Masters 2014--Tigerless

mascho

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Somewhere Jim Nantz is weeping into a snifter of $125 scotch. Likely near his fireplace, above which an oil painting of Nantz hangs.

"See you soon, friend."
 

terrynever

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Hopefully the surgery fixes the problem and Tiger comes back ready to compete in the summer. Looks like he won't be ready for the two Opens, though nobody has said as much yet.
 

steveluck7

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terrynever said:
Hopefully the surgery fixes the problem and Tiger comes back ready to compete in the summer. Looks like he won't be ready for the two Opens, though nobody has said as much yet.
According to his website, he'll require "several weeks" so i wouldn't even necessarily rule out Pinehurst yet
 

FL4WL3SS

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Who does everyone see as the favorites this year?
 
Seeing how hard it is to repeat at a major, I'm not putting Adam Scott as one of my favorites.
 
Favorites:
Dustin Johnson
Jason Day
 
Dark horses:
Spieth
Reed
Woodland
 

Zomp

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Has Day played since his thumb injury?  If he was 100% then I'd agree he is the clear favorite.  I like Rory and Snedeker though.
 

cshea

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Day hasn't played since Dove Mountain. He withdrew at Doral and Bay Hill, but I'm not sure if it was more precautionary or a more serious issue where he couldn't swing a club or practice.

I have a hard time labeling anyone a clear favorite. It seems wide open this year. Lots of question marks surrounding the usual favorites.
 

Lupe Whalewatch

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How about Graeme McDowell? 6 events, 5 top 10's, number one on the tour in putting.
Matt Kuchar also playing some great golf.
 

mabrowndog

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Plympton91 said:
 Jack's major's record looks increasingly safe.
 
Assuming Tiger returns for next year's Masters, a decade will have passed since his last win at Augusta.
 
That was absolutely unthinkable back in 2005. The only men who've gone that long between green jackets are Nicklaus, Player & Crenshaw.
 

mabrowndog

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These were the top favorites three weeks ago from the Vegas Hilton Sportsbook:
 
Tiger Woods . . . 6-1
Rory McIlroy . . . 8-1
Jason Day . . . 12-1
Phil Mickelson . . . 15-1
Dustin Johnson . . . 15-1
Adam Scott . . . 15-1
Matt Kuchar . . . 25-1
Bubba Watson . . . 25-1
Zach Johnson . . . 25-1
Jordan Spieth . . . 25-1
Justin Rose . . . 30-1
Henrik Stenson . . . 30-1
Jason Dufner . . . 30-1
Brandt Snedeker . . . 35-1
Charl Schwartzel . . . 35-1
Keegan Bradley . . . 40-1
Hunter Mahan . . . 40-1
Sergio Garcia . . . 40-1
 
The rest:
 
Lee Westwood . . . 50-1
Luke Donald . . . 50-1
Harris English . . . 50-1
Graham DeLaet . . . 50-1
Gary Woodland . . . 50-1
Ian Poulter . . . 60-1
Rickie Fowler . . . 60-1
Angel Cabrera . . . 60-1
Webb Simpson . . . 60-1
Ryan Moore . . . 60-1
Bill Haas . . . 60-1
Louis Oosthuizen . . . 60-1
Hideki Matsuyama . . . 60-1
Graeme McDowell . . . 60-1
Jimmy Walker . . . 60-1
Steve Stricker . . . 80-1
Jim Furyk . . . 80-1
Nick Watney . . . 100-1
Thorbjorn Olesen . . . 100-1
Jamie Donaldson . . . 100-1
Ernie Els . . . 100-1
Marc Leishman . . . 100-1
Fred Couples . . . 125-1
K.J. Choi . . . 125-1
Billy Horschel . . . 125-1
Martin Kaymer . . . 150-1
Peter Hanson . . . 150-1
Paul Casey . . . 150-1
Nicolas Colsaerts . . . 150-1
Robert Garrigus . . . 150-1
Russell Henley . . . 150-1
Tim Clark . . . 150-1
Charles Howell III . . . 150-1
Thomas Bjorn . . . 150-1
George Coetzee . . . 150-1
Bo Van Pelt . . . 200-1
Martin Laird . . . 200-1
Padraig Harrington . . . 200-1
Francesco Molinari . . . 200-1
Miguel Angel Jimenez . . . 200-1
Branden Grace . . . 200-1
Richard Sterne . . . 200-1
Matteo Manassero . . . 200-1
Geoff Ogilvy . . . 200-1
Trevor Immelman . . . 200-1
Lucas Glover . . . 200-1
Jonas Blixt . . . 250-1
Freddie Jacobson . . . 250-1
Kevin Streelman . . . 250-1
Charley Hoffman . . . 250-1
Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano . . . 250-1
Peter Uihlein . . . 250-1
Ryo Ishikawa . . . 250-1
Sang-Moon Bae . . . 250-1
David Toms . . . 250-1
John Huh . . . 250-1
Stewart Cink . . . 250-1
Carl Pettersson . . . 250-1
Bernd Weisberger . . . 250-1
Boo Weekley . . . 250-1
Brooks Koepka . . . 300-1
Retief Goosen . . . 300-1
Camilo Villegas . . . 300-1
Y.E. Yang . . . 300-1
Michael Thompson . . . 300-1
Luke Guthrie . . . 300-1
Alex Noren . . . 300-1
Bernhard Langer . . . 300-1
Aaron Baddeley . . . 300-1
Darren Clarke . . . 300-1
Chris Wood . . . 500-1
Shane Lowry . . . 500-1
Ken Duke . . . 500-1
Jose Maria Olazabal . . . 1000-1
Garrick Porteous . . . 1000-1
Tom Watson . . . 1000-1
Mike Weir . . . 1000-1
Jordan Niebrugge . . . 1000-1
Derek Ernst . . . 1000-1
Scott Piercy . . . off the board
Field (All Others) . . . 15-1
 
