil gained 1.7 strokes on putting and Henrik Stenson racked up 2.3 shots on his putts), he was still able to be persevere for another major championship.
• As much as winning a tight major golf championship is about staying tough mentally, which Rory demonstrated for the first time that he can do on a Sunday with his calm emotions and staunch confidence, he also hit some incredible shots on the back nine to secure the championship. Unlike most of the other golfers that struggled on the back nine because of the difficult par-4 12th and the 508 yard par-4 16th, Rory destroyed the final nine holes at Valhalla all week long, as he was 2-under on Thursday including a stretch of 4 straight birdies from 12 to 15, 3-under on Friday and Saturday with an eagle on 18 in his second round, and 4-under on Sunday without a bogey to close out the tournament. On the back nine in his final round, Rory was able to hit a three wood onto the green for an eagle on the par-5 10th hole to jump start his round, finally get a big putt to fall on the par-4 13th for his 3rd birdie in 4 days on the hole, and then put a shot from a fairway bunker to within 10 feet of the hole for a dagger birdie on the 17th. Even though he did not putt his absolute best, when a guy can pull off some of the shots that Rory can on a golf course, and hit the big ball that he can from the tee with his driver to set up short irons to the pin, like he showed on the back end of the PGA Championship at Valhalla, it is scary to think about what he is capable of doing in the future.
• Some of Rory's accomplishments and records are just staggering to think about, especially at his young age. With McIlroy's victories at the Open Championship and PGA Championship in 2014, he joins Arnold Palmer in 1960 and 1962, Jack Nicklaus in 1963, 1966, 1972, 1975, and 1980, Lee Trevino in 1971, Gary Player in 1974, Tom Watson in 1977 and 1982, Nick Faldo in 1990, Nick Price in 1994, Mark O'Meara in 1998, Tiger Woods in 2000, 2002, 2005, and 2006, and Padraig Harrington in 2008 as the only players to win at least 2 majors in a single season in the last 55 years and joins Walter Hagan in 1924, Price in 1994, Tiger in 2000 and 2006, Harrington in 2008 as the only players to win the two titles back-to-back in nearly 100 years. Rory has actually won the Open Championship, the Bridgestone Invitational from Firestone Country Club in Akron, Ohio, and the PGA Championship in three consecutive starts, becoming the first golfer since Tiger Woods in 2008 when he won the Buick Invitational, Accenture Match Play, and Arnold Palmer Invitational to do so. Gary Player (9 majors), Harry Vardon (7 majors), Nick Faldo (6 majors), Seve Ballesteros (5 majors), James Braid (5 majors), John Henry Taylor (5 majors), and Peter Thomson (5 majors) are the only golfers born outside of America with more grand slams than McIlroy, and the Northern Irishman is only 25 years old and at the beginning of his career. In fact, only Young Tom Morris (1868-1870 and 1872 Open), Tiger Woods (1997 Masters, 1999 PGA at Medinah, 2000 US Open at Pebble Beach, 2000 Open at St Andrews), and Jack Nicklaus (1962 US Open at Oakmont, 1963 Masters, 1963 PGA at Dallas Athletic, 1964 Masters) won 4 majors at a younger age than McIlroy. Essentially, Mark Zuckerberg is the only person to accomplish more than Rory by the age of 25 to put it all in a nutshell.
• Rickie Fowler has had one of the best seasons ever for a guy to not have a single win all season long on tour, which leaves much more to be desired in the future for the young American. Since Fowler is only 25 years old and does have so much promise in his game, especially with his ball striking and iron play at such a proficient level, I would still characterize his year on the side of impressive and auspicious rather than disappointing and frustrating (it is hard to call a year with 7 top 10's through August a poor season). Despite all of his great tournaments throughout the season and his more than solid performances in the four majors, it is not like Rickie ever blew opportunities for victories or threw away leads when he was in position to run away from the field. He has been on the periphery of almost every tournament he has entered this season, but has never really been able to cement himself at the top of the leaderboard in any event, as was evidenced at the PGA Championship. Fowler's tied for 5th finish at the Masters, tied for 2nd spot at the U.S. Open and Open Championship, and tied for 3rd mark at the PGA Championship puts him with Jack Nicklaus in 1971 and 1973 and Tiger Woods in 2000 and 2005 as the only golfers to finish all four majors in the top five in one season (Nicklaus, however, won the PGA in 1971 and 1973 and Tiger came out victorious in the U.S. Open, Open, and PGA in 2000 and the Masters and Open in 2005). Rickie also joins Ben Crenshaw in 1987, Sergio Garcia in 2002, Ernie Els in 2004, and Vijay Singh in 2005 as the only players in the last 35 years to finish in the top 10 in all of the majors in a calendar year and not win any of them. Fowler's bogey on the par-3 14th hole at Valhalla because of a tee shot that went wayward and into some mud to the right of the hole dropped him behind Phil and Rory on the back nine, and he was never able to really recover from that blow even after an incredible scramble for a par on 16. Fowler, though, just exudes so much confidence on the course, especially in his calm putting stroke, and it is a matter of "when" not "if" he wins a major championship.
