David Duval in Contention at British Open

(Honeyfield/Flickr)

I WAS STILL TRYING TO GET USED to Greg Norman being in contention at the British Open, someone who now plays more tennis than golf, when another ghost from golf’s not-too-distant past appeared on the British Open leaderboard.

David Duval? Is that you? Are you kidding me?

This is like a British Open funhouse where you stare into the TV screen and everything is distorted.

Former world No. 1 Greg Norman, a 53-year-old newlywed who considered this a tune-up for the Senior British Open, is one shot off the 36-hole lead held by K.J. Choi. Then there’s Duval, who had made one cut in 12 events coming into The Open Championship. If Duval’s opening 73 on a foul weather day wasn’t surprising enough, he backs it up with a nifty little 69.

Can anybody tell me what’s going on here? Am I in some sort of alternate golf reality? Are my TV and Internet playing tricks on me?

I was getting ready to leave this afternoon when I spotted Duval on the closing holes of his second round. I stuck around. I had to see this.

Wearing wraparound shades on a gray, misty day, it was the same David Duval, an expressionless and robotic golfer. Only he’s bulked up in new places. There he was saving pars out of pot bunkers and thigh-high rough. I blinked. He was still there.

First-round leader Rocco Mediate is still hanging around at plus two. Phil Mickelson rebounded with a 68 after an opening 79. Lefty will be around for the weekend, but I don’t see him getting back into this thing. But who knows in this bizarre British Open?

Unlike Sandy Lyle, who walked off the course during round one when he was 11 over par, John Daly completed his disastrous second round, an 89.

If anybody thought golf couldn’t be interesting without Tiger Woods, they might want to tune in this weekend.

−The Armchair Golfer

Related:
2008 British Open TV Schedule

Rocco Mediate Leads Brutish Open

Defending champion
Padraig Harrington
(Doyle/Flickr)

RAINY, WINDY, CHILLY. Welcome to Royal Birkdale and the 137th Open Championship. The Brutish, er, British Open.

Old Man Par and Royal Birkdale won today as 156 players donned long sleeves and rain gear to brave the elements along the Irish Sea. July 17. Yeah, right.

But a few of the world’s best golfers got into red numbers, including one with a creaky back and long putter. Rocco Mediate is back for an encore after co-starring in last month’s U.S. Open, an epic battle with Tiger Woods.

Mediate posted 69, and leads along with Graeme McDowell and Robert Allenby. You have to wonder how Rocco’s achin’ back will hold up in 50-degree weather. But he likes tough conditions –- when par is a good score −- and hits a straight ball. Wouldn’t it be something if the 45-year-old hung around to the end?

Some of the marquee names, especially the ones who played early during the foulest weather, got worked over pretty good by Royal Birkdale. Ernie Els and Vijah Singh shot 80. Phil Mickelson had 79.

Nursing an injured wrist, defending champion Padraig Harrington came in with a 74, as did Justin Rose. Sergio Garcia and Anthony Kim shot 72. The 53-year-old Greg Norman had an even-par 70. So did Adam Scott.

Did you know Norman is married to Chris Evert? Sheesh, it seemed like they mentioned Evert each time Norman played a shot. I exaggerate, but not much.

The wind is expected to blow hard the next three days, so look for more of the same. The way Day 1 went, even par is looking good, real good.

−The Armchair Golfer

Related:
2008 British Open TV Schedule

Fox Sports Columnist Picks Westwood in British Open

Lee Westwood

I THOUGHT I’D GET SOME HELP figuring out the British Open, so I turned to the scribes, a few national golf writers and sports columnists. I dashed off an email to three and heard from one, Ian O’Connor, a FoxSports.com columnist and the New York Times bestselling author of Arnie & Jack.

(Ian was a recent guest at ARMCHAIR GOLF BLOG. You can read the Q&A here.)

“I’m soliciting your thoughts on the British Open,” I wrote Ian.

He wrote back a couple of days ago. Here’s what he told me.

“Obviously the British Open isn't going to be quite the same without Tiger Woods in the field, but I don't buy the argument that the winner needs an asterisk next to his name.

“Tiger's won the Open three times in 13 starts, a remarkable feat. But he didn't go 13 for 13. He was hardly a gimme winner at Royal Birkdale before the injuries and the surgery knocked him out of the event.”

Fancying Lee Westwood

“On the other hand, with Tiger out, it's a great opportunity for the major-free likes of Sergio Garcia, Adam Scott and Lee Westwood to finally break through the way Padraig Harrington did last year,” Ian continued.

