The Masters: Pressure Like No Other

What is it about the last nine holes of The Masters that makes great players forget their great. Not just this year, but every year guys will be sailing along and all of sudden realize their in contention and boom--down they go.

I'm not just talking about great players like Kenny Perry and Chad Cambell but spectaular players like Phil and Tiger, too. As soon as Michelson got within a stroke of the lead, boom--he hits it into the crick. And when we he had a chance to make up for that he blew short, easy putts on 15 and 17.

Tiger's another jerk. He thinks he's still 21 and indestructible. Just one stroke behind going to 17, Woods hit his driver clear through the fairway and into oblivion. Then consider Perry. After hitting within two feet of the hole and birdieing 16, all he needed was a par and a bogey to win. He should have been totally relaxed. Instead he totally collapsed, bogeying both 17 and 18 and then missing the fairway on the first playoff hole, and completely choking on the second one.

Even the winner, Angel Cabrara, was trying to give the tournament away. Down the stretch he shanked a key shot on15 and then hit his drive on 18 behind a tree. When he tried to punch it out he hit another tree and was as lucky as can be to find his ball back in the fairway. From there he hit a decent wedge and made his putt to tie.

These guys completly wilt under the pressure. It's just a golf match, for pete's sake. It's not losing your job or having to pay the rent or the light bill. Half of these guys would let their caddies take the shot for them if they could. Will someone please step forward and pretend to be a man.




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