• Over the past two decades, golf has really been dominated by two man, Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson, and coming into the PGA Championship, both of them had been having horrible seasons and there is no way around that fact. The only event Phil finished in the top 10 before the PGA was back in January on the European Tour in the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Tournament and Tiger basically missed 4 months of the year with back surgery and then came back to miss the cut at the Quicken Loans National from Congressional, have his worst 72-hole finish in a major in the Open Championship, and then withdrew from the Bridgestone Invitational due to his back pain coming back once again. Tiger looked terrible once again on the golf course at Valhalla, missing just his 4th cut as a professional at a major tournament (he also missed cuts at the 2006 U.S. Open at Winged Foot after he missed significant time because of his father's death, the 2009 Open at Turnberry, and the 2011 PGA at Atlanta Athletic Club). Golfers not named Tiger Woods have now won 26 straight majors dating back to 2008 and if Tiger doesn't win the Masters in April, it will be exactly 7 years since his last major victory. He looked in pain at the PGA with his reoccurring back ailment, and seems to be having all sorts of trouble with his driver, having no consistency with his misses which is a bad sign for a professional. On the other hand, after shooting a 62 in his final round at Firestone to gain some much needed confidence (it was his best 18 hole score since he shot a 60 at the Waste Management Phoenix Open in 2013), Phil was finally able to turn his play around at the PGA and he was right in the thick of things on a Sunday at a major once again. Mickelson took advantage of the three par-5 holes at Valhalla all weekend long, birding the 7th in all four rounds, birding the 10th on Friday, and going 5-under on the 18th including an eagle in his second round. Lefty also went away from the claw grip that caused him so much trouble on the greens at the U.S. Open when he finished tied for 28th and made so many long putts to keep him towards the top of the leaderboard at Valhalla. His clutch putting was highlighted by a 30-foot par save on the arduous 12th hole to keep him tied for the lead at 15-under in the final round. The finish for Mickelson, however, could not have epitomized his career of ups-and-downs in a more symbolic fashion. On the 16th hole, his chip for birdie lipped out of the pin and he was unable to salvage a par with his next putt, and then on the 18th hole, his eagle attempt to pull even with Rory at the top of the leaderboard just barely missed the cup. Despite shooting a final round 5-under, 66, Phil once again came up just short of a major championship - something we have gotten so used to saying over the years with his near misses - finishing in second at a major for the 9th time in his roller-coaster career, and for the 2nd time at the PGA Championship (only Jack Nicklaus with 19 and Arnold Palmer with 10 have more second place finishes than Phil in majors).
• The other thing that the PGA Championship does is that it solidifies the U.S. Ryder Cup automatic selections for the competition this September in Scotland, a match-up that is likely going to be the biggest mismatch since "The Mountain" came up against "Prince Oberyn Martell" because the European team is going to be an overwhelming favorite. Even the most optimistic American golf fans have to realize that this US Ryder Cup squad could be even worse than the teams in 2004 and 2006 that lost by a margin of 18.5 to 9.5 to Europe in the biggest blowouts since all the way back in 1975 at Laurel Valley when it was still the US against Great Britain and Ireland. The nine players that have automatically qualified for the US team and will be playing at Gleneagles Hotel in Perthshire are Bubba Watson, Rickie Fowler, Jim Furyk, Jimmy Walker, Phil Mickelson, Matt Kuchar, Jordan Spieth, Patrick Reed, and Zach Johnson. Phil was on the outside looking in coming into the PGA Championship, as he was sitting in 10th place on the US points standings, but his second place finish at the major bumped him all the way up to 5th and gave him a spot on the team for the 10th consecutive time. Despite having to withdraw from the PGA because of a back injury, Matt Kuchar was still able to finish amongst the top 9 positions for the US team because he has the most top 10 results on the PGA Tour, but his back problem is another big concern for an already weak US team. Patrick Reed was good enough at the PGA to keep his spot on the team, as he made the cut and shot even par golf for the tournament, but he has played really poorly since winning the Humana Classic and WGC Cadillac Championship at Trump National in Doral earlier in the year. Meanwhile, Zach Johnson nabbed the last automatic spot on the US team mainly because of the poor play of everybody else around him. Jason Dufner, who came into this year's last major in the 8th position for the US team, had to withdraw from the PGA as the defending champion midway through his first round because of a neck problem and was knocked out of an automatic spot. Keegan Bradley, Chris Kirk, and Webb Simpson all missed the cut at Valhalla and only one player shot worse than Brendon Todd who stayed around for the weekend, so Johnson fell into the last automatic US Ryder Cup spot more than anything else. With Bubba's recent struggles in missing out on the cut at the U.S. Open and the Open and having a 65th place finish at the PGA, Rickie, Furyk, Jimmy Walker, and Phil are the only guys playing well right now of the nine automatic US players on the cup teams. The struggles of the US spells big trouble when they go up against a stacked European team that will likely be highlighted by Rory McIlroy, Henrik Stenson, Sergio Garcia, Justin Rose, Martin Kaymer, and Ian Poulter. The Europeans could have the best squad that their continent has assembled since 1985 when Seve Ballesteros, Sandy Lyle, Bernhard Langer, and Nick Faldo took the cup back from the US for the first time since 1957.