“I'm going with Westwood. He played great at Torrey Pines in nearly winning the U.S. Open, and the guy's just got too much talent to go without winning a major for the balance of his career.”

Mickelson: Great Mystery of the Universe

“As for Phil Mickelson, he just never plays well in the Open, with only one top 10 finish in 15 starts,” Ian mentioned.

“It's one of the great mysteries of the universe. Phil's got a great imagination for the game, and the Open requires imagination as much as anything else. I don't see him being a factor, if only because he's had a hard time being a factor in any Grand Slam event since his meltdown on the 72d hole at Winged Foot.”

OK, my turn. The usual names come to mind at the majors: Ernie Els, Phil Mickelson, Sergio Garcia, defending champion Padraig Harrington (although he has a wrist injury), Lee Westwood, Justin Rose, Geoff Ogilvy, Adam Scott and more.

Frankly, after just checking it, Westwood’s record at The Open Championship isn’t very good. There’s also added pressure to win for British golfers.

I can see Els winning another British, especially with Tiger out of the picture. And I keep expecting Garcia to break through. Among the majors, I think the British Open is Sergio’s best opportunity. Maybe he redeems himself at Royal Birkdale.

Then there’s the chance of a surprise winner, a Todd Hamilton, Ben Curtis, or Paul Lawrie.

Dark horse choices? Perhaps Anthony Kim in his first British Open or the revitalized Justin Leonard, the 1997 winner.

The 137th Open Championship tees off tomorrow.

−The Armchair Golfer

Related:
2008 British Open TV Schedule
Johnny Miller's British Invasion
Stunner: R&A Moves British Open to Milwaukee

What Kenny Perry and I Have in Common

YOU’RE DYING TO KNOW, RIGHT? OK, here it is: Neither of us is playing in the British Open.

Ba-da-bum. (I’m glad you can’t throw tomatoes at me.)

But seriously, Kenny is taking more heat than Phoenix asphalt. Why? What am I missing? Somebody tell me.

It’s Kenny Perry skipping the British, not Phil Mickelson or some other marquee player. I understand Perry might have a good chance to win at Royal Birkdale –- he’s playing great –- but so what?

It’s his schedule, and he committed to Milwaukee and racking up Ryder Cup points. He’s sticking to his goal and his word. Did anyone care before he won a couple of events? I say let him be.

Here’s one more thing Kenny and I have in common: We’re both going to the Ryder Cup. I’ll be there as a spectator. And I’ll be rooting him on.

Get ‘em, Kenny!

−The Armchair Golfer

Golf Photographer Sets Off Apology Chain Reaction

A SIMPLE APOLOGY from a golf photographer to Tiger Woods for snapping a photo before impact has been pinpointed as the cause of an onslaught of apologies sweeping the golf world.

The exact order is uncertain, but sources seem to agree that an apology from Retief Goosen to Tiger Woods came next. When Woods informed Goosen that an apology was unnecessary, the South African reportedly called the world No. 1 the following day and apologized for apologizing.

Soon after, PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem apologized to corporate sponsors for Tiger’s season-ending injury.

Then Tiger-sponsor Nike got into the act when retired CEO Phil Knight apologized for controversial labor practices in the Far East factories where Nike shoes were made. The Nike founder also apologized for the “K” in his last name remaining silent through the years.

Wendy’s, a longtime corporate golf sponsor, also apologized, saying the Wendy’s 3 Tour Challenge wasn’t really that challenging.

Goosen wasn’t the only player to offer an apology. Phil Mickelson apologized to his fans for losing the 2006 U.S. Open at Winged Foot. Lefty also apologized to Butch Harmon and Callaway for not being able to hit more fairways.

A veteran PGA Tour caddie, who wished to remain anonymous, apologized for all the wrong yardages he had given to players since the 1980s.

The USGA apologized for the penal U.S. Open setups that have embarrassed the world’s best golfers over the last six decades. The organization retracted the apology later the same day.

From the broadcast booth, Dottie Pepper apologized for calling her terrier a “choking freaking dog” after a pet toy lodged in its throat.

Meanwhile, Johnny Miller apologized for his entire broadcast career. The two-time major winner also reportedly apologized to his pool boy for telling the young man he would never go very far in his pool-cleaning career with “that grip.”

−The Armchair Golfer

(This is an ARMCHAIR GOLF spoof.)

