It's Here
It’s time to send the Missus to bed alone, the Masters is on the box…
Ian Poulter’s wearing something outrageous, Tiger has his game face on and the bookies are praying to the high heavens that a long shot like Zach Johnson, or better still, Sandy Lyle, has the week of their lives. It can mean only one thing – the wait is over.
Yes, that’s right, the golfing world has descended on sunny Augusta for the 2008 US Masters – the celebrated first Major of the year is upon us – so get the beers in, get the TV on and ready yourself for the thrills, flowers and inevitable spills that the charge for the Green Jacket habitually brings.
It all kicked off yesterday with the 9-hole par-three competition, Augusta’s traditional pre-tournament warm-up. As ever, it was steeped in romance as stars of the game, old and new, combined to entertain the masses. Arnold Palmer, a 4-time Masters Champion won one of the nearest the pin prizes, while Wayne Grady, Charles Coody, Fred Couples and American Ryder Cup captain Paul Azinger all aced holes in ones along the way.
Winning the mini-event has become something of a poisoned chalice over the years, for the very fact that nobody in the history of The Masters has ever won both the par-three tournament and the green jacket. Charged with changing history this week will be South African loud mouth Rory Sabbatini, whose 5-under-par score of 22 wrapped up victory yesterday. "I wanted to win it," Sabbatini said in typically confident mood. "You can't break the curse unless you've won the par three to begin with."
"How's the curse going to effect your chances?"
"Leave it out she's right behind me."
Sabbatini is 80/1 to “break the curse,” but as ever, all eyes will be on Tiger Woods, who sat out yesterday’s festivities. The world number, is 11/8 to secure his fourth green jacket this week, as he approaches the first hurdle of his much-heralded shot at ‘the grand slam.’
Follow it all here live.
4/10/2008 11:42:41 AM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00) 
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