Even Without Tiger Woods In Contention, The Masters Was A Great Success

Every time Tiger Woods goes out with an injury or is struggling with his game, the usual question that enters people's mind is: Can golf survive without Tiger?

Of course, whenever Tiger Woods is playing at a major, he is a tremendous story. Woods brings an incredible amount of buzz to the golf game, as some people love to root for Tiger, while others love to root against him and see him fail.

In 1997, Tiger won the Masters after he set a record at Augusta for the largest margin of victory in a major, at the time, as he beat Tom Kite by 12 strokes and his -18 score was the lowest to par score in Masters history. Since he came onto the scene with that incredible wipe-out victory at the age of 21, Tiger has been the biggest story in golf. Too add to the lure of wanting to watch Tiger on a Sunday at a major, a record that once seemed inevitable that he would break, still stands to this day. With his 4-year major drought, Tiger still remains at 14 major victories, which trails Jack Nickalus's record of 18 wins at the four majors.

Obviously, at the age of 36, Tiger's best years are behind him and with his current game in a tremendous amount of flux, it looks very doubtful if Woods can win four more majors to tie Nickalus's record and 5 more to pass him.

Coming off his win at Bay Hill in the Arnold Palmer Invitational, Woods was seen as one of the favorites to win this year's first major. It was his first win in an official PGA Tour event since he won the BMW Championship at Cog Hill in September of 2009 and he looked destined to finally make a run at winning his first Masters since 2005.

When Tiger came to Augusta, he never looked comfortable on the tee or on the greens, as he said, "It was an off week at the wrong time."Woods tied his career worst Masters four hole score with a 5-over par, 293, and he didn't finish under-par in any of his rounds.

Contrary to popular belief that golf will be unable to survive without Tiger Woods, the 2012 Masters proved that a major can still be wildly entertaining even without Woods in serious contention.

2010 Open Champion Louis Oosthuizen's second hole set the stage for an incredible round of golf. Oosthuizen was looking to become the 6th player to win the British Open at St. Andrews as well as the Masters joining only Sam Snead (1946 Open Champion at the Old Course and 1949, 1952, and 1954 Masters Champion), Jack Nicklaus (1970 and 1978 Open Champion at St. Andrews and 1963, 1965, 1966, 1972, 1975, and 1986 Masters Champion), Seve Ballesteros (1984 Open Champion at St. Andrews and 1980 and 1983 Masters Champion), Nick Faldo (1990 Open Champion at St. Andrews and 1989, 1990, and 1996 Masters Champion) and Tiger Woods (2000 and 2005 Open Champion at the Old Course and 1997, 2001, 2002, and 2005 Masters Champion).

