Fore please, Tiger Woods now driving.
From the "Talks too much" studios, remember there's no running at Augusta National, and I never slice.
Masters
The best event in golf - and on the short list of the best sporting events each year - starts today.
We're stoked.
Tiger Woods, left, and Ben Crenshaw embrace on the 18th green as they finish a practice round for the Masters golf tournament in Augusta, Ga., Wednesday, April 8, 2015. (AP Photo/Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Curtis Compton) MARIETTA DAILY OUT, GWINNETT DAILY POST OUT) LOCAL STATIONS OUT (WXIA, WGCL, FOX 5) We trotted out the Rushmore of Masters moments on Press Row on Wednesday. The final list was Tiger's chip on No. 16 in 2005, Gene Sarazen's double eagle in 1935, Nicklaus' birdie putt on 17 in '86 (with Verne shooting "Yes sir!") and Bubba Watson's hooked wedge from underneath the tree to win the playoff in 2012.
Thoughts?
We also still have time to get in the final few entries in our Masters contest.
Welcome to the 5-at-10 Masterfully Mastering the Masters Contest that could win you some stuff. Send us five golfers - top four will count - and lowest score in total finish (1st place is worth 1 point, 3rd is worth 3, etc.) wins. Easy-peesy lemon squeeze.
Here's the latest round of names, and feel free to add yours in the comments or email them to jgreeson@timesfreepress.com.
Whatcha got?
5-at-10: Jason Day, Jordan Spieth, Rory McIlroy, Brooks Koepka, Brandt Snedeker.
Mrs. 5-at-10: Rory, Phil, Jordan S., Rickie Fowler, Jimmy Walker
Spy: Rory, Matt Kuchar (three top 10s in last three years), Jimmy Walker, Jordan Speith and JB Holmes.
scole023: Tiger, Bubba, Spieth, D. Johnson, Adam Scott
Matt W.: Rickie Fowler, Jordan Spieth, Jimmy Walker, Dustin Johnson, Bubba Watson
Sportsfan: Jordan Spieth, Rory McIlroy, Jimmy Walker, Rickie Fowler, Jason Day
John C.: Rickie Fowler, Jordan Spieth, Patrick Reed, Adam Scott, and Jason Day.
Believer: Phil, Fowler, A. Scott, Rory, Paul Casey
Rory McIlroy, of Northern Ireland, reacts after missing a putt on the eighth green during the pro-am at the Arnold Palmer Invitational golf tournament in Orlando, Fla., Wednesday, March 18, 2015.(AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack) DCrotty: Matt Kuchar,Lee Westwood,Adam Scott,Fred Couples,Justin Rose
Billy in Brainerd: Thongchai Jaidee [Thailand], Miguel Angel Jimenez [Spain], Hideki Matsuyama [Japan], And from KoreaKevin NaNa?Yeah!, and Brent Snedeker [Tennessee]
Dawg747: Jason Day, Rory Mcilroy, Rickie Fowler, Matt Kuchar, Adam Scott
McPell: Rory, Phil, Matt Kuchar, Jason Day, Jimmy Walker
Terry: Tiger, Couples, Kuchar, J. Walker, Patrick Reed
Dean: Rory, Bubba, Phil, Spieth, A. Scott
ThatIDoKnow: Rory, Adam Scott, JB Holmes, Billy Horschel, J. Walker
TFP golf ace David Uchiyama: Uch: Dustin Johnson, Jimmy Walker, Bubba Watson, Brandt Snedeker, Matt Kuchar
RichJohn1: Phil M, Rory M, Bubba W, Jordan S, Jason Day
Charles A: 1) Louis Oosthuizen 2) Ryan Palmer 3) Paul Casey 4)Henrik Stenson 5) Joost Luiten - Luiten is particularly dangerous if given an A.M, tee time Thursday and Friday. I've heard that on tour he's referred to as the "Angel of the Morning." Then again, I may be thinking of someone else. Regardless, that's my five.
