Master Of His Domain
http://www.atomicsportsmedia.com/articles/328/1/Master-Of-His-Domain.html
Phil Mattingly
By Phil Mattingly
Published on 04/12/2006
Phil Mickelson won his second Masters in three years on Sunday, but that was only one plotline that kept Phil Mattingly watching.
Last Thursday through Sunday, we all heard the familiar CBS catchphrase, “A tradition unlike any other,” accompanied by images of perhaps the most picturesque 18 holes in the United States, about a million times. The Masters is perhaps the golf tournament most steeped in tradition and grandeur played today, but for those of us who find watching golf on television just slightly ahead of curling in the excitement rankings, is it possible to be swayed into watching this annual “tournament for the ages”? The answer to this question is a resounding yes.
For me personally, someone with golf skills eerily reminiscent of my math skills (that is to say virtually non-existent and very embarrassing to attempt in front of people), it is difficult for me to watch athletes make such a frustratingly impossible game so easy. Plain and simple, I do not enjoy watching golf…unless it takes place in Augusta, Georgia. I guess I am just a sucker for the aura and the history, but on Masters Sunday in April there is only one thing I think of doing, watching golf all day.
I have been trying to think of the reasons why after having little or no interest in the sport for an entire year, I suddenly become one of the most avid golf fans around. There are a few that immediately come to mind, first and foremost the play of a man poised to become the greatest golfer of all time, Tiger Woods.
Tiger is often called the Michael Jordan of golf, and there are plenty of points of comparison. Both defined their generations in their sport and were so great that they actually transcended the time in which they were playing.
Most notably however, Tiger compares to MJ because of his universal appeal to all sports fans. Ask yourself if you ever knew anyone who truly hated His Airness. Odds are, unless you are from Cleveland and related to Craig Ehlo, you have always had at least a gruding respect for Jordan.
Now ask the same question about Nike’s personal Dominator of the Driver and you realize the answer is the same. Few people really root for Tiger to fail. Sure you might prefer the Hefty Lefty or perhaps Vijay Singh, but when Tiger hits, just as when Michael took a shot, everyone stops, watches, and enjoys being in the presence of greatness.
Even were Tiger not in the field (an event that likely won’t happen for the next 20 years), the Masters is still eminently watchable. I am not much with gardening and such, but I can appreciate the rolling greens, tree-lined fairways and colorful variations of flowers the names of which I will never know. One look at the course and it become clear that it is the most regal of all sporting venues in the United States. In fact, it seems almost un-American not to enjoy such an event.
Maybe that is just it, to not watch the Masters would be like saying Rocky is a bad movie, The Godfather is overrated, and boxed wine is better than beer. It is just something you are not allowed to do as an American.
Call me crazy, but I did not leave the television for more than 20 minutes on Sunday, and that meant watching about 27 straight holes of golf.. And what was my reward for such dedicated eye-to-screen actions? For starters, how about getting a glance of Phil Mickelson’s wife after he sank the winning putt to clinch his second green jacket in three years. Talk about a man completely outpunting his coverage, I have to give Lefty some big time props. Oh, and I guess I should congratulate him for winning the tournament, too.
Phil Mattingly is fully considering the possibility of taking up golf if it results in a wife like Amy Mickelson.
 |
Phil Mickelson won his second Masters in three years on Sunday, but that was only one plotline that kept Phil Mattingly watching.
|
Last Thursday through Sunday, we all heard the familiar CBS catchphrase, “A tradition unlike any other,” accompanied by images of perhaps the most picturesque 18 holes in the United States, about a million times. The Masters is perhaps the golf tournament most steeped in tradition and grandeur played today, but for those of us who find watching golf on television just slightly ahead of curling in the excitement rankings, is it possible to be swayed into watching this annual “tournament for the ages”? The answer to this question is a resounding yes.
For me personally, someone with golf skills eerily reminiscent of my math skills (that is to say virtually non-existent and very embarrassing to attempt in front of people), it is difficult for me to watch athletes make such a frustratingly impossible game so easy. Plain and simple, I do not enjoy watching golf…unless it takes place in Augusta, Georgia. I guess I am just a sucker for the aura and the history, but on Masters Sunday in April there is only one thing I think of doing, watching golf all day.
I have been trying to think of the reasons why after having little or no interest in the sport for an entire year, I suddenly become one of the most avid golf fans around. There are a few that immediately come to mind, first and foremost the play of a man poised to become the greatest golfer of all time, Tiger Woods.
Tiger is often called the Michael Jordan of golf, and there are plenty of points of comparison. Both defined their generations in their sport and were so great that they actually transcended the time in which they were playing.
Most notably however, Tiger compares to MJ because of his universal appeal to all sports fans. Ask yourself if you ever knew anyone who truly hated His Airness. Odds are, unless you are from Cleveland and related to Craig Ehlo, you have always had at least a gruding respect for Jordan.
Now ask the same question about Nike’s personal Dominator of the Driver and you realize the answer is the same. Few people really root for Tiger to fail. Sure you might prefer the Hefty Lefty or perhaps Vijay Singh, but when Tiger hits, just as when Michael took a shot, everyone stops, watches, and enjoys being in the presence of greatness.
Even were Tiger not in the field (an event that likely won’t happen for the next 20 years), the Masters is still eminently watchable. I am not much with gardening and such, but I can appreciate the rolling greens, tree-lined fairways and colorful variations of flowers the names of which I will never know. One look at the course and it become clear that it is the most regal of all sporting venues in the United States. In fact, it seems almost un-American not to enjoy such an event.
Maybe that is just it, to not watch the Masters would be like saying Rocky is a bad movie, The Godfather is overrated, and boxed wine is better than beer. It is just something you are not allowed to do as an American.
Call me crazy, but I did not leave the television for more than 20 minutes on Sunday, and that meant watching about 27 straight holes of golf.. And what was my reward for such dedicated eye-to-screen actions? For starters, how about getting a glance of Phil Mickelson’s wife after he sank the winning putt to clinch his second green jacket in three years. Talk about a man completely outpunting his coverage, I have to give Lefty some big time props. Oh, and I guess I should congratulate him for winning the tournament, too.
Phil Mattingly is fully considering the possibility of taking up golf if it results in a wife like Amy Mickelson.