Masters will be main goal soon enough
West Coast Swing whets the appetite for Augusta but it’s becoming crowded at top
The refrain is becoming a tradition unlike any other, especially after a West Coast Swing like this one. “The Masters can’t get here soon enough.”
No doubt, the Masters is the most anticipated tournament of the year. But that would be overlooking the obvious. Golf fans get excited about Augusta National no matter who is winning because it’s the first major championship in eight months and because, well, it’s the Masters.
What the West Coast Swing showed is that it’s getting more crowded at the top, and it’s getting tougher to find a clear-cut favourite.
Five of the seven PGA Tour winners this year are among the top 10 in the world. That includes Dustin Johnson, the new No 1. That does not include Sergio Garcia, who won the Dubai Desert Classic on the European Tour.
As the PGA Tour heads to Florida, the Westgate Las Vegas Sportsbook lists Jordan Spieth as a narrow favourite (13-2 odds) over Johnson (8-1) to win the Masters, with Rory McIlroy, Jason Day and Hideki Matsuyama lined up behind them.
Spieth would be a leading candidate because of his four-shot victory at Pebble Beach two weeks ago, and because he has never finished worse than runner-up in his three appearances at Augusta National. As for Johnson? He reached No 1 on Monday by winning at Riviera , but equally impressive is his two-year body of work — five victories (including the US Open), four runner-up finishes and 60 per cent of his finishes in the top 10.
How tough is it getting? Spieth started the year at No 5 in the world. He tied for third at Kapalua, finished third at the Sony Open, tied for ninth in the Phoenix Open and won at Pebble Beach. And now he’s No 6.
“Awesome West Coast Swing,” Spieth said after he tied for 22nd at the Genesis Open. It was his worst finish since he tied for 30th in the British Open last summer, and his 72 in the third round ended his streak of 27 consecutive rounds under par.
Not to be overlooked is McIlroy, who lost in a playoff at the South African Open despite coping with injured ribs that knocked him out of two tournaments in the Middle East that he typically plays well. McIlroy hopes to return in two weeks in Mexico City.
Day lost the No 1 ranking for the first time in 47 weeks, though he could get that back in Mexico City, the first World Golf Championships event of the year.
The Australian has been a slow starter, at least by his standards, the last two years because of all the time he takes off in the winter. A year ago, he didn’t contend until back-to-back victories in March.
It has been 10 years since so many top players won on the West Coast — Vijay Singh (Kapalua), Tiger Woods (Torrey Pines), Phil Mickelson (Pebble Beach) and Henrik Stenson (match play) were all among the top eight in the world when they won.
And the green jacket that year went to Zach Johnson, the selfdescribed normal guy from Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
The Masters ( April 6-9) will get here soon enough.