After hitting a drive in the middle of the fairway on the par-5 second hole, Oosthuzien hit a 4-iron on his second shot from 254 yards away. The ball hit the front of the green and rolled all the way down to the back of the green and then dropped into the hole. The unbelievable shot sent shock waves throughout Augusta, as Oosthuzien double-eagle put him at the top of the leaderboard, which he didn't fall from until the playoff.

As much as the South African would have loved to have won his second major, his albatross will forever be remembered. It was just the fourth double-eagle in Masters history along with Gene Sarazen's albatross on the 15th hole at Augusta in the 1935 Masters that put the tournament on the map, as well as Bruce Devlin's double-eagle on the 8th hole in the 1967 Masters, and finally Jeff Maggert's double-eagle on the 13th hole in the 1994 Masters.

Oosthuzien's iron will be recalled as one of the greatest shots in recent Masters history to go along with Tiger's incredible chip shot (who can forget it) on the 16th hole in the 2005 Masters, which he would later go on and win, and Phil's second shot on the 13th hole from behind a tree that rolled right near the hole and helped him win his 3rd Masters. Oosthuizen said about the shot, "My first double-eagle ever."

Despite Oosthuzien magical shot, Bubba Watson was the story of the tournament, as his unique golf style, which he calls "Bubba golf" was full of great shot making and drama to keep any fan of the edge of their seat.

Watson, who lost in a playoff to Martin Kaymer in the 2010 PGA Championship at Whistling Staits, was a much watch all week long. With his pink PING driver, Bubba finished second during the final round of the Masters in driving distance and his long and consistent drives helped him birdie 6 of the par 5's during the final two days.

Bubba's unique style of aggressiveness, which he claims to have because of never receiving a golf lesson, is every fans dream to watch. Every time you think that a shot can't be done, Bubba will attempt to prove you wrong, which he often does. His creativity is unlike any other golfer on the tour and this showed itself in the playoff.

After blowing a chance to win his first ever major during the first hole of the sudden-death playoff after he missed a birdie putt for the championship, Watson hit a tee shot on the second playoff hole, which was the par 4-10th, way right into the woods. It appeared as if Waton had missed out on his opportunity for the title, as he was in a horrible position for his second shot.

However, doing what he does best, Bubba was able to get out of the jam with his unbelievably creative play. Watson hit a wedge from 151 yards away from the hole and was able to curve the ball from the pine needles all the way from the woods onto the green. He two-putted to take home his first ever major victory.

Watson said about the shot, "I hit a crazy shot that I saw in my head and somehow I'm here talking to you with a green jacket on. The first time I started working with my caddie I told him, 'If I have a swing, I have a shot.' I got down there and saw it was a perfect draw. I'm pretty good at hooking it."

The playoff, which was the 15th in the 76 year history of the Masters and the 4th since 2003, brought an end to a thoroughly exciting round of golf and showed fans that the game can still do well even without Woods in the mix.

There Isn't A Shortage Of Storylines Going Into The Second Round Of The Masters

Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed every second of all four majors last year and there is nothing I love more than sitting down on a Sunday and watching the final round of a golf major to crown a major champion. However, there was something missing last year that kept me from being overly excited looking in retrospect about the 2011 majors.

Maybe it was the fact that at the U.S. Open, a tournament that prides itself in its difficult setup and the inability of players to put up low scores, Rory McIlroy finished at -16 and practically had the tournament wrapped up after the second round when he led by 6 strokes over Y.E. Yang.

Even when the 2011 PGA Championship went into a three hole play-off, it was a battle of two mainly unknown commodities with Keegan Bradley and Jason Dufner.

It was also a great story when Darren Clarke won the 2011 Open Championship at Royal St. George's Golf Club nearly five years after his wife died of breast cancer but the Open left me with a sour taste in my mouth.

I, like many others, was hoping for a Phil Mickelson comeback run on the final day after he shot a 30 on the front nine, his lowest nine hole score in a major. However, Phil faltered down the stretch as he bogeyed 11, 13, 15, and 16, which put him out of contention of the title and left many, including myself, disappointed.

Finally, whether you like him or dislike him, Tiger Woods is a story every time he walks on the golf course. If Woods is in contention at a major, everybody is going to be watching and he brings a tremendous amount of buzz to the golf game. The pressure and intensity of a major is only amplified when Tiger Woods is lurking at the top of the leaderboard.

