Suzann Pettersen has four top-10 finishes in her last four starts

The LPGA Tour is visiting the Atlantis Resort on Paradise Island in the Bahamas for the inaugural Pure-Silk LPGA Classic.

12 inches of rain pelted the islands Tuesday night and Wednesday morning and has forced tour officials to take some drastic measures.

A huge lake has appeared on what was once Nos. 9 and 18. Four other holes on the Ocean Course at the Atlantis Resort are also unplayable. Maintenance crews are working around the clock to pump the extra water back into the ocean but it is a time consuming task.

The LPGA completely canceled play on Thursday and announced that 12 holes would be played on Friday for the first round. The schedule for Saturday is to play another 12 holes. The decision will then be made on Saturday whether or not to play the full 18 holes or finish with a final 12 holes on Sunday.

LPGA Tour rules require a minimum of 36 holes played to deem the tournament an official event on the tour. Three rounds of 12 holes each would total the 36 holes necessary for official money for the players.

There will be no cut this week. The 144 entrants will play all three rounds, but only the top-70 finishers will be paid.

This is the first LPGA Tour event to be played in the Bahamas and the players were looking forward to a good week of golf and recreation on Paradise Island.

The unusual format of only playing 12 holes each day should make for a dramatic tournament. Fewer holes means the players can’t afford a bad hole and birdies become even more important.

Fewer holes also portends a multi-player tie is very possible at the end of play on Sunday.

The tour is attempting to give new sponsor Pure Silk television exposure, the players official money, and fans some golf to watch this weekend.

Jack Nicklaus is promoting 12-hole rounds for faster play and to grow the game. The LPGA Tour is demonstrating to the world that there is more than one way to play tournament golf and make it entertaining.

Sergio Garcia made a racist "fried chicken" comment in England.

Since golf fans watched a youthful Sergio Garcia close his eyes and attempt the go-for-broke shot from behind the tree at No. 16 in the final round at Medinah Country Club in the 1999 PGA Championship, he has been somewhat of a media darling.

His jubilant hop-skip-and-jump across the fairway to watch his golf ball slicing onto the green grabbed golf fans across the world and everyone became immediate fans of the exuberant, 19-year-old Spaniard.

Even through the difficulties of watching an uncertain Garcia grip and re-grip his club while unsympathetic New York golf fans audibly counted out his twitches at Bethpage Black in the 2002 U.S. Open, the rest of the world still gave him the benefit of the doubt.

The golf kingdom, especially European golf fans, felt the deep despair of his failure to make that eight-foot putt for the win on the last hole in the 2007 Open Championship at Carnoustie. Totally deflated he went on to lose the four-hole aggregate playoff to Padraig Harrington.

Garcia revels in the team atmosphere of the Ryder Cup Matches. He never fails to excel for the European Team. Even though he was not a playing member of the 2010 team that defeated the USA at Celtic Manor, European Team Captain, Colin Montgomerie asked Garcia to be an assistant captain for his enthusiasm and spirit.

Sergio Garcia has felt the highs and the lows of professional golf. He wears his feelings prominently for the entire world to see, warts and all.

His recent dust up with Tiger Woods at the Players Championship while the two were paired together is just another in the continuing saga that surrounds him.

Garcia may have tainted his image forever with his latest comments, however.

While on stage in an a black tie affair at Wentworth Club preceding the BMW PGA Championship, he was asked if he would be inviting Tiger Woods to dinner during the U.S. Open at Merion.

Golf Channel reported that he replied, “We will have him around every night.”

The assembled crowd was amused at this comment and laughed.

But then Garcia added the following quip, “We will serve fried chicken.”

This blatant racist remark harkened back to remarks that Fuzzy Zoeller made after Tiger Woods won the 1997 Masters.

When asked by a reporter to comment on Tiger’s win, Zoeller retorted, “Tell him to enjoy it and not serve fried chicken at next year’s champions dinner.”

Golfers are competitors. They are trying to beat each other every time they tee it up. Golf likes to see itself as a “Gentlemen’s Game,” but it is still a very serious sporting battle among serious combatants.

Woods is the ultimate competitor. He has to have a heart like Secretariat to continue to win golf tournaments on aging knees after surviving the personal problems he has faced.

