Tuesday, April 12, 2011

The Caddie Who Won The Masters-more golf suspense at Augusta

After watching the dramatic finish of The Masters, I couldn't help but feel a longing for more visions of Augusta National Golf Course. The azaleas in bloom, the walk through Amen Corner, the history that surrounds this golf mecca has me wishing the first major of the season was just beginning and not at an end.

For book lovers who also wish to prolong the magic of The Masters golf tournament, John Coyne has written "The Caddie Who Won the Masters" a suspenseful novel about a middle-aged amateur’s seemingly impossible quest to win the prestigious Masters at Augusta National Golf Club.

Caddie_who_won_masters

Although this very brief synopsis cannot do the book justice, it may entice you add this to your summer reading list.


A college English professor from Southern Illinois reawakens a dormant golf game that had earned him a scholarship to Wake Forest University and, more recently, a ticket to Augusta, Georgia. With suitcase in hand and golf clubs on his shoulder, the aging muni-course player finds himself walking down famed Magnolia Lane toward every accomplished golfer’s dream—a coveted spot alongside the world’s best players in the Masters field.

Seven-time bestselling author and creator of the highly acclaimed caddie novel series that includes The Caddie Who Knew Ben Hogan, The Caddie Who Played With Hickory, and the newly released The Caddie Who Won The Masters, former caddie and caddie master John Coyne has authored more than twenty-five books of fiction and nonfiction. The New York author also maintains a single-digit handicap and tries not to lose distance off the tee!

John Derr, award-winning golf journalist and CBS-TV announcer who covered 62 Masters Tournaments, said about John Coyne, “I am impressed with Coyne’s ability to so clearly depict the nuances that make Augusta National such a different shrine. His description of situations—the unique, the weird and the nearly unbelievable—mirrors many I have seen over the years. Some rarely seen.”

Roland Merullo, Author of Golfing with God stated, “John Coyne knows golf and golf history, and he understands the intricate workings of the human heart. Anyone who loves golf — and  many readers who don't know a five-iron from a free-throw — will appreciate his skill and be happily drawn into this fine story.”

In his most recent blog, "Our first "Homebred U.S. Open Golf Champ, Johnny McDermott", John Coyne mentions that he collects stories about great players from the past; stories from when golf was more of a game, less of a television show. The same is true with "The Caddie Who Won the Masters" as Coyne's style uniquely blends his deep knowledge of golf and Masters tradition with his affinity for the supernatural to spin a riveting tale.

The Caddie Who Won the Masters is available at Amazon.com and downloadable on your Kindle.

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Thursday, April 07, 2011

Tiger Woods not among some Masters golf picks

I entered into a Masters Pool in which I had to assemble a "dream team" of eight golfers: if my "team of eight" racks up the most prize money, I win the golf pool. Although I cannot say who started the pool, I can show you who I chose as my top finishers (not in any particular order). As an interesting note, twenty entries out of fifty-four did not include Tiger Woods which is this particular golf pool's record.


Here is my dream team of top money winners with quotes relating to how they feel going into The Masters.

 

Masters_logo

 

1. *Phil Mickelson:  After shooting weekend 63-65 win the Shell Open.
 “It was a big confidence-booster,” Mickelson said. “To have that performance heading in here feels really good. It reminds me of 2006.”

*My pick to win the Masters


2. Tiger Woods: "Been using my new app to prepare. I’m loving it – what do you guys think?" http://t.co/Qw8VEEe (Another sales pitch...ahem)

"Logging so many hours heading into Augusta this week. Nervous, excited, hoping the hard work pays off."  5 days ago, Tiger Woods on Twitter

3. Martin Laird 

4. Hunter Mahan during par-3 contest, talking about Palmer, Nicklaus and Player, It doesn't get better than these legends!!


5. Dustin Johnson: "I've had a few opportunities to go play (Augusta), just a casual round. I didn't really want to because I wanted to earn my way into it."

6. Bubba Watson "A little rusty on the golf course today. Need to hurry up & get good before next Thursday!!"  Twitter, 1 Apr

 

7. Ryo Ishikawa"My goal is to be in contention here at Augusta National," Ishikawa said Tuesday, after being grouped with three-time major winner Padraig Harrington and Bill Haas for the first two rounds.

‘‘But I don’t want to just contend. I want to fight it out with Woods for the title some day."

8. K.J. Choi"I just need to be 100 percent focused to the very last shot and the last hole on Sunday and stay patient," said Choi.

"There's no room for small mistakes and I'm not just referring to the shots you hit on the golf course. The Masters is more than that. I failed to do that last year during the final round." Choi finished in 4th place at the 2010 Masters.

 

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Monday, April 04, 2011

What are the odds that Mickelson or Laird will don the Masters Jacket?

Two weeks ago I wrote an article about how the next Masters champion may come from a win at either Bay Hill or Redstone based upon what I believed to be circumstances of "fate". With Mickelson coming from behind to win at the SHO this week, a green jacket reality moment at Augusta National is settling in with oddsmakers as well.


To recap the ESPN.com analysis:

There have only been six instances since 1960 when a player won an event either one or two weeks prior to winning the Masters. It's happened just twice since 1990 and in five year increments: Tiger Woods in 2001 (The Players Championship) and Phil Mickelson in 2006 (won the BellSouth the prior week).


This next five-year increment is at hand and so it stands to reason that either Mickelson or Martin Laird could become the 75th Masters Champion.


Humble Phil feels confident after a SHO-ing this week that he can win the first major of 2011. "It feels really good for me to have played well and gained some momentum heading into next week," Mickelson said. "I needed to have a week where I kind of put it together."


But even Mickelson mentioned after his round that there were a few holes in which he lost "focus". Focus and rolling in the putts are the keys (in my opinion)  to winning any golf tournament.


If in fact rolling in the putts is any indication of a win, then according to Colin Montgomerie, Laird has the potential to be a "world star."

 

Martin_laird

Martin Laird with Arnold Palmer at Bay Hill

 

Monty said, "He (Laird) had a putting lesson from Dave Stockton and it's clearly worked because if you saw those last four putts he holed at Bay Hill, every one was dead centre. If he can putt half as well as that at Augusta he has a chance."

In spite of Montgomerie's "cooing" over Laird's ability on the golf course, Mickelson's odds currently stand at 5-1; Laird's odds are at 66-1.

Traditionally, the winner of the Masters had assistance with putting on his green jacket. Phil won last year so if he wins again the question is, "Will Mickelson don his own Masters jacket?"  It certainly would be memorable but, in the old-world tradition of the event, other likely candidates to give Phil a hand would be:

 

Angel Cabrera (2009), Trevor Immelman (2008), Zach Johnson (2007) or Tiger Woods (2005).

Woods_mickelson_masters

Photo credits: ESPN.com, GulfDailyNews.com

 

As in past years, live coverage of the Masters Tournament, April 4-10th, will be available from Amen Corner holes No 15 & 16, the Practice Range and the par 3 contest on Masters.org.


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