 

SouthernBoSox

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Bubba Watson was playing epic golf before Arnold Palmer.
 
Here are his finishes
 
31
8
3
23
2
1
9
2
W/D
 
Apparently his allergies were horrible during his round at Palmer's event.  He's my pick as of today.
 

barbed wire Bob

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mabrowndog said:
 
Assuming Tiger returns for next year's Masters, a decade will have passed since his last win at Augusta.
 
That was absolutely unthinkable back in 2005. The only men who've gone that long between green jackets are Nicklaus, Player & Crenshaw.
To follow up, Jack won the Masters in 1975 and in 1986.  In between, he won the PGA  (1975, 1980), the Open (1978) and the U.S. Open  in 1980.  The longest stretch would six years between the U.S. Open and the 1986 Masters.  Woods' last major was in 2008 which means he hasn't won a major in six years.  I'm really thinking Jack's record is looking safe, particularly with the level of competition on the tour today.
 

johnmd20

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mabrowndog said:
 
Assuming Tiger returns for next year's Masters, a decade will have passed since his last win at Augusta.
 
That was absolutely unthinkable back in 2005. The only men who've gone that long between green jackets are Nicklaus, Player & Crenshaw.
 
Agreed. Absolutely unthinkable is a great way to put that. When he walked off the course after breaking down Chris DiMarco, nobody would have taken the bet that Tiger wouldn't win another Masters by 2014.
 

SouthernBoSox

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barbed wire Bob said:
To follow up, Jack won the Masters in 1975 and in 1986.  In between, he won the PGA  (1975, 1980), the Open (1978) and the U.S. Open  in 1980.  The longest stretch would six years between the U.S. Open and the 1986 Masters.  Woods' last major was in 2008 which means he hasn't won a major in six years.  I'm really thinking Jack's record is looking safe, particularly with the level of competition on the tour today.
Yea, people are just way better at golf right now. Back when Jack was at it most kids didn't jump out of the crib playing golf and now the large majority of tour players are 'lifers.'
 
The group is just to bundled at the top to expect someone to make an epic run. Maybe one day, years from now, but right now that person probably isn't alive.
 

terrynever

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steveluck7 said:
According to his website, he'll require "several weeks" so i wouldn't even necessarily rule out Pinehurst yet
That says rest and rehab for "several weeks," then he has to get back into golf form. Bob Harig suggests in his ESPN column that Tiger might push things and get back for the U.S. Open at Pinehurst in mid-June. That would be 10 weeks.
 
Scanning Tiger's website for the truth is like reading Pravda to figure out the Crimea situation.
 

Leon Trotsky

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Supposedly Jason Day played the accenture with the hurting thumb, then took a couple weeks off cause, why not? I'm rooting for him, though I am a wee bit biased.
 
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FL4WL3SS said:
Who does everyone see as the favorites this year?
 
Seeing how hard it is to repeat at a major, I'm not putting Adam Scott as one of my favorites.
 
