It’s the perfect time of the year. The sun is shining, the birds are chirping and going through their mating rituals, Canadian geese are pairing off with all of their collective moxy getting ready to transform into the versatile “Canadian Cobra Chicken”. Major League Baseball has started and for hockey fans like us up here in the north the Stanley Cup playoffs are beginning very shortly. Oh, and golf courses are starting to open unless you’re up around James Bay or Baffin Island.
Apparently, there was a “minor” golf tournament this past weekend at some “muni” in Augusta, Georgia. The 2023 season’s first Major of the year didn’t disappoint and we congratulated a newly minted Masters Tournament Champion. We’ll get to him in a few seconds.
In the lead-up to the event, I did my best in reflecting any negativity energy away on social media – I really think that all of it is bad for my health – to focus strictly on the golf and not on any circus sideshow freak-style commentary from golfers and dare I say “mainstream golf media”, alike. People and I am referring to golf people who – in some cases – are absolutely certifiable out there.
With my preamble complete let’s look at some of what happened.
Sam Bennett – Bennett finished as the top amateur and to say that he played amazing and inspired golf at The Masters is a huge understatement. The seemingly affable 23-year-old plays collegiate golf at Texas A&M. Bennett lost his father in 2021 to Alzheimer’s disease and before his passing he wrote some important words on his son’s arm. Counsel to everyone out there.
“Don’t wait to do something.” – Mark Bennett
Mr. Bennett, you must be smiling down from Heaven. Your son did exactly that, he didn’t wait to do something. All that he did was play with play with World #1 – Oops, I meant former – Scottie Scheffler and Max Homa the first two rounds, while outplaying them, but he showed tenacity, grit, and heart through the challenging, flow-disrupting conditions that Mother Nature cast onto the field.
Was anyone out there not pulling for the young man as the tournament grinded… ground on?
Jon Rahm – Congratulations to Jon Rahm on winning the 2023 Masters. Scottie Scheffler will likely have a lot to say about this before the 2023 PGA TOUR season wraps up. But, I have a thought. Is it too soon to declare Jon Rahm the 2023 Player of the Year? Our new Masters Champion has already won on four occasions in eleven events this season, including The Masters. The rest are Top-10 finishes except for Bay Hill, the WGC Match Play, and The PLAYERS.
Watching Rahm hang around all week long behind 54-hole leader Brooks Koepka you could almost feel that he was going to win his first “Green Jacket”. With a charge that Seve Ballesteros himself would approve of he came from being down four shots to emerge victorious. Rahm later dedicated the win to his departed countryman. “This one was for Seve”. Vamos Jon!
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