THE BUZZ
Bubba Watson, on being a Masters champion:
“I flew to Ping; I did a Ping day. I talked to every worker there, signed 5,000, 10,000 flags. You know, when you start doing that every week, every other week, because you can’t do it every week, so they want you one week and your next sponsor wants you two weeks later. When you have a week off, you don’t really have a week off because somebody wants you to go here.
“At the same time, when I won the green jacket, I was becoming a dad. And so learning to be a good dad, learning to be a better husband; it takes time on you. It takes energy. And then learning how to refocus, re-practice, get back to the level that I think I should be at; you know, a top-25 player in the world, not going to say top-5 player in the world . … Sorry, Patrick Reed. … A lot of hard work to get back to this level.”
OUTSIDE THE GATE
John Daly, who has not played in the Masters since 2006, is in Augusta this week. He stands about a mile west of the prestigious Augusta National Golf Club at a Hooters parking lot on Washington Road. The former British Open and PGA champion can be found behind a long orange table — puffing on a cigarette and guzzling Diet Cokes — posing for photographs and selling merchandise.
BY THE NUMBERS
5 Players over 50 who made the cut and will play next week at the Greater Gwinnett Championship: Fred Couples, Bernhard Langer, Miguel Angel-Jimenez, Sandy Lyle and Larry Mize.
TWITTERATI
Kevin Streelman of Duke, who shot a 71 on Friday and is in the top 10, offered a two-ticket giveaway on Twitter:
“I need a junior golfer who has never been to Augusta, who can get here ASAP w either mom and dad to get back to me!!!!!” — Kevin Streelman @Streels54
Streelman said Friday: “I just put it on Twitter. It’s amazing with Twitter, social media, and I started getting people flowing in with all of those responses. One was, I’m a 41-year-old kid … A guy (outside Savannah), Harrison Stafford I think is his name, he got back to me and said ‘my mom could make it.’ I think he pulled his mom out of work.”
Stafford, of South Effingham High, has signed a letter of intent to play golf at Coastal Georgia.
“If @Streels54 wins the Masters, I will go crazy!! #masters” — Harrison Stafford @Lil_Staff:
TIGER NOTE
What does the lack of Tiger Woods’ participation (out after back surgery) mean at the Masters? It’s difficult to measure, so use the only available metric: ESPN’s live telecast of the first round peaked at a 1.7 rating between 6-6:30 p.m. The 2013 first-round telecast had a 2.0 rating.
About the Author