Favorites:
Dustin Johnson
Jason Day
 
Dark horses:
Spieth
Reed
Woodland
Rory has to be the betting favorite. I am going with Lefty though as my pick.
 

The Napkin

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I just realized I'm going to be on a train to NY for passover on the Sunday of the Masters. FML.
 

FL4WL3SS

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Matt Kuchar is a top 10 machine, but he has a hard time winning tournaments given the number of tournaments he legitimately has a chance to win. I would be very surprised if Kuchar wins a major in his career. He's good enough, but just doesn't seem to have what it takes to get over the hump.
 
I thought winning The Players in 2012 was going to springboard him into a Major, but I'm just not convinced.
 
Also, what has Rory done over the last season and a half to make people think he's ready to win another major?
 

Zomp

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Of the 5 tournaments he's played this season he's finished no worse than 25th, has a win, a 2nd, and a 6th. His season last year was awful but I think he's bounced back nicely. He has the length to take advantage of Augusta just like Day and DJ.  I can't see how you can name those 2 as favorites (rightly so) and not think Rory belongs in that group.
 

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FL4WL3SS said:
Which win did I miss? He doesn't have an official win on the PGA or Euro tour this season.
 
He won in December at the Australian Open.  With the new wrap-around schedule, I suppose technically that counts as this season.
 
He has no wins in 2014 though.  Just a playoff loss at the Honda Classic.
 

FL4WL3SS

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Does the Australian open really count as a quality win though? I mean, I guess he beat Adam Scott and Jason Day, but the field consists of a lot of mediocre PGA tour players and no name Aussies. I'm a huge Rory fan, so not trying to discredit him here, but I'm not sure how winning the Australian Open sets him up for success in the majors. He has had some moderate success on both the Euro and PGA tours lately, but has not been able to break through.
 
I just don't think he's back to where he was, yet. If he continues to play well, I will definitely have him as one of my favorites for the US Open, but I'm just not sure about him at Augusta.
 

Zomp

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I guess in my mind I count it because of the way he won, dueling with Scott.  
 
 
He's not back to where he was, but I guess if he was he'd be the clear cut favorite, no?  I'm saying he's in the top 3 or 4.
 

Number45forever

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I've got a good feeling about Keegan Bradley for the Masters.  Quietly played some very good, consistent golf this season and I love his game for Augusta.  Also Jordan Spieth and Zach Johnson (especially if the course is hard and fast).  Even without Tiger, can't wait.  It finally sort of feels like spring here in Vermont and the Masters will very much help that feeling along.
 

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Lupe Whalewatch said:
How about Graeme McDowell? 6 events, 5 top 10's, number one on the tour in putting.
 
 I don't think he hits the ball high enough to win at Augusta.
 
Number45forever said:
I've got a good feeling about Keegan Bradley for the Masters.  Quietly played some very good, consistent golf this season and I love his game for Augusta. 
 
He does.  I like him a lot.
 

leithbones

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mabrowndog said:
 
Assuming Tiger returns for next year's Masters, a decade will have passed since his last win at Augusta.
 
That was absolutely unthinkable back in 2005. The only men who've gone that long between green jackets are Nicklaus, Player & Crenshaw.
 Jimmy Demaret 1940, '47, and '50.  The only reason I researched your post is because I knew Demaret was the first Masters 3peater.
 

inJacobyWeTrust

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I think Patrick Reed has to be included on any list of favorites for the Masters (ok, maybe not favorites, but "guys who could make a run at it"). Yes, it will be his first time at Augusta, but his inexperience hasn't hindered him so far and he certainly isn't lacking in confidence.
 
He has a consistent, repeatable swing that should keep him out of too much trouble, and is bold enough to take risks and pull off the type of big time shot that we always see from a winner at the Masters. Think Phil from the pine straw, Oosthuizen's albatross, Bubba's ridiculous 9 iron, any of Jack's 48 amazing shots, etc.
 
I don't like the guy, and would cringe watching his post-win interview, but even I can't deny that he is fun to watch.  I think he has the kind of game to win at Augusta.
 

WayBackVazquez

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Freddy Linn said:
 
 I don't think he hits the ball high enough to win at Augusta.
 
Immelman has a low ball flight, and he's done okay.
 
Not to say I like Graeme here, but it's not because of his ball flight.
 

Freddy Linn

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WayBackVazquez said:
 
Immelman has a low ball flight, and he's done okay.
 
Not to say I like Graeme here, but it's not because of his ball flight.
 