Golfers do not need to like each other. They just have to display appropriate etiquette on the golf course. It would be nice, however, if that proper conduct would carry over into their off-course comments.

Garcia has opened a Pandora’s Box with his most recent comments.

Just ask Fuzzy Zoeller. Attacking Tiger Woods in the media and especially in a racist manner is not a very good strategy.

Webb Simpson won the 2012 U.S. Open using a belly putter

The USGA and the R&A made it official Tuesday, May 21, on their respective websites and at separate press conferences that they will add rule 14-1b to the official rules of golf effective January 1, 2016.

The USGA and the R&A announced last November the proposed rule change to ban the use of the “anchored stroke.”

The USGA rule change states,

“In making a stroke, the player must not anchor the club, either “directly” or by use of an “anchor point.”

Note 1:  The club is anchored “directly” when the player intentionally holds the club or a gripping hand in contact with any part of his body, except that the player may hold the club or a gripping hand against a hand or forearm.

Note 2:  An “anchor point” exists when the player intentionally holds a forearm in contact with any part of his body to establish a gripping hand as a stable point around which the other hand may swing the club.

Rule 14-1b will not alter current equipment rules and allows for the continued use of all conforming golf clubs, including belly-length and long putters, provided such clubs are not anchored during a stroke. The new Rule narrowly targets only a few types of strokes, while preserving a golfer’s ability to play a wide variety of strokes in his or her individual style.”

The USGA and the R&A are the governing bodies of golf and monitor the rules to which the game adheres. The rules makers felt that the recent rush to use long and belly putters adversely affect the free swing of a golf club and provide a potential advantage.

Teachers and instructors have been advising students to adopt the anchored style of putting. Using a fixed point to anchor the club helps to alleviate an uneven stroke caused by jumpy nerves.

A rise in the use of the “anchored stroke” by juniors at USGA and R&A sanctioned events was also cause for concern and the ruling bodies felt the time was now to make the rule change.

At a time when golf manufacturers and golf courses struggle to find willing golfers to buy new equipment and pay greens fees, this decision seems to have an adverse affect on the golf industry.

The USGA and the R&A felt this was the necessary time to act.

Make no mistake the USGA and the R&A have ruled, we make the rules here. We don’t care if banning the “anchored stroke” affects your golf club making company, your Saurday $2 nassau, or your ability to earn a living on the PGA Tour.

The “anchored stroke” will no longer be legal after January 1, 2016.

Ken Venturi won the 1964 U.S. Open at Congressional

Ken Venturi died yesterday at the age of 82. He won the 1964 U.S. Open at Congressional Country Club in stifling heat and nearly suffered heat stroke during the final round.

Even tough, Venturi was a former U.S. Open Champion and top-ranked amateur golfer, he was best known for his 35-year-career as the lead golf announcer for the CBS television network.

He witnessed and announced some of the best moments in golf history over his broadcasting career.

Venturi was runner-up in the Masters on two different occasions. After firing a record 66 in the first round in 1956, he eventually finished second as a 24-year-old amateur. It was the best showing ever for an amateur player at Augusta National.

Finally turning professional later in 1956, he was one of the last great amateur players to compete against professionals.

Venturi was also one of the final links to some of golf’s great historical moments.

While still an amateur, he was employed by Eddie Lowery at his Lincoln dealership in San Francisco. Lowery had been Francis Ouimet’s 10-year-old caddy when Ouimet became the first American to win the U.S. Open in 1913 at The Country Club in Brookline, Massachusetts.

Ouimet, only 20 years old at the time and with Lowery at his side, beat the greatest golfers of the era, Ted Ray and Harry Vardon, both from England. This triumph has been immortalized in the movie “The Greatest Game Ever Played.”

Lowery introduced a young Venturi to Bing Crosby, Bob Hope, Byron Nelson and Ben Hogan.

Byron Nelson became a mentor to Venturi and helped develop the swing that would make him a U.S. Open winner.

Hogan and Venturi became friends, as wells as, competitors and played many practice rounds together.

Venturi was also the last living link in one of the greatest golf matches ever played. Eddie Lowery initiated a high stakes golf match between the two best amateurs of the time, Harvie Ward and Ken Venturi, versus two of the best professional golfer of the era, Byron Nelson and Ben Hogan.

