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A Sunday diary

Tracking the 69th Masters to conclusion from the sofa

Posted: Sunday April 10, 2005 9:40PM; Updated: Tuesday April 12, 2005 1:43PM
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Woods wins Masters
Tiger Woods erased an early four-shot deficit in less than an hour.
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Even though most would do anything short of a criminal act to gain access to the Masters, I always thought watching on television gave one the best seats. Granted, visiting the Augusta Cathedral is a worthy goal for every golf fan, but to me, it's only beneficial during the practice rounds.

Walk the course, appreciate the terrain, (Augusta National is incredibly more hilly than depicted on the tube) and load up on the souvenirs on your way home.

However, come tournament time, its best to see all the shots from the couch. And it makes total sense since CBS was granted access to all 18 holes. There's nothing more frustrating than parking your rear on a hole only to hear a roar cascading through the pines and having to guess the explanation.

Therefore, here's a Sunday diary from my favorite worn sofa as we track the 69th Masters to conclusion.

Prelude. Tiger Woods starts the final round with a three-shot lead -- erasing a four-shot deficit to Chris DiMarco in less than an hour during the final third round nine Sunday morning. The near-fatal blow occurred when DiMarco double-bogeyed the 10th, ending a second best streak of 45 straight holes without a bogey.

One couldn't help notice how relaxed Woods appeared Saturday afternoon awaiting to play the third round. He laughed with fellow players, stretching out on the practice tee seemingly without a care in the world. It's like he knew great things were in store. Do we now add clairvoyance to his long list of attributes?

2:29. I turn on all five televisions around the house. We have a new golden retriever puppy that'll keep me busy and this forethought might prevent me from missing something important.

2:30. CBS starts the telecast reviewing the remaining holes of the third round played Sunday morning. Woods demolishes DiMarco's lead in 33 minutes, ultimately posting seven straight birdies. DiMarco's exasperated expression depicts a powerless man acknowledging his opponent's destiny to win.

2:51. Scrolling down the leaderboard, I notice no one is lighting up the course, even with the generous pin placements. Woods' odds of extending his record to 9-for-9 winning a major after holding the 54-hole lead appears like easy money. In fact, he has never lost a tournament in 33 tries entering the final round with more than a one-stroke lead. Who in their right mind would bet against him?

2:59. Tiger crushes his first tee shot onto the fairway. DiMarco gamely sends his drive into the fairway as well -- albeit some 61 yards behind Woods.

3:07. Phone rings. A solicitor on Sunday? Sorry, no need for pest control service. In fact, there could be five hornets' nests around the house and I wouldn't care. Not on Masters Sunday.

3:08. An interesting coincidence has Phil Mickelson and Vijay Singh playing together. On Friday, they had a confrontation in the clubhouse when Singh questioned if Mickelson's 8mm spikes were unduly marking up the greens. Reports on the incident varied from a gentlemanly conversation to Vijay offering Phil to throw the first punch.

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