2022 Masters: Champions, Cutmakers And Point Missers
The sensational, serviceable and misses from another special week in Augusta.
It’s time for The Quadrilateral’s post-major roundup of winners, losers and somewhere-in-betweens. The 2022 TUAO produced a no-doubt-about-it winner, a few classic Sunday moments, and more signs that no one runs a better golf tournament. Or sporting event.
Champions
Scottie Scheffler. Opening up about a Sunday morning panic attack and laughing about it ten hours later will go down in Masters lore. First Team All-Time Champions Confessions stuff. Normally such a revelation takes 25 years to learn how the pressure of a Masters lead tormented a champion. Oh and those low “driver” wedges. 👌
Rory McIlroy and Collin Morikawa. Such an impressive Sunday performance to move both into the top 5 and for McIlroy, a best Masters finish ever with a record 64 to close the week out. The highlight reel shots sent some roars through the property and the back-to-back bunker dunks will be shown for years.
Fred Ridley. In arguably the week’s most under-reported story, the Chairman artfully acknowledged regret about the club’s early 2000’s stance against integrating women into the membership. “Our culture is better,” he said. “We are a better club, we are a better organization and we’re very proud to have women among our membership.” Ridley would go on to say he wished the club had moved sooner on initiatives like the Augusta National Women’s Amateur and vowed to invite more women to join. No one doubts his sincerity.
Bobby Jones and Alister MacKenzie. Getting their name and design philosophy repeatedly mentioned by a Chairman marks a massive shift for design aficionados who have struggled with the club not embracing the template those two icons left behind. It would appear Ridley is doing his homework and pushing to embrace their philosophy, particularly in trying to knock back the “second cut.” But they have work to do. The revamped 5th hole lacks a reward for carrying the bunkers, the 15th and 17th holes can defend themselves just fine without all those trees planted to clog up the landing areas, the course could use more tees for setup flexibility.
Masters Live. The gold standard of sports streaming had another strong year thanks to more broadcast enhancements, robust Featured Group coverage (notwithstanding a peculiar infatuation with Billy Horschel who again flung a club even after 2021’s weekend antics). Incorporating Tiger Woods each day was nice since it wasn’t long ago he was left out of a few FG sessions. The announce teams of Shane Bacon/Colt Knost/Bill Kratzert and Brian Crowell/Michael Breed were not afraid to analyze, question or judge shots when necessary, a dying art in the access journalism era. As always, Grant Boone and Mark Immelman provided a smart listen to accompany the entertaining action at Amen Corner, with Kelly Tilghman ably sitting in at times for Boone.
16th Hole - The green modifications made the two upper level pins work. Typically a boring pair where little of interest happens, putts did not seem impossible and well-struck shots stayed on the upper shelf. This was a long overdue and successful modification to a famous green that seemed down a parig of interesting days during tournament week. The 16 also staged a nice agronomic comeback after struggling during the last two Masters.
Weatherman. Other than Friday afternoon’s forecasted winds dying down earlier than expected, you were (unfortunately) accurate all week. Everyone wishes you’d been incorrect more often. But Sunday was idyllic. Well done.
Merch. Even with supply chain issues cutting into a few offerings, the Shop had been emptied out by Sunday afternoon other than a few items that were priced ambitiously. Some Fall 2020 items might have even been unearthed from storage to fill some shelves. Or someone just thought wool and corduroy caps were fitting for Saturday’s cold weather.