Brickyard Crossing Pro Eager To Hear Tiger’s Roar at The Masters
April 05, 2018 | By Paul Kelly, Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Green usually is the dominant color at Augusta National Golf Club during The Masters.
The deep emerald green grass of the tees, fairways, rough and greens is lush and flawless. The winner of arguably the world’s most prestigious golf tournament receives a green suit jacket. And the winner also will earn serious green – more than $1.9 million from a purse of $11 million.
But there’s one other color that may figure prominently this weekend at Augusta for the first time in three years – red. That’s the color of the Nike golf shirt that Tiger Woods always wears during the final round of tournaments. It’s become as feared and famous in golf as the yellow racing helmet worn by three-time Formula One champion Ayrton Senna or the black No. 3 Goodwrench Chevrolet of Dale Earnhardt.
Woods, 42, will play in The Masters for the first time since 2015 after recovering from back and knee injuries, and his game looks to be in great shape for a run at a fifth Masters title. That’s good news for the tournament and great news for golf, said Jeff Williams, PGA director of golf at Brickyard Crossing Golf Course on the grounds of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
“Golf is in a good place with the young guns that are there,” Williams said. “Jordan Spieth, Justin Thomas, Bubba Watson, Jason Day – it’s endless how many young guns there are. But there’s no Tiger. He’s kind of the Michael Jordan of golf, coming back and looks as good as ever.
“Moving the needle, he is the needle. Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer set the table; Tiger pushed it to a whole another level. These gentlemen would not be playing for the money they’re playing for if not for Tiger. And now to see Tiger back where we saw him, in his prime, we’re hoping and praying we can see him in contention.
“He absolutely has a chance to win, and it would be absolutely incredible for golf if he was there on the back nine on Sunday.”
Players who hit long, accurate drives are rewarded at Augusta. But Williams thinks the old adage “drive for show, putt for dough” still will hold true this weekend. Mistakes on the green can cause a player’s score to skyrocket.
“If you go and see that golf course and you see how severe those greens are, you can basically putt it off the greens on half of them,” Williams said. “You have to hit it so high and be so precise. This week isn’t about just hitting it to the middle of the green and playing. You have to play to a 5-foot shelf, an area.
“They just keep making the course even tougher and even more treacherous.”
Williams also cautions fans not to place too much stock into less-experienced players who shoot a low score and in contention during the first two rounds Thursday and Friday. There’s a good chance that player will wilt under the pressure and tougher pin placements of the two weekend rounds.
“It’s not a sprint; it’s a marathon,” Williams said. “Everybody thinks you shoot 65 on Thursday or Friday, and you’re going to win it, and you’re never even in the mix when you shoot those special first-round scores.”
Still, what makes The Masters so fascinating and captivating is that the favorite arguably hasn’t won the event since Woods’ last three victories, in 2001, 2002 and 2005, Williams said. Instead, strong but unsung players such as Danny Willett, Angel Cabrera, Trevor Immelman and Bubba Watson have slipped into a new green jacket Sunday evening in Butler Cabin at Augusta.
But Williams predicts that trend will change this year.
“I do think this year one of the big boys is going to win it,” Williams said. “This year I would take DJ (Dustin Johnson), Rory (McIlroy) and Tiger up against the field. I think this year is a defining year for one of those three.”
Williams is partial to Johnson this year. Johnson entered The Masters last year on a roll, winning twice in the early months of the season and climbing to No. 1 in the world rankings. But he slipped on a staircase during Masters week and injured his back, withdrawing just moments before the tee time for his first round.
“Dustin Johnson is so driven right now,” Williams said. “He loves being not in the spotlight. Last year he was dominating and won a few times going into The Masters. DJ isn’t getting the attention right now, and I think he has something to prove to himself and everybody. He wants The Masters badly.”
But regardless of who’s atop the leader board this week and weekend, one player will capture the world’s attention. Tiger.
It’s no different at Brickyard Crossing, the Pete Dye-designed 18-hole championship course that includes four holes inside the IMS oval. The course opened for the season in mid-March, and there’s plenty of buzz about Woods’ comeback.
“Everyone stops at the TV and says, ‘How is Tiger doing?’ as they’re walking through the Golf Shop, and then they move on,” Williams said. “The TV is like a traffic signal.”
And if that famous man in the red shirt can stop his foes this Sunday, he’ll add a fifth green jacket and plenty of green bills to his bank account.
For more information about Brickyard Crossing or to book a tee time, visit www.brickyardcrossing.com. The course will host the Indy Women in Tech Championship LPGA tournament Aug. 16-19.
“When the Masters comes, everybody starts thinking golf again in Indiana,” Williams said. “The golf course is really special to play right now because the greens are a little quicker like we want them. We’re not quite like Augusta, but Brickyard Crossing is as good as any championship golf course in the country when you play it on a daily basis.”