The players were all assembled on the Monterey Peninsula for Bing Crosby’s Clambake and Lowery arranged a large wager with wealthy golf adversary, George Coleman. The match was played on famed Cypress Point in relative obscurity and the true details of the match did not become public until many years later.

Mark Frost’s book, “The Match: The Day the Game of Golf Changed Forever,” was written about that famed 18-hole match played in California.

Venturi developed a friendship with Frank Sinatra that lasted throughout both men’s lives.

He was forced to take time away from his golf career and served his country in Korea as a soldier in the U.S. Army.

Although he was in the hospital recovering from surgery, he was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame earlier this month.

Ken Venturi had the opportunity to know and play golf on the finest golf courses in the world with players like, Hogan and Nelson. He was a top-ranked amateur and later a professional in the developmental years of the PGA Tour. Because of his friendship with Eddie Lowery, he provided a link to the early years of American golf.

Throughout his years as a golf announcer for CBS, he was able to witness some of the greatest moments in golf history.

If a man’s life is measured by the friends he makes and the company he keeps, Venturi’s was a life truly lived to the fullest and is legendary in the golf world.

Sergio Garcia and Tiger Woods were paired together in the third round at the Players Championship

Tiger Woods may have had some added incentive to beat Sergio Garcia on Sunday at the Players Championship.

Woods does not like being accused of being anything less than a consummate professional on the golf course, especially in front of the media and golf fans.

Referring to his pairing with Woods in the third round on Saturday, according to Cindy Boren of the Washington Post, Garcia made this comment to the media about playing with Woods,

“I’m not going to lie, he’s not my favorite guy to play with. He’s not the nicest guy on tour.”

Woods used Sergio’s comments on Saturday as more fuel to fire his already insatiable appetite for another big win.

An issue arose on the second hole. Garcia hit his drive into the middle of the fairway on the par-5, while Woods pulled his drive far left into the trees.

As Woods chose a fairway wood from his bag the crowd surrounding him cheered his aggressive play from the trees.

Their cheer coincided with Garcia’s backswing. He came up and out of the shot and pushed it badly into the trees on the right side of the fairway. Clearly displeased, he immediately turned and glared at Woods.

During a weather delay on Saturday, Garcia had this to say on NBC concerning his missed shot on No. 2,

“He (Woods) moved all of the crowd that he needed to move, I waited for that. I wouldn’t say that he didn’t see that I was ready, but you have to feel when the other guy is going to hit and right as I was in the top of my backswing , I think he must have pulled a 5-wood or a 3-wood and obviously everybody started screaming. So that didn’t help very much.”

This is yet another incident in the continuing saga of the Woods/Garcia rivalry. Woods and Garcia have been paired together five times and except for the made for television “Battle of the Bighorn” exhibition match in 2000, Woods has won every time.

After play was suspended on Saturday, Woods made these comments to the press concerning the matter,

“Obviously, he (Garcia) doesn’t know all of the facts. The Marshall said he already hit and I pulled the 5-wood and hit. It’s not really surprising, he was complaining about something.”

Tiger Woods likes to win. The money is nice, but he plays to win. He will use every advantage given to him to try to win. When he is leading, he purposely hits to the safe side of the green to force his opponent to play to the pin.

He is one of the best strategists the game of golf has ever seen. He knows his strengths, as well as, his weaknesses. He rarely tries a shot that he is not comfortable attempting.

Garcia, on the other hand, has some insecurity issues and will allow outside influences to affect his play.

When it was announced that Woods and Garcia would be paired together on Saturday golf fans everywhere made bets on how long it would take Garcia to become distracted.

To his credit except for the situation at No. 2, Garcia remained calm and even with a two-hour rain delay and an overnight suspension of play during the round, posted even-par 72.

Woods’ record at TPC Sawgrass is not impressive. He only has one win in this tournament in 16 starts.

TPC Sawgrass is a position golf course. Woods cannot use his power to dominate shorter hitters here. He is required to hit certain spots on the golf course to set up iron shots into the greens and avoid the abundant quantities of sand and water that Pete Dye has littered about the golf course.

This is his fourth win in 2013 and it is the earliest Woods has won four events in a calendar year.

