Last week the golf season officially got underway with the first major tournament of the year. The Masters, the only one of the four major tournaments to be played at the same venue year in and year out, is always the first major, signaling the promise and hope for professional and amateur players alike.
This year’s tournament was the 90th played at Augusta National Golf Club in Georgia. The course is always in pristine condition and patrons swear that once on the grounds, there, it’s like a walk back in time. Ironically, the prices for food and drink are similar to those from yesteryear. A chicken breast sandwich would run about $2.50, a sausage biscuit is $1.50, and a soft drink is $1.00.
Where inflation has hit the Masters is in the purse. The total purse for the participants this year was a record $22.5 million with champion Rory McIlroy taking home $4.5 million of it for his one stroke victory. Scottie Sheffler netted $2,430,00 for finishing second.
The crazy thing is that if you gave him the option, he would give the cash back in a trade for the green jacket. After all, it was Sheffler’s turn to win. He had won the famed Tournament in 2022 and 2024, so he had to feel due.
Sheffler turned in a pair of pedestrian rounds to start the event, then went bogie free in the final 36 holes, burning several edges on the backside on Sunday, leaving fans clamoring about what could have been.
McIlroy took his faithful on a roller coaster ride of epic proportions. His five under opening round was impressive, but it paled in comparison to the seven under that he shot on day two, leaving him at 12 under.
McIlroy was looking to repeat as champion, a feat that only three other golfers had ever accomplished. He was well on his way as his lead was the largest 36 hole lead in tournament history. All he had to do was to keep his nose clean and stay out of trouble.
A rocky 73 on Saturday opened the door for a handful of competitors. Cameron Young and Sheffler went low, shooting seven under 65s, but they weren’t measured the same. Young’s round got him into the final pairing with Rory, while Scottie’s took him to nine under, but looking into the final group from the outside really hurt his chances. He wasn’t able to apply the pressure to McIlroy like he would have liked and when Rory stumbled and found himself down by two strokes, neither Young nor Justin Rose nor anyone else for that matter could put him down for the count.
McIlroy would recover and regain the lead. Once he totally shook off the cobwebs, he would distance himself once again, and when Sheffler was safely off the course, Rory seemed to emit a huge sigh of relief. On the 18th tee, McIlroy had to just make a bogey or better to go back to-back. He stayed the course and weathered the storm, joining Jack Nicklaus, Nick Faldo, and Tiger Woods as the only players to accomplish the feat.
Could we see history next year with a first ever threepeat? Only time will tell and the best news is that there are still three more majors to enjoy after this!
That will do it for now! Until next week . . . take care and God Bless!