However, last year Tiger made very little noise at any of the majors. Although he finished tied for 4th at the Masters, his third round 74 shot him in the foot and put him too far back of the leaders. Tiger was forced to miss two of the majors, the U.S. Open and the Open Championship, due to knee and achillies injuries. When he returned to the PGA Championship at Atlanta Athletic Club, Tiger looked like a shell of himself. He shot a 77 in the first round and then followed that up by a 73 in the second to finish at 10-over par and he missed the cut. It was just the 3rd time in 56 major appearances since 1997 that Tiger failed to make the cut at a major and he wasn't around for the last two days of the final major or the year.

However, there is a certain vibe around the Masters that has everybody excited for this years first major. The lure of Augusta National and its historic tradition leaves people craving to see golfers attack Amen Corner and play the course they have become so accustomed to seeing.

After the first round at Augusta National, there is a wide array of interesting stories to keep on an eye on as this year Masters rolls along.

Before Phil Mickelson finally broke through in that memorable 2004 Masters, he was often tabbed as the greatest player to never have won a major. Lefty had a ridiculous 17 top ten appearances from 1993 to 2003 without ever cracking the winners circle including 8 finishes in the top 3 in that time span.

Since Mickelson has gotten rid of the that title, Lee Westwood has assumed it. Westwood's close but no cigar results at majors have looked much like Mickelson's when he was a younger golfer. Westwood has had 12 top 10 appearances in majors since 1997 and he has finished in the top 3 in 6 of the last 14 majors he has played in. Despite being near the top of the leaderboard so often, Wetwood has been unable to break through.

However, Westwood, who finished 2nd in the Masters two years ago in 2010, is at the top of the leaderboard after the first round of golf at Augusta. Lee birdied 5, 6, 7, and 8 to put up a front nine 32 before he finished out the round by shooting a 35 on the back to complete his first round 5-under par 67.

Westwood sits in a perfect position after day 1 to capture his first ever major championship. He said, "I've come close [to winning a major]. I've won all there is to win other than a major championship. That's my primary focus and it's been a long time coming around since the PGA last year... I have been in this position a lot recently, in contention. I've had a lot of top-3's, so I've obviously been there. If I sit down at the end of my career and there's no major championship wins, I'll be disappointed. If there's five or six, I'll be delighted." With an early lead at the Masters, Westwood has an edge to get that first major championship that has been alluding him for such a long time.

Since his 2008 U.S. Open victory at Torrey Pines, Tiger Woods has been stuck at 14 major championships. He remains 4 major victories shy of Jack Nicklaus's record of 18 major wins. A record that most people assumed Tiger would break and the question was not would he surpass Nicklaus, but when would he do it and how many would he end up with, is a record that looks like it may stand now. Due to his infidelity scandal and numerous injuries including the 2008 ACL surgery he received on his left knee and the knee and achillies injuries last year, it looks suspect if Tiger can regain his championship level form and win a major.

Don't get me wrong, he is still Tiger Woods, one of the greatest golfers to have ever played the game, but winning four majors to tie Nicklaus and winning five to surpass him is no easy task. Winning 4 or 5 majors is a Hall of Fame career for most other golfers. Byron Nelson and Seve Ballesteros won 5 majors in both of their careers, while Phil Mickelson has won 4 majors in his carrer. Tiger is trying to accomplish what these guys did in their entire career towards the end of his own career, which is a difficult task.

Tiger, who hasn't won a Masters since 2005, looked like he was going to put up a very solid and impressive first round score. However, he bogeyed both 17 and 18 and squandered an opportunity to finish under par. Although those final two holes put a damper on a relatively well played round of golf for Woods, he is by no means out of the picture after a finish round even-par 72.

Woods, who won the Arnold Palmer Invitational before the Masters, which was his first win on the PGA Tour since he won the BMW Championship in September of 2009, is still in contention in this tournament. Although he had some horrible swings in the first round, especially off the tee, Tiger didn't shot himself in the foot and needs a solid score in round 2 to put himself right in the thick of things and spice things up at Augusta National. Anytime Tiger is looking to make a run to rise near the top of the leaderboard, it quites a tremendous amount of interest.