He is also preparing for the U.S. Open that will be held at Merion Country Club near Philadelphia next month. Merion is an old course and will play short and tight. Woods will be forced to leave his driver in the bag and play to certain spots just like he did this week at TPC Sawgrass.

Sergio calling out Woods and making an issue out of the club pulling incident on Saturday only added fuel to a very hot fire that is burning right now in Tiger Woods.

He knows “Old Man Tyme” is closing in on his golf career. If he is to reach 19 career major championships the time to start winning is at hand.

He is a 37-year-old man playing on a 60-year-old’s legs. He has not won a major since the 2008 U.S. Open at Torrey Pines.

This win on a golf course that does not allow him to use his length and makes him play like everyone else has to be very satisfying.

The fact that Sergio Garcia drowned his golf ball on No. 17 trying to chase him, is icing on the cake.

Vijay Singh is suing the PGA Tour

Play begins today in the Players Championship, but the main story coming out of TPC Sawgrass concerns the lawsuit filed yesterday by Vijay Singh against the PGA Tour.

Steve DiMeglio of USA Today reported that Singh claims, “the PGA Tour violated its duty of care and good faith.” It also accuses the tour of exposing Singh, “to public shame and ridicule for months.”

Charges of using a banned substance were brought against Singh when he admitted in a Sports Illustrated article in February that he was using Deer Antler Spray which apparently unbeknownst to him contained IGH-1.

IGH-1 was on the prohibited list prepared by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). The PGA Tour uses the WADA prohibited list in its anti-doping program.

Under its anti-doping policy the PGA Tour was forced to investigate Singh’s use of the illegal substance and he was notified that he would receive a suspension as punishment.

Singh then filed an appeal with the tour and the appeal process was under way when the announcement came last week that WADA was pulling IGH-1 off their prohibited list and it would not be a banned substance going forward.

WADA cited that IGH-1 must be consumed in extremely large quantities to affect individual performance. The American Medical Association (AMA) had advised WADA that IGH-1 was a non-factor as a performance enhancing substance. WADA also admitted that a positive test for IGH-1 could not be proven because there is no current test available for IGH-1.

PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem held a press conference last Tuesday. He announced that upon receipt of this news from WADA the PGA Tour was dropping its pending suspension against Singh. He pronounced the matter closed.

There are some problems with Singh’s lawsuit.

It appears that the PGA Tour acted completely in accordance with its anti-doping policy. Every tour player receives a copy of the anti-doping manual and the banned substance list is continually provided to tour players.

The policy clearly states that each player is solely responsible for substances ingested. Each player individually signs an agreement that they understand the PGA Tour’s anti-doping policy and will adhere to it.

Singh publicly admitted in the Sports Illustrated article that he was taking a banned substance. The PGA Tour did not accuse him prior to the article being published. It only initiated action after it was forced to by terms of its anti-doping policy.

The PGA Tour did not deem to discredit Singh or take up a campaign against him in the media or otherwise. In fact the PGA Tour has a strict “no comment’ stance on any fines or actions taken against its members.

The process was continuing exactly as structured by the anti-doping manual.

Golf will become an Olympic sport in the 2016 games held in Brazil. The IOC has very strict drug abuse rules and the PGA Tour is attempting to conform to that rule structure in their anti-doping policy.

Additional blood testing of PGA Tour players will undoubtedly be required in the future to meet IOC rules.

When Singh joined the PGA Tour he signed a contract that states he will not sue the PGA Tour due to its actions. It seems his lawyers overlooked that clause.

He has been a member of the PGA Tour since 1993. He has won three major championships and was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2006. The PGA Tour has provided Singh the opportunity to earn over $67 million in his career and millions more in sponsor endorsements.

The filing of this lawsuit was timed for maximum coverage and to tarnish the Players Championship. The Players Championship is owned solely by the PGA Tour. It offers the largest purse in golf and annually hosts the strongest field of any golf tournament.

Vijay Singh has declared war on the PGA Tour and fired a very big shot across its bow.

The PGA Tour is run by the commissioner and his staff, but it is ultimately owned by the players.

Singh will have to face the people he is suing when he walks into the locker room at TPC Sawgrass. That may be a little awkward at best.

If this lawsuit is structured to bring about change in how banned substances are added or subtracted to the prohibited list. If it is directed more at WADA and the administration of its rules pertaining to individual athlete’s rights then it may have a some redeeming value for athlete’s that find themselves in the same situation in the future.

