by Gary Williams | Apr 8, 2023 | Blog
Catching up at a professional golf tournament can be an unnerving exercise for the players, caddies, television partners, tournament staff and the fans. The finish line is Sunday night and few other sports deal with the prospect of the event being pushed into an extra day. The 87th Masters felt the pressure of playing golf on this Saturday because in the absence of at least finishing the second round, a Monday finish was very much in play. When play resumed on Saturday morning it was in the upper 40’s with light rain but they were playing golf at 8 AM in Augusta and that was a good start to the day.
Our team at SiriusXM was in place when play resumed which meant we were all in route to the course at 6 AM. The Masters spectators are not an arrive early and leave late, kind of crowd. The traffic was legit on Washington Road at 6:15 for the gates to open at 7 AM. After a quick breakfast of egg whites and bacon I was prepared to go on the air in the event of a stoppage at any point in the morning. Golf writers and media members are very in-tune with the potential weather changes and despite the tedium of packing for four seasons the scribes in the Press building were outfitted for the extreme change in the weather conditions. Being able to drive from Charlotte allowed me to bring way too many clothes and I had four layers on Saturday morning. I would only need them for an hour because by the time I got on the golf course at 2:15 PM I knew that the amount of time they would continue to play was dwindling down to very few minutes.
Before going on the air today I spent an hour talking to Mike Tirico who is anchoring the radio broadcast after doing three hours on Golf Channel. He’s a generational broadcaster with greater range than anyone of his or any other generation. Mike isn’t just an elite broadcaster, he’s a sports nerd and broadcasting savant. We went from discussing the sports broadcasting landscape to talking about the careers of some of the top analysts in sports, not as broadcasters but their athletic backgrounds. Mike is a superstar in the industry but he’s the consummate team guy.
I walked out on the golf course to find Phil Mickelson, Gary Woodland and Joaquin Neimann playing the 8th hole and to observe three elite players today all have to play it as a legit three shot par 5 is rare. The golf course was beyond saturated, and the greens were approaching the unputtable stage. Mickelson currently being in the top 10 amplifies the adage that talent is timeless. He has institutional knowledge of Augusta National, but he has no form to speak of late so his place on the leaderboard is more than a little bit surprising.
I told you I was going to step out for my lunch order, and I did with an order of fried chicken and mac and cheese. It was pretty good but there were way too many breadcrumbs on top of the mac and cheese and the flavor was ordinary. I make a four-cheese mac and cheese a couple times a year and my standards are high, and their offering was average. The fried chicken was nicely done but I want some spice and they are trying to satisfy the masses so there was no kick. I dined with Taylor Zarzour, Justin Ware, one of our lead producers and Rocco Mediate. Producing golf on the radio is an art and science and Justin is Michelangelo and Einstein in one. He’s tremendous at his craft. Rocco is dipping his feet in the broadcasting waters this week and I appreciated his ordering of a cheeseburger with no bun. A naked burger is underrated especially if the bun offering is poor.
It was an early departure for our team when play was called at 3:15 PM. We recorded some segments for the postgame show, and I grabbed an oatmeal and raisin cookie for the road before heading to the media lot. Eating this garbage is research and not an indictment on my discipline. Maybe it’s both.
Best dressed media member… Brandel Chamblee. I saw the junior senator walking through the press building and he was resplendent in a muted maroon plaid jacket, adorned with a navy pocket square, and taupe-colored trousers.
It’s going to be a long and wonderful Sunday.
by Gary Williams | Apr 8, 2023 | Blog
I have never taken great interest in the weather forecast except when it may affect my ability to play golf or cover golf. Since last week I’ve been aware of the potential for rain to play a part in the 2023 Masters and that the weekend looked particularly dodgy. Friday morning started the way Thursday had ended with warm and humid conditions with barely a trace of wind and a very receptive golf course.
I shared breakfast on Friday with Max Adler, the editor of Golf Digest, and it was enjoyable and educational to learn about the vision he and his team have for the rapidly evolving digital medium that was once simply “print” media. They have a significant piece that will be a big part of their next issue that examines the dissolving of the relationship between Jack Nicklaus and Golf magazine and the lawsuit filed against Nicklaus by the company that bears his name, The Nicklaus Companies. If you noticed Jack was wearing an Augusta National logo sweater and Masters hat on the first tee on Thursday compared to the customary Golden Bear logo he has worn for years. Max replaced the legendary Jerry Tarde and the thrust of Golf Digest is now a combination of writers, contributors and content creators which is the new world of sports media content.
Being on the air at 10 AM the first two days of the tournament didn’t provide me with an opportunity to go out on the golf course before going on the air. However, I did jump on a cart with an engineer to go and pick up Johnson Wagner on the 10th tee since he was going to contribute to the broadcast for SiriusXM. Johnson has joined our team at 5 Clubs and his first show with Brendon de Jonge will be next with tennis great Andy Roddick. The transition Wagner is making into media has been impressive as he is gaining more and more experience with Golf Channel in studio and on the ground as well as working for PGA Tour Live. He had not been back to Augusta National in a decade and his dumbstruck look at his first impression of the present footprint was telling. Augusta National embodies the term, “success is always under construction”. His jaw dropped when walking into the press building and was miffed to know that he didn’t have to pay for his breakfast in the dining room.
Quick thoughts on Friday play
- Brooks Koepka is stalking like it’s 2018/19. His ability to clear the clutter of a major week is noteworthy and his place at the top of the leaderboard is a hell of a storyline.
- Rory McIlroy not only not contending but missing the cut is deflating. For all the chatter about the career grand slam, he has three majors left to avoid going a decade without winning any major. The vortex he has to break back through only gets thicker.
- Tiger resuming his 2nd round on Saturday morning on the 12th tee is symbolic. He starts his Saturday sitting on the cut line as he tries to extend his cut streak at the Masters to 23 straight. At some point you see things you never thought you would and Tiger beginning on the 12th tee is a powerful image not knowing how many more Masters he will play in.
- Sam Bennett is a tough little nut (I covered the US Amateur last summer at Ridgewood Country Club where he was overlooked early in the week) and he has similarly received little attention compared to Vanderbilt sophomore Gordon Sargent this week. Two 68’s and he’s now in the deep end of the pool.
- The falling of the three trees just off the 17th tee was horrifying and harrowing for those in the immediate vicinity. It’s simply miraculous that NO ONE was injured and that becomes amplified with each additional video angle that is put out on social media.
- I couldn’t pull the trigger on a different lunch item on the press building dining menu other than the seared chicken breast, however, the tenderness of the asparagus spears was wildly impressive. I am going rogue on Saturday, I promise, and its either going to be the fish tacos or the caprese grilled cheese sandwich.
- I made one additional trip into the merchandise building for a few odd items for Christmas gift exchanges including a Masters Christmas tree ornament and a coffee mug. I have a number of thoughts on the overall merchandising approach of the Masters and that will be part of the wrap up at week’s end.
- Best dressed media member on Friday, Brad Faxon of Golf Channel and on loan to Sky Sports this week. A beautiful burgundy plaid sportscoat, navy slacks and cognac toned leather shoes. Fax has excellent style.
- Let’s hope we play a lot of golf on Saturday.