We all remember Rory's McIlroy's final round collapse at Augusta National last year. After having a comfortable four stroke lead after 54 holes, he faltered in the final round, as he felt the pressure of leading the Masters with just 18 holes remaining. Rory was 7 over par on the back 9, as he had a three hole stretch from hole 10 to 12 where he triple bogeyed 10 (on that infamous tee shot), bogeyed 11, and double bogeyed 12. McIlroy's final round 80 was the worst round by a third round leader at the Masters since Ken Venturi in 1956. The four stroke lead that McIlroy squandered was the biggest of a third round leader at a major that didn't end up winning the tournament since Jean Van de Velde lead by 5 strokes after three rounds of the 1999 Open Championship.

After destroying the field at last year's U.S. Open at Congressional in Bethesda, Maryland and taking home his first major victory, McIlroy was ready to move past his 2011 Masters meltdown.

A double bogey on his first hole back at Augusta since his debacle on the back nine the previous year, did little to help Rory move totally past his downfall in 2011. However, he regrouped to shot a solid first round 1-under par 71, as he was able to birdie both 17 and 18 to close out a solid opening round of golf.

McIlroy says he has moved on from that unfortunate day, especially from that memorably awful tee shot on the 10th hole that went way left of the fairway. In the first round of this year's tournament, when Rory was approaching the 10th tee  he said, "I wasn't going left that's for sure. I tried to play it differently, playing a 3-wood off the tee and tuning it. It didn't quite turn enough but I made a good solid four and moved on."

We will see if Rory has really forgotten all about that 10th hole if he gets an opportunity to step up to the 10th tee with the lead once again on the final day of the Masters.

Finally, we will see if Phil Mickelson can use some of his magic to climb up the leaderboard on day two of the Masters. Phil, was is a three-time Masters winner and the winner of the green jacket two years ago in 2010 and a fan favorite, will need to shot a low round in round 2 to get back into contention.

Phil, like Rory McIlroy last year, unraveled on the 10th hole. Lefty needed 3 birdies on the back nine to rebound from his triple bogey on the 10th hole just to bring his round back to a 2-over par 74.

With difficult weather conditions expected for the second round, it should be very interesting to see the storylines that unfold heading into the weekend.

The Masters Third Round Storylines

1. Will Phil Mickelson make a surge: Phil Mickelson came in to the Masters labeled as the favorite by many after winning last years tournament and the tournament before the Masters in Houston. Mickelson at -2 comes into the third round at the Masters 8 shots behind the leader and is tied for 20th place. Phil looked to be in pretty good position after the first round sitting at -2 with a round of 70 but he only shot a 72 in the second round. Mickelson blamed his struggles in the second round on his short game and putting, saying "I haven't made any putts. I've caught a lot of lips. My speed has been just a fraction off. Just too firm or in a lot of cases just too soft on these greens...Today I left a lot of shots out there that were not hard up-and-downs. You know, they were very doable. I missed a few four or five-footers there, but I expect to get those up-and-down. I didn't, I left a lot out there today. I can't afford this weekend to leave those shots out there." Mickelson only hit four fairways on Thursday but he putted well enough to shot a 70. On Friday Phil had a much better day from the tee hitting nine fairways. He also hit 13 greens in regulation, but he needed 33 putts. Mickelson will have to putt better in order to make a climb on the leaderboard and come within striking distance of the leaders for a chance on Sunday.

2. Will Lee Westwood finally break through at a major: Lee Westwood has finished in the top three of every major including last season when he finished in second at the Masters and the British Open. Westwood is once again in contention for a major, as he is sitting in seventh place and is only 5 shots behind the leader Rory McIlroy. Westwood knows better than anybody that five shots can slip away very quickly, saying, "I had a five shot lead going down 11 on Saturday last year and I was one behind about three quarters of an hour later, so I know better than anybody how quickly leads can evaporate." He is sitting in seventh place and is only 5 shots behind the leader Rory McIlroy. After shooting an even par in the first round, Westwood flew under the radar in the second round shooting a 5 under 67. Westwood said, "I feel like I've played my way right back into it and I was pleased that I didn't let my frustrations over the putting infiltrate my long game." Westwood will have to continue to play very well on the par fives like he did during the second round. Lee was five under on the par 5's including 3 birdies on 2, 5, and 8 and 1 eagle on 15. Westwood will try to shake a tag that Phil Mickelson once held for a while: The best player to not win a major.