2008 U.S. Open: ‘Tin Man’ Tiger Woods Comes Alive

REMEMBER IN THE WIZARD OF OZ when the Tin Man was all rusty and creaky? Then Dorothy squirted him with the oil can and he started moving, smiling and, finally, dancing.

Tiger Woods was the Tin Man today, all rusty and gimpy. Not doing a whole lot, just sort of there.

Then, faster than Dorothy could click her heels, the rust vanished. This “Tin Man” was draining 20-foot birdies like they were $3 gas. Tiger shot an astonishing 30 on his second nine for a round of 68.

The Tin Man with the creaky left knee is just one shot off the 36-hole lead. Heeeeee’s back.

Lastly, inspired by The Wizard of Oz and dedicated to Phil Mickelson, I leave you with this:

(To the tune of “If I Only Had a Heart”)

I would not be just a nothin’ my head all full of stuffin’
My heart all full of pain.
I would dance and be merry, life would be a ding-a-derry,
If I only hit a fairway.

−The Armchair Golfer

Tiger Woods: ‘I Guess I Don’t Need a Cart Yet’

Geoff Ogilvy is lurking.

EIGHTEEN DOWN, 54 TO GO. Round one of the U.S. Open is in the books, and two non-household names share the lead at three-under 68, Nationwide Tour player Justin Hicks and 29-year-old Kevin Streelman, who seems to emerge on visits to Torrey Pines.

Streelman was a big story at the Buick Invitational in January when he slipped into the field and then played his way into Tiger’s pairing at the midway point.

I’ve never heard of Hicks, who is your stock obscure first-round leader out of central casting. I sometimes hope these types shoot a good second round just to cause a stir, but usually they post 83 and barely make the cut.

When Tiger was asked what he found out after his first competitive round since the Masters, he replied, “Oh, I can walk 18 holes. I guess I don’t need a cart yet.”

Woods shot a one-over 72 with two doubles. Fellow glam grouping players Phil Mickelson and Adam Scott had 71 and 73, respectively.

Unfortunately, I didn’t see much of the first round because I was flying from Charlotte to LA. But I did see Stricker streak to four under on his opening nine, shooting a 32.

Stricker. Now there’s a guy who could do well this week, I thought. Straight ball hitter, excellent putter. Later I saw a 73 by his name. Stricks shot 41 on his second nine. That’s the Open for you.

There are plenty of big names at the top, including Geoff Ogilvy (69), Stuart Appleby (69), Ernie Els (70), Lee Westwood (70), Luke Donald (71), Vijah Singh (71) and Andres Romero (71).

Today is survive-the-cut day. And, if you’re one of those players near the top, position-yourself-for-the-weekend day.

−The Armchair Golfer

2008 U.S. Open: Glam Pairing Injury Update

Adam Scott

AT 8:06 A.M. LOCAL TIME, the world’s top three golfers will tee off in the 108th U.S. Open at Torrey Pines in La Jolla, California. That would be Eldrick “Tiger” Woods, Phil Mickelson and Adam Scott.

And these elite golf warriors are playing hurt.

In case you’ve just returned from another galaxy, Tiger is recovering from surgery No. 3 on his left knee. Despite more knee speculation than Ping has putters, Woods says he’s ready to rumble.

“I'm good to go,” Tiger said on Tuesday. “I plan on playing competitive. Come game time on Thursday I'll be ready.”

Not to be outdone, Adam Scott also has an injury. The Australian star broke his right pinkie finger several weeks ago. No worries, mate. Adam is up to this week’s task.

“Broken finger won’t stop Adam Scott,” announced The Sydney Morning Herald. (But he’ll have to lay off pinkie wrestling for a while.)

And Phil? He’s an inch taller, in case you haven’t heard. It’s all that stretching he’s been doing. I know, I know − it’s not an injury. But the unplanned growth did cause Lefty to go to a 37-inch putter.

How does that factor into Mickelson's game and U.S. Open chances? I haven’t a clue.

−The Armchair Golfer

2008 U.S. Open: Who Won't Win

Defending champ Cabrera

FIRST OF ALL, AN APOLOGY. I'm not usually a negative guy, but it's just too hard to pick a major winner. Last year at Oakmont I picked Tiger and he lost by a shot. I was crushed. (OK, not really.)

Anyway, this year I thought I'd try something different. I'm picking the losers. I don't like it any more than you do, but I don't know what else to do.