Wcole777: Jorday Spieth, Rory McIlroy, Patrick Reed, Ricky Fowler and Tiger
ScottieB: Rory, Tiger, Day, Spieth, Stenson
Joe B: Rory, Couples, Fowler, Dustin Johnson, Matt Kuchar
Tom W: Kuchar, Mickelson, Scott, Watson, Speith
More to come
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More Masters
We saw this list, courtesy of Bovada.com and other places, and wanted to pass it along.
Here's a list of some of the crazy Masters prop bets you could have made this week:
Will Rory McIlroy make the cut?
Yes: -1000
No: +550
Winning margin
Playoff: +250
1 stroke: +250
2 strokes: +350
3 strokes: +500
4 strokes or more: +350
Tiger Woods first hole score (Round 1)
Birdie or better: +1000
Par: -200
Bogey or worse: +175
Tiger Woods vs. Rory McIlory on the first hole
Tiger: +250
Rory: +200
Tie: -105
Lindsey Vonn sits with Tiger Woods with his children Sam and Charlie during the Par 3 contest at the Masters golf tournament Wednesday, April 8, 2015, in Augusta, Ga. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip) Tiger Woods first hole special (Round 1)
Hit the fairway: -150
Miss the fairway: +115
Tiger Woods finishing position
Over 27.5th place: -120
Under 27.5th place: -120
Winning nationality
USA: -138
Europe: +200
Rest of world: +450
First-time winner
Yes: -220
No: +165
New course record?
Yes: +1400
Will there be a hole in one?
Yes: -130
No: Even
Double Eagle
Pays 14-to-1
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OK, so there's that
There's no way to seriously consider a three-game sample size for an entire major league season. If that was the case, Dodgers first baseman Adrian Gonzalez, who has five homers in three games, would be on his way to 270 homers this year. That would be a record and would a) earn him the MVP award, and b) generate a lot of PED questions.
That said, three games in, we have to admit we are impressed with this collection of Atlanta Braves.
Atlanta Braves Shelby Miller pitches against the Miami Marlins in the first inning of a baseball game, Wednesday, April 8, 2015, in Miami.Maybe it's the fact that it's the first week of the season and the absence of baseball draws us to the game in April, but these Braves were enjoyable during the three-game sweep in Miami.
Wednesday's 2-0 win was highlighted by a dominant pitching performance from Shelby Miller, who was the key piece in the Jason Heyward trade this offseason.
Miller went five innings and delivered a 95 mph called-third-strike at the knees of Giancarlo Stanton on his final pitch.
Miller, who unlike the free agent to-be Heyward, is eligible for arbitration in 2016 but not eligible for free agency until 2019.
We're not saying the Braves are
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This and that
- In case you are curious, here are the Masters tee times today. Here's guessing the last two tee times will draw a crowd.
Kevin Streelman holds the trophy after winning the Travelers Championship golf tournament in Cromwell, Conn., Sunday, June 22, 2014. Streelman finished his round with seven straight birdies to win the tournament at 15-under par. (AP Photo/Fred Beckham) - More Masters: Kevin Streelman won the Par 3, which normally means he's DOA for the tournament since no players has won the Wednesday Par 3 and the tournament in the same week. For Streelman, though, the pure joy of his kindness was almost as good as the green jacket. Streelman played Mr. Make-a-Wish with 13-year-old Ethan Couch as his caddy. Couch, who Streelman met through the great folks at Make-a-Wish last year, has an inoperable brain tumor and always wanted to attend the Masters. Streelman did him one better and let him carry the bag in the par 3. Well-played sir, well-played indeed. Oh year, the par 3 stuff was good too.
- With four games left in the NBA season all of the top seeds in the playoff chase are set. Here's the standings. It's pretty interesting that there are four teams within a game of each other battling for two spots in the East and two teams tied for the final spot in the West.
- While Will Wade and Avery Johnson were being introduced at VCU and Alabama respectively, Dave Bliss was introduced at an NAIA school Wednesday. How Dave Bliss has a job in college basketball is staggering.
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Today's question
You have until noon to enter your Masters picks, so there's that.
Also, any mailbag questions will be considered.
As for the question, we have been Rushmore-less this week, so let's change that. If you want to add a Masters moment to the above list, feel free.
The new Rushmore will be, in honor of the fact that today would have been the Houston Astrodome's 50th birthday, what's the Rushmore of stadiums?