3. Will Tiger Woods climb to the top of the leaderboard: Tiger Woods shot a second round 6 under 66 to bring him within three shots of the leader at -7. Woods began the day +1 through three holes. He managed to finish the front 9 with a one under par 35 and his birdies at the 8th, 9th, and 10th holes gave him momentum going into the back nine. Tiger birdied 5 holes including three straight from 13 to 15 to finish with a second round of 66. He said, "I played myself back in the tournament, I'm three back, and we have a long way to go." It has been a long time for Woods that he has played this well. Tiger's 66 was his best score at the Masters since 2005, and since that date he has only shot in the 60's four times. The question for Woods will be if he can maintain this level of play. At Dubai in Febuary, Woods shot a second round 66 but then shot a 72 and 75 over the weekend. At Bay Hill two weeks ago, Woods followed a 68 with a 72 and 74 over the weekend. When Woods was asked if he’s finally where he wants, Tiger replied, “There’s a long way to go.”

4. How will Jason Day follow up his second round: Jason Day is ranked outside of the top 40 and has 1 PGA tour win but his second round at the Masters was record breaking. Day shot an unbelievable 8 under par 64 including 8 birdies and no bogeys in the second round to put himself two strokes behind Masters leader Rory McIlroy in second place. On the 18th hole, Day hit a pitching wedge within 1 foot of the hole to finish the best round of his life. Jason hit 14 greens in regulation and tied 5 other players for the least putts in the round with 25. All 8 of Day’s birdies came within 15 feet including tap-ins on the 9th and 16th holes. Day said about his eight birdies, “Yeah, I have to tell you which holes I birdied the second hole, I hit my drive in the bunker there. I knew I had to lay up to like about 110. So I hit 7 iron out and hit a pretty good wedge shot in there and left it just above the hole to about five, six feet and I holed that putt. Then 7, I hit a really good drive down there and had about 115 yards wind was down off the right and I wanted to play just left of the pin and hit a good shot there. It was just a little bit short but I role in about a 15 foot putt there. 9, I blocked my drive right and was in the pine needles, if you've ever been on pine needles, it's like skating on ice, very, very slippery stuff. Rolled up to two feet which was nice. Then going onto 11, I tried to stay away from that pin because of what happened yesterday. I hit a good drive down the middle. Had 7 iron from about 178 and I just played it right of the hole and rolled it to about 15 foot and holed that putt. 13, 4 wood down the middle. I had 215 yards to that front pin. I just needed to get it in the middle of the green. I just wanted to get it so I could have a putt at it. Hit a hybrid up there and just cleared the water and two putted for birdie. 14, obviously pulled my drive and got lucky, went through the trees and hit a wedge shot to about 15 feet and holed that putt. 16, I shoved my 9 iron right and got lucky. I was just trying to play it ten foot left and I shoved it a little bit. That putt is probably one of the biggest putts I've ever had in my life. I just tapped it and it rolled and went dead center which was good. 18, I just knew I had to hit a good drive and smashed a drive down the middle and had 145 yards to the pin, a little downwind, hit wedge just past it and got lucky and rolled it down the hill and rolled it to about a foot.” Day matched the lowest second round score in Masters history and he shot the lowest second round of any first time participant in Masters history.  Jason said after his great round, “Obviously I had a great round today. I got a little bit of a slow start yesterday, but I came home strong today and I'm just looking forward to the next two days obviously. It's just really good experience.”


5. Will Rory McIlroy surrender his lead: After a first round 7 under 65, Rory McIlroy followed up his great first round with a solid 3 under 69 in the second round. McIlroy hit 10 out of 14 fairways and 15 out of 18 greens in his second round. McIlroy hasn't three putted a hole the entire tournament and only has one bogey through 36 holes. Rory is second in the field with a 302 driving distance at the Masters. Rory said, "I'm picking my spots. I know where to miss it. I'm playing smart. I'm trying to leave myself in the best possible position. Even if I don't like firing at a pin, I'll fire 30 feet away, take my two putts and play for par. That's basically what I've done all week because I've only made one bogey in 36 holes and that's what you need to do in major championships." He is leading the pack at the Masters through two rounds at 10 under par. McIlroy doesn't seem concerned about Tiger Woods or any other player sneaking up on him, saying, "If you start thinking about anyone else here, if you let your mind wander at all, it can cost you a couple of shots. I'll be focusing on my targets and focusing on where I want my ball to go on the greens, and that's all I can do. I don't really care what anyone else does. I don't need to know... It will be a great tournamnet if he's [Tiger Woods] up there. But I'm two shots ahead and I'm in a better position." McIlroy hasn't shown too many jitters thus far and he only had one bogey in his second round. His 10 under 134 is the lowest 36 hole score at the Masters since 2005. It will be McIlroy's first time in the final group during the weekend of the major and the question will be if the pressure will get to the super talented young player.

