April 9th, 2012 by Phil Reich PGA Golf Art

Louis Oosthuizen got his final round of the 2012 Masters off to a good start. On the second hole, he made a 2. The second hole is a par-5. That’s a double eagle, only the fourth double eagle in the history of The Masters.

The first one in still the most famous, Gene Sarazen‘s “Shot Heard ‘Round the World” in 1935. Many fans today believe Sarazen’s shot won him the tournament, but it didn’t. It did help him get into a 36-hole playoff against Craig Wood, however, and in the playoff Sarazen finished off the victory.

Will Oosthuizen’s hole-out from 260 yards play a similar role in a march to victory? It did vault him to the top of the leaderboard at the time the ball went into the hole on No. 2.

Here are the four double eagles in Masters history:

• Gene Sarazen, 1935, fourth round, Hole No. 15
• Bruce Devlin, 1967, first round, Hole No. 8
• Jeff Maggert, 1994, fourth round, Hole No. 13
• Louis Oosthuizen, 2012, fourth round, Hole No. 2

See also:
More on the Masters
Odds of making a double eagle

Oosthuizen Scores Fourth Double-Eagle in Masters History originally appeared on About.com Golf on Sunday, April 8th, 2012 at 15:07:10.

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April 9th, 2012 by Phil Reich PGA Golf Art

Fred Couples led the 2012 Masters after two rounds. Did you know he also has the lowest career scoring average in The Masters among those who’ve played at least 100 rounds? Did you know Couples has made more cuts at The Masters than Arnold Palmer?

Check out The Masters Records to view more bests and mosts and firsts and a few worsts from the tournament’s history.

See also:
More on The Masters
More golf records

Tournament Records at The Masters originally appeared on About.com Golf on Saturday, April 7th, 2012 at 11:25:53.

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April 9th, 2012 by Phil Reich PGA Golf Art

Women can visit Augusta National Golf Club, play the course, grab a meal, stay overnight in one of the cabins, as guests of a member. Women just can’t join to become members. Augusta National is men-only in its membership.

Augusta isn’t even close to the only such club to have a men-only policy. Heck, one of golf’s governing bodies – the R&A – is men only! But questions about Augusta National’s policies arose again this week because IBM recently named a woman its CEO, and IBM CEOs have traditionally been given membership at Augusta.

We’ve just posted an article – Should Augusta National Golf Club begin admitting women as members? – in which we give you our opinion, and explain our reasoning. But we also want to hear your opinion – tell us what you think here.

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Should Augusta National Open Its Membership to Women? originally appeared on About.com Golf on Friday, April 6th, 2012 at 13:18:05.

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April 9th, 2012 by Phil Reich PGA Golf Art

How well do you know The Masters? Are you a golf trivia whiz? Test your skills with one of our Masters quizzes. There are four to choose from focusing on different eras in the tournament’s history.

See also:

• More golf trivia
• More on The Masters

Take a Masters Quiz originally appeared on About.com Golf on Friday, April 6th, 2012 at 05:31:26.

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April 6th, 2012 by Phil Reich PGA Golf Art

The “Big 3″ are together again on the first tee at The Masters. Gary Player joined Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus this morning to hit the ceremonial opening drives of the tournament. It’s the tradition referred to as the Honorary Starters.

Palmer was the first of the Big 3 to accept the role. Palmer’s first opening drive happened in 2007. At that point, the tournament had been without an honorary starter since Sam Snead’s last turn in 2002.

At one time, Nicklaus said he’d never do it. He didn’t want to be a ceremonial golfer. But sentimentality – and a phone call from Arnie – eventually got to Jack, and Nicklaus joined Palmer as honorary starter in 2010.

And once you have two of the Big 3, you need to add the third, right? So Player stepped in this morning, adding his ceremonial drive to those of Palmer and Nicklaus. And the 2012 Masters is under way.

See also:
List of honorary starters at The Masters
More on The Masters

Photo: From left, Arnold Palmer, Gary Player and Jack Nicklaus pose before hitting the ceremonial opening drives at the 2012 Masters. (Jamie Squire / Getty Images)

See also:
Masters Traditions

Player Takes His Place As Honorary Starter originally appeared on About.com Golf on Thursday, April 5th, 2012 at 09:31:22.

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April 6th, 2012 by Phil Reich PGA Golf Art

Back in 2003, Top-Flite produced more golf balls than any other company in the world. It also owned the Strata and Ben Hogan brands. And it also went bankrupt.

But Callaway swooped in to scoop Top-Flite out of bankruptcy on the cheap: a mere $125 million. Today, Callaway sold off Top-Flite even cheaper to retailer Dick’s Sporting Goods. The price, according to Golf Digest, was only $20 million.