As for Tiger, I'm just not seeing it. The knee, the layoff, Torrey on steroids, U.S. Open rough − I think it's too much to overcome, even for Tiger Woods.

Not Winning List
Tiger Woods
Angel Cabrera
Trevor Immelman
Sergio Garcia
Adam Scott
Ernie Els
Colin Montgomerie
Retief Goosen
Zach Johnson
Ian Poulter
Anyone Who Went Through
a Qualifier
Any Amateur
Gene Sarazen (Bobbio)

Might Win List
Phil Mickelson
Jim Furyk
Stephen Ames
Justin Leonard
Anthony Kim
Aaron Baddeley
Mike Weir
Padraig Harrington
Justin Rose
Andres Romero
Geoff Ogilvy
Vijay Singh
Random Guy

No heavy analysis or stats. All from my gut. Chime in. It's U.S. Open Eve, and I don't want to be wrong by myself.

−The Armchair Golfer

Memphis in the Meantime

“Let’s go to Memphis in the meantime, baby.”
−John Hiatt

This week definitely reminds me of the above lyric from the John Hiatt song.

I admit I’m looking ahead with a full shag bag of anticipation to the U.S. Open. Can’t wait. I think most golf enthusiasts feel the same way, especially anticipating the pairing of the world’s top three players: Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson and Adam Scott.

The PGA Tour is in Memphis in the meantime, with a logjam of players at three under. Tough conditions, apparently. Three under after two rounds? In Memphis? Surreal.

In Maryland at the McDonald's LPGA Championship, Lorena Ochoa is bidding for the second leg of the Grand Slam and her third straight major. She has a one-shot lead heading into the third round.

−The Armchair Golfer

The High Wire Act That Is Phil Mickelson

(Honeyfield/Flickr)

AS SOMEBODY SAID, they don’t call him Phil the Thrill for nothing. Mickelson made an improbable (impossible for about anyone else) birdie on the final hole yesterday to walk off with the Crowne Plaza Invitational title at Colonial.

And the thing is, we could as easily be talking about how Lefty blew another tournament just when he had pulled even with Rod Pampling.

Pampling was leaking oil on the last three holes, hitting a succession of blocked tee shots. Phil was playing good if not stellar golf, and was poised to take advantage of Pampling’s wobbles until he stuck his tee in the ground on the 72nd hole.

Lefty’s tee shot landed in the trees way, way left. We’ve seen this before, and we’ll more than likely see it again. There may be no cure for it, just like there was no cure for the way, way right miss that Greg Norman used to hit at key moments in majors.

A phenomenal wedge and a giant dose of luck put Phil the Thrill just nine feet away from a winning birdie when all he said he hoped for was a 25-footer and a sure par that would get him into a playoff. He stalked it, stroked it and fist-pumped it right into the heart of the cup. Poor Rod Pampling.

You just never know with Phil. That’s what makes him so exciting to watch. But will he ever –- Butch Harmon or no Butch Harmon –- exorcise the way-left demons at winning time?

−The Armchair Golfer

Phil Mickelson Carried Own Golf Bag

NO KIDDING. If I heard it correctly on the golf telecast today, Phil Mickelson carried his own golf bag in an unplanned recent round at Torrey Pines, site of next month's U.S. Open. It was part of the chatter about how Lefty is now in better shape.

Phil's caddie, Bones, will be carrying tomorrow when the world No. 2 tries to close out the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial. Mickelson has the 54-hole lead, a shot ahead of Rod Pampling and Stephen Ames.

-The Armchair Golfer

A Brief History of Colonial Country Club

COLONIAL COUNTRY CLUB, the site of this week’s Crowne Plaza Invitational, ain’t what it used to be. Not by a long shot, or an average J.B. Holmes drive you might say.

The historic layout where Ben Hogan recorded five victories is less than 7000 yards and plays to a par 70. That’s pitch-and-putt length by current PGA Tour standards. Today’s bombers can drive over the doglegs and spin their short irons on the small greens. As John Hawkins said the other night on the Golf Channel, pros are hitting wedges into greens to which Hogan hit 4-irons.

Yet when Colonial first opened in the early 1940s and later began hosting the Colonial Invitational, it was considered one of the toughest courses anywhere. Texan Jackie Burke Jr. said, “If you’re told to just go out and shoot par on a golf course, Colonial is the last one you’d try it on.”

Not coincidentally, Colonial was built for a fade, Hogan’s trademark ball flight. Of Colonial’s 14 par-four holes, nine favored a controlled fade off the tee. “A straight ball will get you in more trouble at Colonial than any course I know,” Hogan once remarked.

