Loose Impediments

Giving Their Best Shots

I imagine that if the USGA could somehow make it happen, it would hold the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach every other year, alternating with various other courses around the country. And why not? Pebble is wildly popular among fans, players and sponsors; it is beautiful, both in person and on television; and in each of the four Opens it has hosted, Pebble has proven to be the ultimate kingmaker. 

Think of other quintessential, classic U.S. Open sites. Each has allowed a lurker to steal the spotlight: Olympic (Jack Fleck, 1955), Oakmont (Sam Parks, 1935), Oakland Hills (Steve Jones, 1996), Winged Foot (Geoff Ogilvy, 2006), Merion (David Graham, 1981).

Not so Pebble. 

Insider’s Guide to Pebble Beach

Playing Pebble for the first time? Here are 18 tips for making that long-awaited round as memorable as possible.

When to go: There is never a bad time, but the winter can get rainy and the summer can have fog, known as the “June Gloom.” It is warmest in the fall.

How to get on: For advance tee times, you have to stay at the resort. But the course offers same-day availability for non-guests, so it is possible to get on, especially if you’re a single.

If you stay: Book a room at the Inn at Spanish Bay. It’s not at the course, but the setting is more intimate, and the drive to the course along 17 Mile Drive will help offset the bout of nerves that will no doubt hit you on the 1st tee.

Warming up: The driving range is off campus, so you need to take a shuttle. Allow for extra time.

U.S. Open Playlist

Music can move us in a way mere words sometimes can't. In that spirit, here is a playlist that recaps the 2009 U.S. Open at Bethpage Black.

Preview of the 109th U.S. Open at Bethpage Black, the longest course in tournament history
AC/DC: "Back in Black"
Billy Joel: "New York State of Mind"
The Beatles: "The Long and Winding Road"

Pre-Tournament Favorites: Woods and Mickelson, who turned 39 on Tuesday and was serenaded by the gallery
Survivor: "Eye of the Tiger"
Stevie Wonder: "Happy Birthday"

Thursday: Play suspended at 10:16 am
Credence Clearwater Revival: "Who'll Stop the Rain?"
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers: "The Waiting"

Friday: After a lengthy delay, the weather clears and first-round leader Mike Weir flirts with the 18-hole Open scoring record before shooting 64.
Jimmy Cliff: "I Can See Clearly Now"
"O Canada"

Saturday: More delays, and Ricky Barnes sets the 36-hole scoring record of 132
Eurythmics: "Here Comes the Rain Again"
Steely Dan: "Rikki Don't Lose that Number"

Sunday: Barnes and Lucas Glover separate themselves by the end of the day
Ryan Adams: "Two"

Monday: Glover and Barnes slip on the front nine, and many players have a chance, but former Clemson All-American Glover birdies the 16th to win his first major.
The Bangles: "Manic Monday"
Clemson Marching Band: "Tiger Rag"

10 Best Shots in Masters History

Great shots are what make for great tournaments. In the 75-year history of the Masters, there have been numerous shots worthy of the first major of the year. Here is a list of the 10 best shots in Masters history, excluding putts.

1. Gene Sarazen
Year: 1935
Hole: 15th
Round: Fourth
The "shot heard 'round the world," Sarazen's double eagle with a 4-wood from 220 yards erased Craig Woods' deficit. The next day, Sarazen defeated Wood in a 36-hole playoff, and the shot helped elevate the Masters' status in the golf world.

10 Worst Shots in Masters History

The Masters isn't always about great shots and the accompanying roars. Augusta National easily can expose the flaws of even the best players in the world, and sometimes the spectators' groans can reverberate through the pines.

Here is a list of the 10 worst shots in Masters history.

1. Scott Hoch
Year: 1989
Hole: 10th
Round: Playoff
Hoch's par putt on the first playoff hole would have won him the 1989 Masters. Instead, his miss extended his playoff with Nick Faldo, who made birdie on the next hole to win the first of his three green jackets.