Callaway has kept selling Top-Flite products during its ownership of the brand, but Top-Flite’s visibility has dropped dramatically during its time under Callaway. Still, its fate is better than that of the Ben Hogan brand. Callaway stopped making Ben Hogan clubs years ago, and earlier this year, in a move barely noticed, sold the Ben Hogan brand to clothing, accessories and perfume maker Perry Ellis.

Top-Flite is at least going to a company that will keep the brand alive and, likely, revitalize it. For Dick’s Sporting Goods – which also owns the Golf Galaxy chain – it’s another move for a recognizable brand. Dick’s previously purchased Maxfli from TaylorMade and acquired the Nickent brand after Nickent’s bankruptcy several years ago. Dick’s also owns the Walter Hagen brand.

That’s a lot of brands changing hands for just one blog post. Just for extra credit: Callaway’s sale of Top-Flite was announced by CEO Chip Brewer, who left Adams Golf earlier this year to join Callaway. Adams Golf, a couple weeks ago, was bought by TaylorMade.

Callaway Sells Off Top-Flite originally appeared on About.com Golf on Wednesday, April 4th, 2012 at 18:31:38.

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April 6th, 2012 by Phil Reich PGA Golf Art

Jinx? Padraig Harrington ain’t afraid of no stinkin’ jinx. (Besides, there’s no such thing as a jinx.)

Harrington was the co-winner of the Masters Par-3 Contest on Wednesday, sharing the top spot with Jonathan Byrd. The “tournament” – more like a fun day, really – was cut short by weather with plenty of golfers failing to complete their nine holes.

This is the third time Harrington has won the Par-3 Contest. As we hear over and over every year, no golfer has won the Par-3 Contest and The Masters in the same year. But, really, there’s no good reason why a golfer should win both in the same year.

It will happen eventually, some day. But it’s probably a good bet that neither Harrington nor Byrd will break that streak of non-winners this year. Harrington’s previous wins, by the way, were in 2004 and 2003.

See also:
List of Par-3 Contest winners
What is the origin of the Par-3 Contest?

Harrington Winner Again in Par-3 Contest originally appeared on About.com Golf on Wednesday, April 4th, 2012 at 17:06:24.

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April 6th, 2012 by Phil Reich PGA Golf Art

Wednesday of Masters week is the day of the Par-3 Contest, which, these days, is televised. And it makes for great television, with legends playing, and with many younger golfers employing their children as caddies.

The Augusta Par-3 Course itself makes for great TV, too, with its tiny greens and severe banks sloping down to water. Check out these Par-3 Course photos and read a little history about the the “little course” at Augusta, too.

See also:
More on The Masters
Augusta National Golf Club

The Par-3 Course at Augusta National originally appeared on About.com Golf on Wednesday, April 4th, 2012 at 09:10:45.

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April 6th, 2012 by Phil Reich PGA Golf Art

The 2012 Masters pairings are out for the first two rounds, and you can see the full list below the fold. But first things first:

• Tiger Woods is playing with Miguel Angel Jimenez and Sang-Moon Bae. That grouping tees off at 10:35 a.m. in the first round and 1:42 p.m. (second to last tee time) in the second round.
• Rory McIlroy is playing with Bubba Watson and Angel Cabrera, and that group has the opposite times from Woods’ group – 1:42 p.m. on Thursday and 10:35 a.m. on Friday.

Other notable pairings include Phil Mickelson and Hunter Mahan with Peter Hanson (1:53 p.m. – last on Day 1 – and 10:46 a.m.); Luke Donald playing in the next group after Tiger’s (with Francesco Molinari and Nick Watney); and the trio of Vijay Singh, Lee Westwood and Jim Furyk.

Here are the full pairings: …

2012 Masters Pairings and Tee Times, Rounds 1 and 2 originally appeared on About.com Golf on Tuesday, April 3rd, 2012 at 13:48:54.

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April 6th, 2012 by Phil Reich PGA Golf Art

Which tradition at The Masters is the most fun? Take your pick. The one that is least serious, however, is pretty easy to spot: skipping golf balls across the No. 16 pond.

It’s also one of the youngest traditions at The Masters, even though its specific origins are murky.

Most golfers make a literal splash when trying to skip a ball across the water. On Monday, Martin Kaymer made a much bigger splash with a skip ball hole-in-one.

Why do golfers skip their golf balls during practice rounds? Who started it? Has anyone else made an ace? Questions, questions … so here are some answers – read our FAQ on the Masters skip shot tradition.

More on The Masters

Fun Facts: The Ball Skipping Tradition at The Masters originally appeared on About.com Golf on Tuesday, April 3rd, 2012 at 12:50:39.

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