Well, its Tuesday of Masters week. The pairings are out. I waited around this morning hoping to get a glimpse before heading out to hit some balls myself, but the Masters waited until the last possible minute. They probably knew it was going to be a story and wanted to maximize its exposure. The pairing the world was waiting on was obviously who gets to play with Tiger. The lucky winners are Matt Kuchar and KJ Choi. Two guys who have both been having resurgent years and could place well at Augusta. Although I would guess things just got a bit tougher on them. They are the second to last group out, followed by one group that I think is one of the more interesting Thur/Fri pairings. Don’t worry, we’ll get there. Let me present, in the order they go out, the groups that make up the Good Walk Spoiled’s list of most interesting pairings of the 2010 Masters.
8:56 AM – Geoff Ogilvy, Luke Donald, Martin Kaymer
We have in this group three foreigners who all have attributes that make them possible contenders, and they are all paired together. Ogilvy would love to “win” a major, as opposed to survive one as he did at Wingfoot, and when he hits it straight he can run away with a tournament because this man can putt. Speaking of putters, Luke Donald does it about as well as anybody else out there. Putting is key at the Masters. What might hurt Donald is a lack of length. Then there is Martin Kaymer. He is on the short of list of guys that are ready to take that step and win majors. The German has been dominant in Europe, and well, his starts in the states have been underwhelming it wouldn’t shock anyone in the golf world if this guy is teeing off late on Sunday.
9:07 AM – Tom Watson, Tim Clark, Steve Marino
The first name here needs little description. Watching Tom Watson at the 2009 Open Championship was as good as golf gets. Incredible. However, he did miss that up and down on 18 and lost in the playoff. Well, he has company. He gets paired this week with two guys who are on the list of players who absolutely should have won by now. Clark has had many chances, but they continue to slip through his fingers. He and Marino could probably tell stories to each other about close calls, as he had quite a few close calls. So even though Watson has won many times, his recent failure makes this the “could have been” group. Or maybe better phrased the “could it be” group. Having the Masters as your first win would be special, ending all questions of whether you can win.
9:29 AM - Alviro Quiros, Oliver Wilson, Dustin Johnson
Wow. If the ole boys running Augusta wanted to give a treat, this may be it. The question here is does Oliver Wilson get to use a different tee box? It would probably make him feel better. The obvious attraction to this group is Quiros and Johnson, the two longest hitters around. Putting them side by side will make every tee box a new competition. I would expect this pairing doesn’t give these guys a great chance to win, and it may be hard for them to play smart. They may forgo a high finish just to prove once and for all who is the longest driver in pro golf. Watch this group if you enjoy watching missiles fly!
11:41 AM – Ryan Moore, Nick Watney, Ross Fisher
This one could be argued by some as not being that intriguing, but I think that is dead wrong. I think this is a great group to track. I do admit to a Ryan Moore bias and he seemed ready to take off this year. It hasn’t happened for the most part, but he is on the rise and I have sources telling me he is playing a new set of irons he really likes for a course like Augusta. Moore, along with Nick Watney make up two of the really good young Americans that are going to be needed to take their games up to the next level as the current stars age. Watney can play. Whether he is good enough to win a major I’m not sure but lets see if he brings his best this week – then judge. Ross Fisher, also a guy in the same boat, just from across the pond. It looked as if he might win The Open last year at one point. He plays great in the big events, meaning he might even be the best of this group.
The next two groups are not only interesting for their pairings, but also their placement. The next group plays right before the Tiger group. This means people walking towards their group in advance of the group behind. Roars? Maybe. Chaos behind them is guaranteed. Staying focused may be hard for this group which includes two legit contenders.
1:31 PM – Steve Stricker, Ian Poulter, Yuta Ikeda
Ikeda is making his second start on American soil I believe and his first Masters for sure. He is virtually meaningless unless you specifically root for Japanese golfers. The two that make this one of my favorite pairings are Stricker and Poulter. Both have won already this year. The next step for both of these guys is to win a major. And while their dress couldn’t be more different, their games aren’t. Both of these guys are some of the best scramblers out there, and believe me, you need those skills this week. We all know Stricker, when in the zone, makes every putt he looks at. I make him the favorite this week. Poulter’s playing great too though, and he has been close in recent majors. Could it be his time make the step to being one of golf’s elite? He seems to like the big events the best.
And finally, the last group of the day. They will be following Tigers group, which could leave them with little or no gallery as they watch the massive heard stampede in front of them. A quiet day, well that fits these guys. This seems to be the “where have you gone” group.
1:53 PM - David Duval, Adam Scott, Ricky Barnes
The funny thing is that even though all of these guys seemingly lost their games and disappeared off leaderboards, they have all actually been playing pretty good golf. The Duval story is well known. The excitement that started to build when he was in contention at Pebble was palpable. The excitement of him being in contention for the green jacket would send a buzz through the golf community like possibly no other. Adam Scott has been playing better since the President’s Cup, winning in Australia and playing respectable golf in the US this year. If he had a good week he would create a similar story after going from #3 in the world into a mighty funk. Finally, Ricky Barnes. Forgotten about from his huge amateur success until he lead the US Open for the last few rounds last year, has finally started to have decent results. But contending in another major is a long shot. Still should be interesting to watch, especially since both he and Duval got in because they were both in contention Monday at Bethpage. With a quiet round behind the madness, one of these guys could post a number and start quite a stir.
Two days to go. Hope you all are as excited as I am. This is what it is all about. Major Championship golf. And recently the Masters has been a haven for surprises. Expect more this year. So after all this, lets hear some discussion. Who you watching when the balls start flying Thursday morning?
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