Cory Tell All Sports

Welcome to my blog, Cory Tell All Sports! Before you begin to read my posts and my sports analysis and opinion, you should know a little about me and the teams who I live and die with. Helping me on the blog with all my articles and expert analysis will be my brother Rory. (We seldom have the same opinions). You can follow my blog by joining the fan page on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Cory-Tell-All-Sports/201558063212620 or by following me on twitter at http://twitter.com/#!/ctallsports.

My love for the Colts goes back to their days in Baltimore where they won three championships in 58, 59, and 68 and one super bowl in 71. My dad and his father were die hard Colts fans when they lived in Baltimore. My dad also went to school down in Baltimore at Maryland Dental School. When my dad was only nine years old on his birthday on January 12, 1969, he had to watch Broadway Joe Namath and come through on his guarantee to defeat the heavily favored Colts in Super Bowl II with the New York Jets. Although I got my super bowl in 07 and the monkey off the back of Peyton, I had to go through the anguish of a super bowl loss to the Saints in 2010.

When I was a little kid, I went to Boston three times a summer on the way up to my camp in Maine. Each year I went to a Red Sox game and I have just fallen in love with Fenway Park. In 2001 when the Red Sox only finished three games over .500 I felt like the curse may never be broken. Not winning a championship since 1918 isn't the easiest thing for a young kid to handle. I've had so many great memories with the World Series in 04 and then again in 07. I remember the cake that my mom wouldn't let me eat although the Sox were up three games to zero and the score was 3 to 0. I also remember the happy birthday wish on the big screen at the Red Sox game for my 11th birthday. I can say that I have seen my beloved Sox's win two world series and not lose one world series game. After next season that record in World Series will hopefully be 12-0. My obsession over the Red Sox has also helped me outside of baseball. For example, I know that France declared war on Austria to begin the French Revolutionary Wars on April 20, 1792 because on the same day 20 years later Fenway Park opened.

My dad went to Lafayette undergraduate school and although I love my Leopards and hope they beat Bucknell in the Patriot League championship game to get into the tourney, my dad's dental school and the Maryland Terps is the team that I have followed since I was young. I was pretty lucky to be alive for the final four in 01 and the national championship in 02. Although since the title we have only had one sweet 16 appearance in 03, I am looking forward to having a run in the ACC tournament this year. The Maryland football team has somewhat had the same kind of story as the basketball team. In 2001, we only lost two games all season to Florida St. and then to Florida in the Orange Bowl, after going 5-6 the previous season. We haven't won any ACC championships since then but we are looking forward to Randy Edsall coming to the program.

I love the Devils because I know most of the players and coaches as many of them live in my town. The former coach of the Devils John Maclean is my dads friend and I know Brodeur and his kids. Although I was disappointed over the firing of Maclean and their early season struggles, I am happy they are beginning the play well and are only eight points out of the final playoff spot.

When I was in London with my family, I begged my parents to take me to a soccer game. There were no games in London at the time because of the international break but since there was no game I wanted a shirt. There were Chelsea shirts everywhere in the city and I fell in love with the Chelsea blue. Little did I know that Chelsea was owned by Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich. I feel like I am Chelsea's good luck charm as they have won the league three times since my trip to London in 04-05, 05-06, and 09-10. They also reached the Champions League final in 2008 and I think we all have seen Terry's slip in the penalty shoot-out vs who else but Manchester United.

My love for sports doesn't end there though.

I love James Blake as I have read his auto biography and fallen in love with his story. He overcame a broken neck, his father's death, and shingles, to be ranked as high as number 4 in 2006. He currently is ranked 164 in the world.

I have never been a big Tiger fan and I love to see the underdog stories at the majors. What is better than Y.E. Yang outplaying Tiger on the final day of the 2009 PGA championship or Louis Oosthuizen just destroying the field at the 2010 Open championship? I have always loved lefty, Phil Mickelson as well.

Although I don't have one favorite NBA team, I love to watch the association. I am not a LeBron hater (sorry) and I have love Stephen Curry ever since his days at Davidson.

Now you know all you need to know about me. By the way, don't worry I am not crying in the locker room after writing this post (Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra)