There’s a whole world out there. In the heat of the semester at Hillsdale, it can be easy to forget that. But while we are lost in our study of the western tradition, a dedicated group of people from across the world look to Augusta, Georgia, and get lost in “a tradition unlike any other.”
The first week in April, every golfer knows, is appropriately called “Masters Week.” For those of us who aren’t fortunate enough to spend this week in Augusta, this looks a lot like the hysteria caused by the first few rounds of March Madness.The golfers among us will endlessly stream footage on their phones and laptops, scroll through the leaderboard, and become enchanted once more by green jackets and greener fairways.
Every sport has its heroes, and golf is no different. This April, Tiger Woods makes his return to the Masters after missing the last two due to injury. The four-time Masters champion is in good form leading up to the event, finishing tied for fifth at 10-under par at the Arnold Palmer Invitational in March and a tied-second 9-under par the week prior at the Valspar Championship.
Also drawing attention, Rory McIlroy aims to complete a career grand slam by winning the Masters. Having won the other three major championships in his successful career, this one remains elusive, ever since having his best chance at victory slip away on the back nine in 2012. McIlroy won the Arnold Palmer Invitational at 18-under par, and will likely have a strong finish this year at Augusta.
For some, however, the best part of the Masters is the lack of predictability. The favorites rarely win comfortably. Inevitably, someone the commentators didn’t expect to do well shows up in the final few pairings on Saturday and Sunday. Everything that happens seems to be historical in some way.
The first round of play begins Thursday morning, April 5, and concludes on Sunday, April 8. Watch it on CBS or streamed from Masters.com on someone’s phone in class.