One of the better players during Hogan’s heyday, 1951 winner Cary Middlecoff called Colonial the toughest par-70 in the world. This is how Middlecoff once described playing the 466-yard par-four 5th hole:

“First, I pull out two brand-new Wilson balls and throw them into the Trinity River. Then I throw up. Then I go ahead and hit my tee shot into the river.”

Phil Mickelson is the 36-hole leader at seven under.

−The Armchair Golfer

Breakfast of Golf Champions?

Gotta have the double order of hash browns.
–David Duval, on Waffle House

LAST FRIDAY my friend Golf Blogger posted about the AP story on David Duval grubbin’ at Waffle House.

“I had eggs, chicken, toast, grits and a double order of hash browns,” Duval told the AP. “Gotta have the double order of hash browns.”

As a Florida native and Georgia Tech grad, you would expect Duval to sidle up to a Waffle House counter. After all, Waffle Houses are thicker than fleas on a wet dog in the South. But what’s up with San Diego native Phil Mickelson and his Waffle House habit?

I’ve read Lefty also loves WH, especially during Masters week. In fact, Ian O’Connor once wrote that Phil left a waitress a $94 tip for his $6 Waffle House breakfast.

If you live up north, you’re not very likely to stumble across a Waffle House. The Onion once published a story that said the Mason-Dixon Line was renamed the IHOP-Waffle House Line. Don’t believe it, even though it makes perfect sense.

Anyway, I smell a breakfast trend among PGA Tour pros.

–The Armchair Golfer

Related:
Waffle House May Hold Key to Masters

What PGA Tour Players Really Think

(Pocketwiley/Flickr)

IF YOU CORNERED THEM outside of the media center and told them they would remain anonymous, what would PGA Tour players disclose?

You’re in luck. The results of the Seventh Annual PGA Tour Player Survey are in. SI polled 72 players. Following is some of what I gleaned at Golf.com.

About two-thirds of those surveyed believe Roger Clemens used steroids.

Seven percent have paid $750 for a belt. (I’m sure you can name one.)

Rather be paired with Tiger or Phil? Tiger by far, with 87 percent casting votes for Woods.

If forced to choose between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, more than half said they’d vote for Obama, although 31 percent answered, “I’d take a bullet.”

Half of those surveyed admitted they have played a Tour round with a hangover.

Half also think Tiger will win a grand slam.

Six percent said they know pro golfers who have used performance-enhancing drugs.

Caddies are the biggest gossipers on the PGA Tour, followed by Fred Funk’s wife, Sharon.

And finally ...

“Is your life as a professional golfer more or less fun than you thought it would be when you were in high school?” Seventy-six percent answered, “More.”

What a surprise.

−The Armchair Golfer

The Players: Phil Mickelson Ready to Defend

(C. O'Neal/Flickr)

CAN PHIL MICKELSON make some noise at TPC Sawgrass this week?

The defending champion doesn’t have Tiger Woods to contend with, not that El Tigre has had a lot of success at Ponte Vedra Beach. Both Phil and Tiger have won The Players Championship once.

Mickelson says he’s ready to go. From his Web site, following are a few Lefty sound bites on his tournament preparation.

“I'll usually take Monday off of a major. I'll play a practice round early Tuesday, and Wednesday I'll go off site and get work done on areas of my game that need improvement. It will be the same as I treat other majors.

“I have already done my normal major championship preparation work that I do for Augusta.

"I've done it now for TPC Sawgrass, so I don't feel as though I have to spend an inordinate amount of time getting ready to know the golf course.”

The Players always has a strong field, and this year is no exception with 49 of the top 50 players in the FedEx Cup standings. There is that one glaring absence, though.

−The Armchair Golfer

Masters Round Three: Plot Twist

Paul Casey (Pocketwiley/Flickr)

Playing on an Augusta National course softened by rain, Tiger Woods did what he needed to do on Saturday. Woods shot a moving-day 68 and, at one point, pulled within a few shots of the lead.

But somebody forgot to tell Trevor Immelman and Brandt Snedeker that they were supposed to fold like a pair of chaise lounges. Neither have the kind of Masters resume that would suggest they’re ready to slip into a Green Jacket. (Of course, the same could have been said about Zach Johnson.)

And what about Steve Flesch? Can you tell me five things you know about him? I’ll even spot you one. Yeah, he’s left-handed. Flesch looked as comfortable as he would be playing in the Reno-Tahoe Open (one of his four wins).