Look at the weather when Immelman and Zach won.  I wouldn't put any money on guys with a low ball flight unless weather is going to be a factor.
 

WayBackVazquez

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Freddy Linn said:
 
Look at the weather when Immelman and Zach won.  I wouldn't put any money on guys with a low ball flight unless weather is going to be a factor.
 
What was the weather when Immelman won? He led wire to wire, and the weather was pretty typical Augusta weather except for Sunday, when he had by far his worst round.
 
Here's what espn had to say about Saturday's weather:
 
Under the easiest conditions at Augusta in three years, Woods had to settle for a bogey-free round of 68 that was probably the worst he could have shot. He has never won a major when trailing going into the final round, and he has never won a PGA Tour event when trailing by more than five shots after 54 holes.
 
 
Friday was windy for much of the day, but Immelman missed it:
 
Immelman set an early target.
 
Playing in the fourth group of the morning, before the wind began to rustle the pines, he made the turn in 35 and navigated the dangerous 11th hole with a 7-iron that stopped 5 feet away for birdie. And while the 28-year-old South African failed to birdie the par 5s on the back nine, he atoned for that by closing with two birdies.
 
 
Thursday was pretty standard:
 
Unlike last year, when Augusta was brisk and brittle and the scores were among the highest in history, a warm afternoon of sunshine and only a light breeze brought back some of the scoring -- and sounds of cheering -- on the fabled course.
 
 

terrynever

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Sports Illustrated's Masters Preview arrived in the mail today. Tiger's on the cover. His WD happened too late for their deadline, I guess. Must take a month to put the preview together and they probably pre-printed it over the weekend. Just shows how outdated the weekly magazine has become in today's world.
 

Freddy Linn

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WayBackVazquez said:
 
What was the weather when Immelman won? He led wire to wire, and the weather was pretty typical Augusta weather except for Sunday, when he had by far his worst round.
 
 
 
 
Saturday...
 
 
April 12, 2008

AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) -- After two days of warm, sunny weather, the Masters turned wet Saturday and the third round was briefly halted because of heavy rain that left giant puddles on several greens.
 
Umbrellas popped up all over the course as play began in a light drizzle. With the leaders still waiting to tee off, the horns sounded and play was halted at 1 p.m. when a line of heavy storms moved over the course.
 
Play resumed after a 45-minute delay, the puddles on the 12th and 18th greens having been pushed aside with squeegees. Trevor Immelman was set to play in the final group and held a one-stroke lead, while Tiger Woods looked to make up a seven-shot deficit that jeopardized his Grand Slam hopes in the year's very first major.
 
The forecast called for a chance of isolated thunderstorms through mid-afternoon, which would soften Augusta National's treacherous greens. But the players couldn't be too excited about the prospect of gusts up to 20 mph, especially down in Amen Corner.

 
 

...and then, as you noted, Sunday was rough with the 30 MPH winds. 
 
 

BigMike

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inJacobyWeTrust said:
I think Patrick Reed has to be included on any list of favorites for the Masters (ok, maybe not favorites, but "guys who could make a run at it"). Yes, it will be his first time at Augusta, but his inexperience hasn't hindered him so far and he certainly isn't lacking in confidence.
 
He has a consistent, repeatable swing that should keep him out of too much trouble, and is bold enough to take risks and pull off the type of big time shot that we always see from a winner at the Masters. Think Phil from the pine straw, Oosthuizen's albatross, Bubba's ridiculous 9 iron, any of Jack's 48 amazing shots, etc.
 
I don't like the guy, and would cringe watching his post-win interview, but even I can't deny that he is fun to watch.  I think he has the kind of game to win at Augusta.
 
It will be his first Masters, but I think I heard he has played Augusta National 6 times. obviously playing there is different when the pressure is on
 

mabrowndog

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Latest odds from the Vegas Hilton Sportsbook (via Golfweek). A month ago Tiger (6/1), McIlroy (8/1) & McIlroy (12/1) were the only better bets than the field (15/1).
 
