The old-timers never want to leave, almost as if pulled by some magnetic force to the lawn in front of the clubhouse.
Gary Player, resplendent in green jacket, was there yesterday and wondering aloud why young players – Trevor Immelman apart – never ask questions to feed their knowledge and to learn from those who have experienced the journey. If they ask, he will tell them. Just ask.
Into that category, for a very good reason, he threw the name of Rory McIlroy. In the eyes of the 'Black Knight', McIlroy is one of those few players who can go on to win a career Grand Slam. Player wasn't divulging rocket science in making his assessment. Not yet 25 years of age, McIlroy's already halfway there. It's a measure of how talented McIlroy is. Not Tiger Woods talented; but, according to Player, not that far behind. Respect, indeed!
Dominant figure
And so it is that in this Tiger-less Masters, the search is on for a new dominant figure.
Even the greats like Player are wondering who could it be. : McIlroy? Adam Scott? Or one of the newer kids on the block, a Jordan Spieth perhaps. Or maybe Patrick Reed?
If the truth be told, rather than earmarking a new dominance, this 78th edition of the Masters tournament is likely to provide further proof of the current depth in professional golf, with a host of likely lads eyeing the grand prize with justifiable entitlement.
Even in his absence, Woods is the barometer: in the period since he claimed his last and 14th Major title, winning the 2008 US Open at Torrey Pines on one good leg, there have been 19 different winners of the 22 Majors played. Only Pádraig Harrington, Phil Mickelson and McIlroy – in that time – have won multiple Majors.
It’s a statistic that emphasises how big a net can be cast over the list of prospective winners here. It is wide open.
Unusually, there are a large number of first-time competitors – 24 in all – in this Masters, a result of a new generation breaking into the world’s top-50 and of a plethora of new and wide-ranging winners on the US Tour this season.
Jimmy Walker, one of those teeing up on the pristine course for the first time, is a multiple winner on tour this season and doesn't see any reason to be fearful of his rookie status.
“It’s about getting it out of your head that this is what it is; it’s the Masters, it’s a Major. You go out and you play your golf and execute and hit your shots . . . I think everyone here wants to (win), so why couldn’t a rookie win again?” he said.
And yet, and yet! Of all the Majors, this is one, over a course at Augusta National, that suits certain players.
Time and time again, Mickelson gets into the thick of things. It is where Angel Cabrera annually finds a new lease of life. Where Jason Day, in spite of his mid-20s age bracket, plays as if he knows every blade of grass as well as he does his own garden. Where Justin Rose, prior to his breakthrough Major win in the US Open at Merion last June, has consistently demonstrated an ability to manoeuvre the ball through the azaleas and towering pines.
Many players, among them Rose, have been unusually quiet so far this season.
"I'm coming in with no hype, no expectation, a little under the radar. I feel good," said Rose. For some, this has been part of their plan of campaign; for others, it has been forced on them by injuries. Day has suffered from a thumb injury. Rose has had tendonitis in his shoulder. Mickelson has endured a pulled muscle.
Third leg
McIlroy, in contrast, has carefully plotted his journey to Augusta with the plan to complete the third leg of the Grand Slam.
So, too, Scott. Without a tournament since Bay Hill, Scott has used his time to get his head in the right space and sharpen his game. “You know, there’s probably a list of 20 guys you could go through here, are going to be there on Sunday at some point. And I feel like I’m going to be one of the guys who has got a chance.”
He’s not alone, of course. But, as history tells us repeatedly, those who have won here tend to play well year-in and year-out. Champions enjoy a comfort factor like no other.
McIlroy – one of three Irish players in the field, along with Graeme McDowell and Darren Clarke – has also talked the talk in preparing to walk the walk.
But the 24-year-old Ulsterman knows better than anyone how the deal is closed on a Sunday afternoon.
“It’s definitely different,” said McIlroy of heading into Amen Corner and beyond in the final round. “You can hear the roars on the golf course, you can hear what’s going on on different holes. You know that so many guys have chances for birdies. You know someone is going to come and shoot four- or five-under on that back nine.
“That puts pressure on you, because you know if you don’t do that you’re going to get passed.”
McIlroy has the arsenal to win around here. He knows that. But, then, so do many others. And with weather conditions forecast to be ideal, and the sun augmenting the sub-air underground suction to make the greens harder and firmer as the tournament goes on, the challenge will intrigue and excite. The upshot could be another of those first-time Major winners. Someone cool. Someone calm. Someone cocky. Someone like Patrick Reed.
