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Respek

Ok, I finally got hit with Masters fever. The weather out here in Brookfield was absolutely beautiful this afternoon. The right honorable Bryan Buchs was kind enough to join Chuck and I for lunch, and it was sunny enough to enjoy outdoor seating at Louise’s. Inevitably, the conversation turned to golf, and my love for the links was officially rekindled for the season.

I read an article called “Mr. Irrelevant?” by Gary Van Sickle on SI.com when we got back from lunch. The piece was about Tiger Woods’ so-called slump in the last couple years. Van Sickle wonders openly if this weekend’s Masters tournament may already be the pivotal moment in Woods’ brilliant career, and feels that Tiger needs this title to maintain his “relevancy” in the golf world. He believes that other golfers are no longer intimidated by him the way they were just 3 years ago.

I don’t know about that. Although Tiger wasn’t one of my picks in the Scribbler’s Masters pool, wasn’t it just a few weeks ago that Tiger beat Phil head-to-head in the final round at the Doral Ford Championship? In those last couple holes, Tiger looked like the same guy who put his foot to the throat of every opponent he faced on Sundays past. Phil, on the other hand, looked a little rattled. Was it the looming figure of Tiger that got to him, or did he just pull a classic Mickelson? Maybe a little of both, but I think Tiger can still send a chill down the spine of his opponents, regardless of his recent majors performances.

Guess we’ll find out this weekend. Personally, I’m rooting for Tiger to get his groove back, so Phil can provide us with the same kind of agonizing, Buckner-esque late Sunday entertainment he’s given us for years.