Gene Frenette: Rust aside, there can never be enough Tiger Woods viewing at The Masters
While Scottie Scheffler continued to demonstrate his relentless pursuit of greatness at The Masters by shooting a first-round 66 Thursday, he’s just a sideshow when golf’s megastar is on the biggest stage.
It doesn’t matter whether Tiger Woods is in contention or in a dogfight to make the cut. Even now, being 15-20 years past his prime, nothing much has changed about Tiger being the main attraction.
That’s especially true at Augusta National Golf Club, where his stardom as a five-time Masters champion shines brighter than at any other venue.
At 48-years-old, Woods still casts a shadow so massive, it’s impossible for accomplished players like Scheffler, Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm, Brooks Koepka or anybody else competing against him to steal the show until they hoist a trophy.
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Woods only played 13 holes Thursday at 1-under-par due to the weather-delayed first round, but nobody was more under the spotlight. For his 7:50 a.m. tee time Friday, it was obvious by his more gingerly walk that the quick turnaround was challenging. Still, the crowds got up early to follow him.
That's because Tiger is mesmerizing. Whether he’s hitting three perfect shots to birdie the opening hole, or being forced to play a shot left-handed on the next hole because his ball is up against the wrong side of a pine tree, you feel compelled to watch.
He played his last five holes Friday morning in 2-over to finish with a first-round 73, which put him in a 10-way tie for 35th at the time (top 50 and ties make the cut). The Masters did Tiger no favors with a late-early tee time, making his recovery shorter and more challenging.
During his second round, Woods continued his solid play in some gusty wind conditions with four birdies and four bogeys for a 72. It put him at 1-over-par for the tournament and assured him a Masters record 24th consecutive made cut. He walked off No. 18 to raucous applause, and then eight shots behind leader Bryson DeChambeau.
"I'm still right there in the ballgame," Woods told ESPN after his round.
While Tiger heads into Saturday tied for 22nd at the halfway point, seven shots behind co-leaders Scheffler, DeChambeau and playing partner Max Homa, fans are still more likely to follow him around the course than anybody or have eyes fixated to him on television. The Augusta roars would be deafening if he made any kind of charge up the leaderboard over the weekend.
Given Woods’ physical limitations from countless body breakdowns and a one-car accident in Feb. 2021 that nearly ended his career, it’s heartwarming to see him compete at The Masters and executing some shots like the Tiger of yesteryear. He hit 22 of 28 fairways over two rounds and played remarkably efficient considering his tough circumstances.
It’s impossible to know how many more times we’ll get to see Woods playing anywhere with his trademark grit, stubbornly refusing to give in to Father Time.
For now, just appreciate the sight of Tiger for the rest of the 2024 Masters, and hopefully the year’s three remaining majors. His combination of talent and resolve is unparallelled.
It’s still the best thing about golf worth watching.
Baalke familiar with No. 17 slot
If the Jacksonville Jaguars stand pat with the No. 17 overall draft pick, it won’t be unchartered territory for general manager Trent Baalke.
His resume suggests it could also be a nice payoff for the Jaguars. Back in 2010 when he was the 49ers’ GM, Baalke selected Idaho guard Mike Iupati, who went to become a four-time Pro Bowler.
Five years later, Baalke took 6-foot-7, 290-pound defensive lineman Arik Armstead, who he just signed in free agency last month from the 49ers to a three-year, $51 million contract.
NFL history indicates the No. 17 draft position has delivered impact players. In the last decade, Dallas Cowboys receiver CeeDee Lamb (2020), Los Angeles Chargers safety Derwin James (2018) and New York Jets linebacker C.J. Mosley (2014) have made a combined 11 Pro Bowls.
Four Pro Football Hall of Famers — Cowboys cornerback Mel Renfro (1964), Oakland Raiders guard Gene Upshaw (1967), Cowboys running back Emmitt Smith (1990) and Seattle Seahawks guard Steve Hutchinson (2001) — were also chosen with the 17th overall pick.
Calipari still tough act to follow
Kentucky’s basketball program may soon find out how good they once had it under John Calipari, who decided at age 65 to leave a blue blood program for a second-tier program and lower-paying job at Arkansas.