Rory McIlroy . . . 10/1
Adam Scott . . . 10/1
Phil Mickelson . . . 12/1
Jason Day . . . 12/1
Matt Kuchar . . . 12/1
Field (all others) . . . 15/1
Dustin Johnson . . . 20/1
Bubba Watson . . . 20/1
Dustin Johnson . . . 20/1
Bubba Watson . . . 20/1
Justin Rose . . . 25/1
Brandt Snedeker . . . 25/1
Henrik Stenson . . . 25/1
Sergio Garcia . . . 25/1
Zach Johnson . . . 25/1
Jason Dufner . . . 30/1
Keegan Bradley . . . 30/1
Jordan Spieth . . . 30/1
Lee Westwood . . . 40/1
Charl Schwartzel . . . 40/1
Hunter Mahan . . . 40/1
Angel Cabrera . . . 40/1
Harris English . . . 40/1
Luke Donald . . . 50/1
Graeme McDowell . . . 50/1
Ian Poulter . . . 50/1
Rickie Fowler . . . 50/1
Graham Delaet . . . 50/1
Jimmy Walker . . . 50/1
 
The rest:
 
Louis Oosthuizen . . . 60/1
Ryan Moore . . . 60/1
Gary Woodland . . . 60/1
Steve Stricker . . . 80/1
Webb Simpson . . . 80/1
Bill Haas . . . 80/1
Jim Furyk . . . 80/1
Hideki Matsuyama . . . 80/1
K.J. Choi . . . 100/1
Ernie Els . . . 100/1
Fred Couples . . . 100/1
Nick Watney . . . 125/1
Thorbjorn Olesen . . . 125/1
Billy Horschel . . . 125/1
Peter Hanson . . . 125/1
Francesco Molinari . . . 125/1
Marc Leishman . . . 125/1
Jamie Donaldson . . . 125/1
Martin Kaymer . . . 150/1
Russell Henley . . . 150/1
Tim Clark . . . 150/1
Trevor Immelman . . . 150/1
Matteo Manassero . . . 200/1
Branden Grace . . . 200/1
Miguel Angel Jimenez . . . 200/1
Stewart Cink . . . 200/1
Vijay Singh . . . 200/1
Thomas Bjorn . . . 200/1
Lucas Glover . . . 200/1
Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano 200/1
Jonas Blixt . . . 250/1
Kevin Streelman . . . 250/1
Sang-Moon Bae . . . 250/1
Boo Weekley . . . 300/1
John Huh . . . 300/1
Y.E. Yang . . . 300/1
Bernhard Langer . . . 300/1
Ken Duke . . . 500/1
Darren Clarke . . . 500/1
Mike Weir . . . 1000/1
Jordan Niebrugge . . . 1000/1
Derek Ernst . . . 1000/1
Jose Maria Olazabal . . . 1000/1
Tom Watson . . . 1000/1
Garrick Porteous . . . 2000/1
Tiger Woods . . . WD
Bo Van Pelt . . . –
Nicolas Colsaerts . . . –
Martin Laird . . . –
Paul Casey . . . –
Robert Garrigus . . . –
Padraig Harrington . . . –
Freddie Jacobson . . . –
Scott Piercy . . . –
Richard Sterne . . . –
Geoff Ogilvy . . . –
Brooks Koepka . . . –
George Coetzee . . . –
Bernd Weisberger . . . –
Charles Howell III . . . –
Charley Hoffman . . . –
Retief Goosen . . . –
Camilo Villegas . . . –
David Toms . . . –
Carl Pettersson . . . –
Michael Thompson . . . –
Peter Uihlein . . . –
Ryo Ishikawa . . . –
Chris Wood . . . –
Luke Guthrie . . . –
Shane Lowry . . . –
Alex Noren . . . –
Aaron Baddeley . . . –
 

LoweTek

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Matt Kuchar is a top 10 machine, but he has a hard time winning tournaments given the number of tournaments he legitimately has a chance to win. I would be very surprised if Kuchar wins a major in his career. He's good enough, but just doesn't seem to have what it takes to get over the hump.
 
I thought winning The Players in 2012 was going to springboard him into a Major, but I'm just not convinced.
Boy did this statement ever turn out to be accurate at the Houston this weekend. I could not believe when he hit the ball in the water on his approach at 18 yesterday. Had a one shot lead only needing par to win. Plopped into a never should have been in play under his circumstances water hazard short and left of the green. Then he throws it in the right bunker on the same hole in the first playoff.

His opponent did pitch it in for birdie from behind the same bunker but once Kuchar let the karma get away, it wasn't coming back.

I like Adam Scott at Augusta.
 

mabrowndog

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Freddy Linn said:
Weather is going to be almost perfect Thursday-Sunday.
 
Masters on the Range just ended on CBSSN, and they've announced Augusta is closed for the rest of the day with rain and thunderstorms expected all afternoon. No golfers, no patrons. Sucks for The Golf Channel, which starts 3 hours of Live From The Masters coverage right now..