The talented Paul Casey is also in the hunt after firing his second consecutive 69.

Meanwhile, many of the vets retreated on Saturday. Phil Mickelson fumbled, battled back, then fumbled again, carding a 75. Ian Poulter also shot himself out of it with a 75. Retief Goosen treaded water with a 72, but realistically has no chance.

Immelman and Snedeker, on the other hand, were impressive. Immelman’s machine-like shot-making reminded me of Nick Faldo. (Split the fairway, hit the green. Split the fairway, hit the green.) His putting held up, too. And when the affable Snedeker got bogeyitis at Amen Corner, I thought his Green Jacket run might be over. Then “Sneds” birdied 14, 15 and 18. Sweet.

It’s supposed to be windy tomorrow afternoon. Birdies will be hard to come by, which leaves us with a few questions tonight.

Can Tiger make up six shots? Will Trevor Immelman go wire-to-wire? Is Steve Flesch channeling Mike Weir and Phil Mickelson? Will the freckle-faced Snedeker be grinning no matter what happens? I got that one: Yes.

−The Armchair Golfer

Masters Round Two: Familiar Territory

Defending champion Zach Johnson practices his stroke.
(John Coyne)

We've been here before. A couple of young, talented players (Trevor Immelman and Brandt Snedeker) rise to the top of the leaderboard at the halfway point of the Masters.

Then there are the lurkers, both major winners and solid contenders: Phil Mickelson, Retief Goosen, Mike Weir, Lee Westwood, Ian Poulter, Paul Casey, Stephen Ames and others. Tiger Woods is seven back and very much in the tournament.

Augusta's Saturday forecast is calling for scattered thunderstorms in the afternoon. Also, more pars and bogeys, definitely a few “others,” with only a slight chance of birdies. On moving day at the Masters, most usually move in the wrong direction.

Some notables who missed the cut:

Ernie Els (?!?!)
Sergio Garcia
Fred Couples
Luke Donald
Rory Sabbatini
Steve Stricker
Tim Clark

If Tiger holes a few putts, he'll be within striking distance tomorrow night. Phil just needs to keep things sensible. A 70 in the third round would be fine.

The young guys need to forget they're at the top of the leaderboard and just play their games. Good luck with that one, fellas.

−The Armchair Golfer

New Masters Book Is a Green Jacket Compilation

Recently a PR person at the Wall Street Journal contacted me. She wanted to alert me to their story about a new Masters book, First Sunday in April: The Masters.

They and others made a big stink about the title. (The Masters ends on the second Sunday in April.) I remember someone calling it a “shank.”

I asked Sterling Publishing VP Carlo DeVito about it today in an email. “So was the title a sneaky publicity ploy?” I wrote half jokingly.

“We know that the final round of the Masters takes place on the second Sunday in April,” Carlo answered.

“But the tournament begins the Sunday before when TV and radio and print journalists start arriving. Open a sports section on the first Sunday morning in April, and tell me there's not a major piece on the Masters in your regional or local newspaper.”

Concluded Carlo: “Was the title a ploy? Not really. Did we name it something different on purpose? Yes.”

The book itself is a collection of Masters stories from players (Byron Nelson, Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Phil Mickelson and others) and golf writers (Herbert Warren Wind, Dan Jenkins, John Feinstein, Rick Reilly and more). It’s broken down into sections: The Traditions, The Course, The Moments, The Controversies and so on.

It’s not the kind of book you have to read from front to back. You can scan the table of contents and start wherever you like.

Last night, for instance, I read “A Master Feat,” a piece written by Brad Townsend of the Dallas Morning News that tells about Lee Elder’s breakthrough as the first African American to play in the Masters.

Setting aside the title debate, I think this compilation will entertain the interested Masters observer.

−The Armchair Golfer

No Ernie at Arnie’s

Scratch Ernie Els from the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill, where Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson will return to action this week.

Els won the Honda Classic to start the Florida Swing, snapping an 0-for-47 winless streak on the PGA Tour.

“It was a difficult decision because I enjoy playing here,” Ernie wrote in his weekly diary. “But I have to be honest with myself and the fact is, I felt mentally pretty tired in Tampa.

“I want to stay fresh for the Masters, so I think a week off now is the right thing to do. I’ll stay out here in the U.S. and work on my game.”

This week’s question: Will Tiger continue his win streak?

−The Armchair Golfer