Since Calipari’s departure, Kentucky athletic director Mitch Barnhart has been told no thanks in varying public statements from retired Villanova coach Jay Wright, former Florida coach and current Chicago Bulls coach Billy Donovan, Alabama coach Nate Oats and from good friend Scott Drew, the 21-year head coach at Baylor.
Anybody ever think an iconic hoops destination like Kentucky would get turned down four times? It used to be coaches would leap at the chance to run one of the country’s most resource-filled programs, but the Wildcats’ top targets were not swayed.
Kentucky's search ended Friday with the hiring of BYU coach Mark Pope, a UK alumnus who was the team captain on the Wildcats’ 1996 national championship team.
It makes for a nice welcome-home story, but Pope hasn’t coached long enough to develop the sterling resume of Calipari or Kentucky’s more coveted candidates. In BYU’s only two NCAA games in five seasons under Pope, the Cougars were seeded sixth both times and got eliminated in the first round by No. 11 seeds UCLA (2021) and Duquesne (2024).
The successor to Calipari, who acknowledged Kentucky “probably needs to hear another voice,” is going to find that replicating one national title and four Final Four appearances as his predecessor did will be a tough mountain to climb.
Maybe Pope can rejuvenate the Wildcats, who have struggled in the postseason in recent years. If not, it won’t be long before Kentucky fans are pining for the good ol’ days under Calipari.
Masters trivia
Over the previous five Masters tournaments, only one golfer has finished in the top-10 four times. Who is it? Answer at the bottom.
O.J.’s tough, complicated legacy
When O.J. Simpson passed away from prostate cancer at 76 Thursday in Las Vegas, it’s understandable a lot of people will find it difficult to sort out how they feel about his death.
No doubt, it’s a wide assortment of emotions like sorrow, anger, contempt, ambivalence and everything else in-between.
Given Simpson’s roller-coaster ride of fame — ranging from a 20-year run as a football superstar, to commercial pitchman, to being a defendant acquitted of murdering his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend, Ron Goldman — he was a polarizing figure to the very end.
Hopefully, O.J.’s family can finally gain some peace as it processes one of the most complicated celebrity lives in history.
A different kind of UConn payoff
Much has been made about how the UConn men’s basketball program has taken over the college game in the past quarter century with six national titles.
In addition, the Huskies’ dominance really paid off for those bettors who went all in on UConn bullying its way through two consecutive NCAA Tournaments.
According to BetOnLine, anyone who placed a $100 bet on UConn to cover the point spread as a favorite in all 12 games and rolled it over every game through Monday’s 75-60 title win over Purdue would have earned a total payout of — drum roll, please — $230,000.
Not only did Danny Hurley’s team win those dozen games as the favorite by an average margin of 21.7 points, it also covered by an average margin of 13.3 points.
Here’s the insane numbers: Over two NCAA Tournaments, the Huskies trailed for a total of 30 minutes, 42 seconds, but only 51 seconds in the second half. The only time UConn trailed after halftime came in the opening minute of their first two March Madness games last year against Iona and St. Mary’s.
It’s just an amazing streak of excellence.
Quick-hitting nuggets
Looking at the male players selected to the 2024 Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame class — Chauncey Billups, Vince Carter, Michael Cooper, Doug Collins and Walter Davis — it strikes me as an even mixture between HOF-worthy and the Hall of Very Good. ...
Former St. Augustine High and Western Kentucky quarterback Austin Reed, the third-oldest NFL prospect at his position at 24 years, 2 months, is projected as a sixth or seventh-round selection by draft analyst Dane Brugler of The Athletic. Brugler also lists South Alabama QB Carter Bradley (6-3, 213), son of former Jaguars’ head coach Gus Bradley, as a priority free agent. ...
In the last 10 Masters, the eventual champion has been no worse than tied for second entering the final round. Seven of the ten champions were leading going into Sunday, with Brooks Koepka (2023), Francesco Molinari (2019) and Jordan Spieth (2016) the only third-round leaders who failed to win the green jacket. ...
Trivia answer
The only golfer to finish in the top-10 four times in the last five years at The Masters is defending champion Jon Rahm, who finished T5 (2021), T7 (2020) and T9 (2019). He was T27 in 2022.
Gfrenette@jacksonville.com: (904) 359-4540; Follow him on X, formerly Twitter, at @genefrenette
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Tiger Woods remains golf's most watchable star despite limitations | Frenette