It appears, however, that this was born out of anger at the PGA Tour for trying to enforce its anti-doping policy which had been understood and approved by Singh as a member of the PGA Tour.

Maybe there are too many attorneys in the world.

Tom Watson nearly won the 2009 Open Championship at age 59.

Better nutrition, physical fitness and attention to health have drastically increased the length of a professional golfer’s competitive career.

Every athlete understands that their body will only allow them to compete for a short period of time. Once an athlete reaches their 40’s the human body does not respond well to physical stress and athletic endeavors.

Golf may allow a longer career but the clock is always ticking.

Recently Vijay Singh and Steve Stricker have continued to win on the PGA Tour well into their 40’s.

Singh has won 21 PGA Tour tournaments since turning 40 in 2003. He was 45 years old when he added the 2008 FedEx Cup to his career achievements.

46-year-old Steve Stricker recently announced that he would limit his playing appearances, but has won nine tournaments since turning 40 in 2007.

42-year-old Darren Clarke won the 2011 Open Championship and Ernie Els was also 42 when he won the Open Championship last year. Several PGA Tour players have continued to be competitive into their late 40’s and even into their early 50’s.

53-year-old Fred Couples continues to perform well at the Masters every year. With his free flowing swing and love for Augusta National, it will surprise no one if he continues to be a factor for a few more years.

Sam Snead began his professional golfing career in 1936 and continued to defy the aging process by winning golf tournaments over five decades. His last PGA Tour win came at age 59 in 1971, but he made the cut in the 1973 U.S. Open at age 61. Snead also finished T-3 in the 1974 PGA Championship while 62.

Sam Snead won in five different decades

Julius Boros won the 1968 PGA Championship at Pecan Valley Golf Club in San Antonio, Texas at the tender age of 48. He also won later that year at the Westchester Classic.

Jack Nicklaus first joined PGA Tour in 1961 and won the 1962 U.S. Open at Oakmont Country Club, in Arnold Palmer’s back yard. He won his last major 24 years later at the 1986 Masters at the age of 46.

Although he posted top-10 finishes in the 1990 and 1998 Maters, he was not a factor on the PGA Tour after the 1986 Masters. He did win eight majors on the Champions Tour, however. His last came at age 56 in the 1996 Traditions.

Perhaps the greatest example of a veteran athlete turning back the clock occurred when 59-year-old, Tom Watson nearly won his sixth Claret Jug in the 2009 Open Championship at Turnberry. He led the oldest major championship all three rounds and except for a missed four-foot putt on the 72^nd hole would have beaten all of the young guys.

Gary Player is one of the honorary starters at the Masters each year. He last played in that event in 2009 at 74, but he had made the cut at the Masters while 63 in 1998.

Player, now 77, was a huge proponent of physical fitness throughout his career and just recently competed in the Demaret Division of the Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf with 72-year-old Jack Nicklaus as his partner.

Two-time Masters Champion, Ben Crenshaw now 61, holds no expectations of winning a third Green Jacket, and he is rapidly approaching the decision whether or not to continue to compete in the Masters.

Gentle Ben was never the longest off the tee and the modern bomb and gouge game leaves aging short hitters in the dust.

Modern technology has helped extend golf careers. Improved shaft and club design have helped aging professionals maintain the length necessary to compete with the young guns.

Who will ever forget this image of Jack Nicklaus winning the 1986 Masters

Golf balls are chosen to fit a particular golfer’s swing speed. Every law of physics is used to provide a golfer with proper spin rate, ball speed, launch angle and maximum ball flight.

Tiger Woods has brought the necessity of a fitness regimen to the PGA Tour. Players today spend time in the gym and are better all around athletes. Improved physical conditioning helps golfers avoid injury and extend their playing careers.

Golfers, like Steve Stricker, that possess a simple low stress swing will be able to compete well into their 50’s and 60’s.

59-year-old Tom Watson’s performance in the 2009 Open Championship is the exception to the rule, but even with better fitness and modern technology, players lose their ability to be competitive in their early to mid 50’s.

It would be a rarity and a surprise if someone would break the mold to win a PGA Tour event after the age of 60.