Ranking Augusta's Holes

It's always to fun to stand by the 1st fairway, near where many spectators enter the grounds of Augusta National, and see the awe on their faces as they see the course for the first time. These first-timers are happy just to be among the sea of perfectly manicured turf, tall pines and hills that match the course's epic scale.

As they learn more about the course, they will soon learn that not every verdant fairway is created equal. Here is how the 18 holes rank in one observer's view:

1. Azalea, No. 13
Par 5, 510 yards
The ultimate risk/reward hole. A perfectly sculpted tee shot can leave a mid-iron into the green, protected by a tributary of Rae's Creek. But the hole's excitement comes after an average drive, which leaves the player with a tantalizing second shot that is short enough to be reachable but long enough to put serious doubts in the player's mind.

10 Best Rounds in Masters History

Negotiating a single round at Augusta National demands everything from long, straight drives to precise distance control to an imaginative short game to unwavering concentration. Add to that the pressure and atmosphere of the Masters, and it's amazing that the competitors can pull the trigger on any single shot, much less put together mind-blowing rounds that have been immortalized in the game's long, rich history.

Of all the great rounds in Masters history, here are the 10 best.

1. Jack Nicklaus
Year: 1986
Score: 65, final round
After a ho-hum front nine, the 46-year-old Nicklaus found another gear on the back nine. He made five birdies and an eagle, including the stretch from holes 15 to 17 where he went eagle-birdie-birdie to take the lead.

10 Best Masters Tournaments

For the the first time since I began watching the Masters, I was actually bored watching the telecast the past two years, and found myself wishing that there were more than four minutes of commercials every hour.

The lack of excitement of the past two Masters can be summed up in the dubious marks that were achieved each year. In 2007 Zach Johnson shot 1-over 289, tying for the highest winning score in Masters history. Last year Trevor Immelman shot 75, tying for the highest final-round score by a winner. And he won by three, which means he could have shot 77 and still won. Yawn.

Here's hoping that this year's Masters has a bit more drama and interest, enough to challenge for a spot on the following list of the 10 best Masters Tournaments in history.

Best Players without a Green Jacket

The U.S. Open has Sam Snead and Nick Faldo. The British Open has Byron Nelson, while the PGA Championship can claim Arnold Palmer and Tom Watson.

While the other three majors can claim one of the all-time greats among those who have failed to win that event, the Masters' biggest victim isn't quite an undisputed legend, which speaks to the quality of the course and the event. (Of course, we're not counting players like Harry Vardon, Walter Hagen and Bobby Jones, whose primes preceded the Masters, which began in 1934.)

This week, in addition to Tiger and Phil, the focus will be on Greg Norman and Padraig Harrington, both of whom are on the following list of the 10 best players to have never won the Masters. This ranking kicks off an entire week of Masters lists, which will be posted on the following days:

Tuesday: 10 dark horse picks
Wednesday: 10 best Masters
Thursday: 10 best rounds in Masters history
Friday: Ranking Augusta National's holes
Saturday: 10 worst shots in Masters history
Sunday: 10 best shots in Masters history

While this is Norman's last opportunity to take his name off this list, other players, like Harrington and Ernie Els, have several chances remaining.

10 Best Golf Scenes from Movies

The Academy Awards take place this Sunday, and as usual, golf is underrepresented among the Best Picture nominees. (Caddyshack II was robbed!) Here is my list of the 10 best golf scenes in movies.

1. Caddyshack (1980)

In this completely ad-libbed scene, Carl Spackler (Bill Murray) lives out every golfer’s fantasy—a Cinderella story winning the Masters. Swiping at flowers with a garden tool, he hits an imaginary 8-iron from 195 yards—and “It’s in the hole!” The next scene—"I don't think the heavy stuff's going to come down for quite a while"—isn't bad either. In fact, nearly every scene from the movie could make this list.