The Passion Of Dedication

Everyone in life has goals they would like to reach.  Some of us  never get to reach goals that those who are special can obtain.  Having been able to go to Augusta Georgia this past week for a practice round and see the beauty of one of the hollowed grounds of golf was a goal for me.  Bubba Watson reached another goal and you can just see in his emotions after winning his second green jacket and crying probably more than he did after his first win.  His goal was to win where I just wanted to be there.

Listening to his news conference this man has more in life than being a golf winner.  It was very refreshing to watch the final two talking on the practice tee even warming up side by side. The putting green continued the conversation between the two and even after they teed off they walked the fairways in conversation. Bubba is one of us a player who has never had any formal teaching of the game just one of those guys that says let's go hit it and see where it goes.

Now looking at Jordan Spieth this kid looks as if he could be the next Tiger.    How many players have you ever seen that was part  of the final group that would explode and shoot 78  but Spieth shot par a score that not many beat on the final day. You know the best thing in his life might be that he didn't win.  A major win at such and early age  might smothered him and yet as he gets up on Monday he sees how close he came.

There were those who said without a Tiger that the TV ratings would be down.  I think everyone has forgotten that Tiger withdrew last year after the controversy over his drop after hitting a ball in the water.  We will see today how the ratings are but if this tournament this year needed Bubba in contention, a 20 year old phenom to make for good golfing TV.

The front nine with both charging in putts topping each other's to make TV as good as anyone could asked for.  I think the turning point was the drive Bubba made I think it was number eight when he out drove Jordan by about 75 yards.  It was like Bubba said son I'm tired of playing around.  From that point on Spieth just could match Bubba.

TV coverage of the Masters began while I was seven or eight years old and with TV there was a golfer from Wake Forest College who tried to make every shot.  I was a member of Arnie's Army from my living room and quite frankly hated Jack Nicklaus coming along and dethroning the King.  Wednesday watching the big three play the par 3 tournament you can see there are not many shots left on a golf  course for the King. 84 years old his hips seem to be about hit their last shots.  If there is one thing I can say from being at the Masters this week.  I was as close as ten feet from the man that put golf on TV and kept it there.  He sat on the veranda in front of the club house.

Do you remember the Seniors got started because Arnie turned fifty and TV wanted Arnie's Army. When Tiger turns fifty will TV change  like it did for Arnie?