Mental toughness and physical ability diminish rapidly after the age of 50. A younger man bombing 325-yard drives and firing wedges to within birdie range has the advantage over wily veteran golfers forced to hit 7-irons.

Several Champions Tour players have continued to win on the PGA Tour after the age of 50, but it is a very rare event.

There are several examples to prove the statement that professional golfers can compete well into their 40’s, but it becomes a rarity after the age of 50 and never after age 60.

Adam Scott and Angel Cabrera share a hug at the 2013 Masters

Augusta National has returned to the peaceful serene domain of the membership. The patrons and media have moved on to Hilton Head for the RBC Heritage and can only look forward to revisiting the stately pines of the home of Bobby Jones next year.

A lasting image from the 2013 Masters was the sportsmanship that Angel Cabrera demonstrated in his loss. He has gained a tremendous amount of respect for the manner in which he handled the gut wrenching loss.

Cabrera at 43 years old is approaching the back nine of his golfing career. He already has a Green Jacket in his closet and was perilously close to collecting a second one last week.

He also won the 2007 U.S. Open at Oakmont by one shot over Jim Furyk and Tiger Woods, but his chances of winning major championships in the future are dwindling.

The Argentine has won five events on the European Tour including his two major championship titles and has another 42 victories in lesser events in South America and other parts of the world.

A win last week at Augusta National would have given him three major titles and guaranteed his induction to the World Golf Hall of Fame.

A win at the Masters would also have given him a five-year exemption into the majors and would have allowed him entrance into major championships until the age of 48.

There was a lot riding for this wily veteran and he put his best efforts into attempting to win. With his son on the bag, children and even his grandchildren watching, he seemed to truly enjoy the competition and hit some magnificent shots in his final round.

When Adam Scott holed his birdie putt on the 72^nd hole with Cabrera standing 160 yards away in the fairway to take a one-shot lead, he knew he had to make birdie to force a playoff.

Golfers look for the pure strike between club and ball. Rarely are they able to execute the shot that they visualize as successfully as Cabrera did on No. 18. His iron shot came to rest just three feet from the cup and he calmly stroked in the birdie to tie Scott. It had to be a very special moment for Cabrera to accomplish that perfect shot.

Coming up short with his second shot at No. 18 in the playoff, Cabrera, once again, came very close to holing his chip shot that would have forced Scott to make his birdie putt or face elimination.

After missing his birdie putt on the second playoff hole at No. 10, Cabrera could only watch as Scott was able to hole his birdie putt for the win.

Throughout all of the drama and tension, Cabrera maintained his composure, congratulated Scott with a hug and further complimented him in his post-round media interviews.

Scott and Cabrera have been teammates on Presidents Cup teams in the past. They have a mutual respect for each other and it was exhibited during and after their final rounds.

Adam Scott won his first major and is a very popular Masters Champion, but Angel Cabrera gained a multitude of new fans around the golf kingdom.

He will be remembered as much for his class and grace in the loss as for his two previous major championship wins.

Adam Scott and caddie Steve Williams celebrate his Masters Win

Adam Scott was one of the players at the top of the list that no professional golfer wants to be a member of, the best player to have not won a major.

That dubious honor no longer applies to the 32-year-old from Australia. His win also excited an entire nation, an Australian golfer had never won the Masters prior to Scott’s win.

Greg Norman had so many disappointments at Augusta National in his career and countless other great Australians had never been able to get the job done.

Scott has had moments in his career when golf fans questioned his focus and ability to close out golf tournaments. Most recently he took a substantial lead into the final round of the 2012 Open Championship at Royal Lytham. Coming down the stretch, he bogeyed the final four holes and lost the Claret Jug to Ernie Els.

Scott has nine wins on the PGA Tour, nine wins in Europe and has won big events in the past. He won the 2004 Players Championship and the 2011 WGC-Bridgestone by four strokes over Luke Donald at Firestone Country Club.

No one will be able to question his heart and competitive drive after his performance at Augusta National on Sunday afternoon.

Scott won with one of the most dramatic finishes in Masters’ history. He made two clutch birdies to close out Cabrera and win the Green Jacket.

After an even-par front nine he birdied both par-5’s on the back side and headed to the 72^nd tee tied with Angel Cabrera for the lead.

