Why the Masters is the best TV viewing of golf's majors

Another year, another final round filled with roars echoing around Augusta National’s back nine. The 2013 Masters was historic for an Australian winning for the first time ever, as Adam Scott overcome a history of missing crucial putts to make the two biggest putts of his career before celebrating by yelling “Come on Aussies!” The Masters is also the best of golf’s four majors to watch on television. The carefully manicured grass, the azaleas perfectly in bloom and tightly controlled patrons (running is prohibited at the Masters) all add up to a very pretty backdrop for the action. It is the action though, that makes the Masters worth staying up until the wee hours of the morning. [caption id=“attachment_700076” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Adam Scott and Angel Cabrera embrace after their playoff, which Scott won. AP[/caption] Drama on the back nine They say the Masters doesn’t really begin until the back nine on Sunday and 2013 added more grist to that mill. Angel Cabrera held the lead at nine-under making the turn but it in the water on 13th before rebounding with birdies on 16 and that fantastic second shot on 18 to three feet that set up his tying birdie. Jason Day birdied 13, 14 and 15 to take a two-stroke lead, before giving it all back on 16 and 17. And Scott should have ended up in Rae’s creek on the 13th but the ball held up in the grass on the side of the green and he managed to make birdie before adding two more on 16 and 17 to be the first in the clubhouse at nine-under. Not enough for you? How about Tiger making a late charge? His birdied 10, narrowly missed chipping in on 11, had eagle putts on 13 and 15, and had another decent look for birdie at 16. A couple of those go down and the final story could well have been different. The par fives Jason Day eagled the second hole to take the lead early in the final round. Cabrera ended up in the drink on 13, while Scott escaped and the former’s bogey and the latter’s birdie turned out to be critical in setting up their playoff. The essence of the par fives is that they offer the perfect combination of risk and reward. Tiger Wood’s was terribly unlucky on Friday to have his pitch shot hit the flag on the 15th and wind up in the water. On Sunday, Bo Van Pelt spun his third into the hole for an eagle. It all makes for must watch TV. The Amateurs The Masters has a unique tradition of Amateurs making the news. This year had 14-year-old Guan Tianlang from China, who became the youngest player to make the cut on the PGA Tour. He even survived a one-stroke penalty for slow play on Friday that left him just one stroke inside the cut line. He cooly proceeded to par the 18th hole to make sure he played on the weekend. He never made worse than bogey over his 72 holes and didn’t have a single three-putt. To put things in perspective, Guan was born the year after Tiger won his first Masters in 1997. Tradition and history The Masters is the only major played on the same course every year. It has the same pin positions for each round, and prides itself on its history and tradition. Ben Hogan’s quip about knowing he missed his shot if you saw him on the 11th green in two stands up as well today as it did when he played. The repetition and tradition allows fans to grow familiar with the course as well as the players and gives them an understanding of what the players face, making the connection of the tournament deeper. When Jason Day hits it over the green at the 16th, it brings back memories of Tiger’s chip in 2005 that he somehow contrived to hole. When Day leaves it short, you understand the difference between him and Tiger all the more. In short, watching the Masters is like returning to your favourite holiday destination, where everything is familiar and you know the best place to get a drink and where to find the best bargains. And it is what keeps you going back year after year.