Masterful ending at Masters

By Eric Nelson

Another Masters has come and gone and I'm still struggling to comprehend why it continues to be labeled as a "tradition like none other." I mean, you have got to give it to them; the idea of winning a "green jacket" is pretty awesome.

But besides the unique jacket, the only aspect in which the Masters differentiated itself from any other large sports tournament were the masses of well pampered, middle-aged Caucasian males continually trouncing up and down on even more pampered sheets of grass.

Saying all of this, however, I must admit that I do admire the game of golf. And although I still have a hard time understanding why it has been dubbed a gentlemen's sport, mainly due to my tendency to curse vehemently and throw my club after shanking a ball, this year The Masters provided some darn good entertainment. From 21-year old Rory McIlroy's Sunday meltdown to Chuck Schwartzel's meteoric rise to fame with a clinching performance capped off with four straight birdies, there were plenty of great moments.

Schwartzel's win marked him as the tenth different person to win The Masters in as many years. As for the favorites, newly top ranked Lee Westwood and the defending champ Phil Mickelson were nowhere to be seen.

However, one all too familiar name could be seen hovering just in and out of sight on the leader boards. Ill give you a clue, he's the highest grossing athlete ever and has a penchant for putting his golf balls where they don't belong. That's right, Tiger's coming back!

I wanted to let loose with a wild whoop of joy. I miss you Tiger; the game of golf misses you. For the first time since 2007, Tiger held a part of the lead heading into the final stretch. In addition to losing his college sweetheart, he's been bashed by the media, deserted by his corporate sponsors, and abandoned by his fans, but none of that seemed to matter on Sunday.

Shooting his lowest round ever at The Masters on Sunday with a 67, the old Tiger seemed to be back with a vengeance. Despite enduring the longest nuclear winter of his career and going 17 months since his last victory, Tiger was on the tip of everybody's tongue. But with a 3-putt on the twelfth hole and another miss on an easy short putt on the sixteenth, Tiger could only watch as the young South African disengaged himself from the pack to stand alone at the top. With its second best TV ratings in the past decade, The Masters delivered a Sunday filled with excitement and a stunning ending. As for Tiger, back to that big empty house in Orlando, but this time, with something slightly more positive on his mind.