His drive finished just short of the deep fairway bunker and put his second shot 20 feet right of the pin. Scott like all of the golfers in the field struggled with the speed of the greens on Sunday. Player after player left putts short and over played the break due to the moisture from a steady rain all day in the last round.

He had missed several putts throughout his round that would have given him a commanding lead.

With Cabrera watching from the fairway, Scott rolled a perfect putt and made a birdie to jump one-shot ahead of Cabrera. The joy and relief exhibited by Scott when his putt found the bottom of the cup was truly a celebration for the ages and was witnessed by the millions watching the final round.

Cabrera accepted the challenge and struck a perfect short iron to within five feet and made his birdie to force the playoff with Scott.

Angel Cabrera birdied the 72nd hole to force a playoff

Both players made par on the first playoff hole and even after his emotional release on the last hole, Scott drove it perfectly on No. 18.

The playoff then moved to No. 10, the same hole that Bubba Watson struck his historic shot and beat Louis Oosthuizen last year.

Scott and Cabrera found the green in regulation at the second playoff hole. Cabrera was away and just missed his birdie effort. The stage was set for Adam Scott.

He read one-cup of break in the putt, but his caddy Steve Williams, convinced him to add more break. As darkness fell on Augusta National, his ten-footer found the left edge and fell to the bottom of the cup.

Adam Scott with the Green Jacket

All of Australia celebrated the win and a huge pressure has been lifted from Scott’s shoulders.

He mentioned in his post-round remarks that every golfer learns much more from their defeats than their wins.

Scott proved that he is an honor student, because he definitely applied his education to win his first major title and a new Green Jacket for his wardrobe.

Three players at or near the top of the leaderboard at the Masters are seeking the credentials that will gain them induction to the World Golf Hall of Fame.

Angel Cabrera is tied for the lead after 54 holes at the Masters

Angel Cabrera is 43 years old and has two major championship wins on his resume’. A third major title would guarantee his induction. He has five European Tour wins, one win on the Asian Tour, and 42 lesser professional wins to go along with his two major titles.

Cabrera is a natural swinger of the golf club and creates prodigious length off the tee. He also possesses the hands of a surgeon for short chips and finesse shots around the green.

The two major titles may just be enough to gain entry in the Hall of Fame, but a win today would guarantee it.

Steve Stricker is at two-under par, just five shots behind the leaders.  At 46 years of age, he is nearing the end of his illustrious golfing career.

He has seen the absolute lows that any professional golfer can experience. He won three PGA Tour events prior to 2001 culminating with a win at the WGC-Accenture Match Play in February, 2001.

Steve Stricker starts the final round at the Masters five shots back.

Thereafter he fell into an inexplicable slump. Stricker has always been an excellent iron player with a deft putting touch on the green, but he completely lost the ability to keep his ball on the golf course with the driver.

He went home to Madison, Wisconsin and hit balls from a shed into the snow until he found a swing that would allow him to regain his championship form and was able resume winning again at the 2007 Barclay’s.

He has been named the PGA Tour’s Comeback Player of the Year on two consecutive occasions, 2006 and 2007. He has 12 victories on tour and was honored with the 2012 Payne Stewart Award.

Sticker has been on numerous Ryder and Presidents Cup Teams normally paired with Tiger Woods in team events.

The only thing lacking in his career is a major title. Today would be a perfect time to punch his ticket to a Hall of Fame ceremony in St. Augustine.

Lee Westwood has 22 career European Tour wins. He was that tour’s Order of Merit winner in 2000 and 2009. He was named European Tour Player of the year in 1998, 2000 and again in 2009. He has two wins on the PGA Tour, but does not have that all-important major victory.

Lee Westwood needs a major victory to validate his career.

He is truly an international player and takes pride in the fact that he has won golf tournaments in Japan, Asia, South Africa and Australia.

Westwood turned professional in 1993, and like Stricker, has experienced the lowest of lows in golf. He had even considered quitting the game at one time.

Westwood, at two-under par, five shots behind the leaders, has a shot to post a low round and apply pressure to the leaders behind him. A low round plus the leaders struggling could put him in a Green Jacket.

He has returned from the darkest depths and has won everywhere around the world. A win today at the Masters would validate an extraordinary golfing career and guarantee a spot in the Hall of Fame.