Now on the Tee… The Global Game
Nearly 10 years to the day, the young man from Japan went from besting the select field of amateurs in Augusta, Georgia to keeping the mob of the world’s best at arms length.
In the game once devised by the wealthy elite, to only be played by such, watching the first Japanese player win the tournament hosted by a club with a complicated and divisive past comes with many emotions. Golf has evolved from a game kept from the masses, to being one that has spread all over the world; to be played by everyone, of any creed and any ability.
This weekend brought the creation of an icon for Japanese golf. Hideki Matsuyama, whether he knew it or not, had to hold not only his nerves but those of an entire country to collect his Green Jacket. Only stumbling on the 15th hole Sunday with an uncharacteristically wayward shot into the water, well long of the green. It was not a miss-hit, of course, he hit it too well. Matsuyama promptly re-gained his composure and coasted to one of the more monumental wins in golf history. We saw the birth of Japan’s Tiger Woods, some would say. He is one hell of a competitor, with the stoic precision and courtesy so common in Japanese culture. My favorite moment of the tournament came after the final putt dropped: Matsuyama’s caddie Shota Hayafuji taking the flag from the 18th green and returning the pin, bowing to the course. Thanking it for the good bounces, the bad bounces, everything. A gesture that they did not defeat Augusta National, but simply survived.
In a broader sense, this edition of the Masters revealed how much the game has changed while we have been stuck inside for what seems like far more than 13 months. Will Zalatoris, on his maiden voyage at Augusta National, showed what young brash talent can accomplish. Staring down the hallowed grounds and hitting shot after shot, he quipped that there’s no reason for him to be nervous or anxious, he’s already here might as well go for it. While he may have come up short in his first try, this will not be the last time you see his name on the timeless leaderboard behind the 18th green in Augusta.
It was another year without the name’s biggest name on the tee sheet. With any and all news about Tiger Woods being hard to find and no timetable or sense of yet another comeback on the horizon, the competition from his would-be foes more than took our minds off how Tiger is fairing. I have said time and time again that golf needs Tiger more than Tiger needs golf. We may never see Woods play another competitive round of golf, and if this is where his long story ends, while it may be on a sour note, we had our resolution in 2019 right there in Augusta. Again, he has nothing left to prove to anyone except himself.
All Masters have their fair share of heartbreak. This edition was no different. After Matsuyama had put his 2nd shot on 15 into the water, the door opened for Xander Shauffele. Playing in the final group with Hideki, Xander promptly put his 2nd shot in the greenside bunker of the iconic par 5. He nearly holed his 3rd shot from the bunker. Oh, what could have been. Xander went on to tap in for birdie, his 4th consecutive and putting him 2 shots behind Hideki; his smallest lead at any point on Sunday. And then,
Tragedy
Possibly to account for adrenaline, which was no doubt a factor in Hideki’s 2nd shot on 15 flying long into the water, Xander left his tee shot on 16 just feet away from a safe landing and careened into the water. He went on to make triple bogey and paved the way for Matsuyama.
A sad moment in a purely golf sense. We all saw ourselves in Xander at that moment. The feeling of hitting the wrong shot that pains us the same even without the platform that Xander found himself on; and we all like there to be a little drama down the stretch at Augusta. Alas, a learning moment for Xander who will have so many opportunities to make up for it. Nothing one can do but forgive oneself.
The 2021 Masters was such a breath of fresh air. This storied major championship always signals the beginning of spring and all its beauty and hope. With what the world has been through, to see the sunshine and a smattering of patrons patrolling the grounds in Augusta brought some sense of normalcy. A brief reminder of what we used to take for granted.
A welcomed distraction from it all. I watched nearly all of the coverage provided, this year. The Masters’ website streaming the action from the very first tee time gives one a much better idea of just how hard Augusta National is to traverse. You learn to appreciate the level of play from all of the competitors, those in contention or not.
Now we look ahead to springtime and summer. There is much golf to be played. I’ll see you out on the links. Play well and have fun!
