Masters, 2023 Day 1 First, before I get into the results and commentary on the days play, let me extend huge kudos to Al for sending me the 5 man team spreadsheet. It worked flawlessly! Sorry Al, no bonus points for a well designed spreadsheet. Our day one leader is Fox. His Red Foxes were two better than Sobo's Pinseekers. Most other groups were bunched after the first two teams, with Andy's Hookers bringing up the rear. It didn't help Andy that his horse, Zalatoris, WD'd and never took a shot. (and to think he could have taken Scheffler... thanks Andy) Three players shot 7 under 65's. Sobo's Rahm, my Hovland and Koepka, now a LIV player who was traditionally on Gabes team. I could hear him all the way from Kenosha cussing out Brooksy for not playing that well when he was on the Foreskins. Relatively calm conditions (at least in comparison with what they say will take place the next three days) set the stage for good scoring. I was listening to Masters radio on XM when Scheffler boldly hit his third shot on 15 from behind the green - to 3 or 4 feet. Can't wait to see the replay on that one... from the way they described it, could have been the shot of the day. Tomorrow's round starts an hour early due to the weather. They still won't be finished by 3 PM services at my parish. Good thing I can DVR that hour of play. I would welcome other comments from the group. Sounds like the amateur champ is the real deal. Any other spectacular shots that I missed? I did follow Tiger on radio. They said he limped a great deal... the leg may never fully heal. Looking forward to seeing more of the action tomorrow and the weekend. Hans With weather conditions expected to be very difficult this afternoon, tomorrow, and Sunday, that bleep bleeper Brooksy may just run away from the field. Figures, too. He couldn’t do it last year when I had him, but he does it a year later. CA Day 2 Wow, what a difference a day can make. Not to mention if your tee times were late / early vs early / late. Brooks Koepka leads the Masters after 36. As a LIV, he is not on any team. The best of the rest is John Rahm, a proud Pinseeker. I watched most of the morning play today. Rough doesnt do justice to how difficult it is playing at Augusta this year. Day two honors go to the Ace Holes... yes, my team led by Russell Henley (67) and Mckenzie Hughes (69) ... who?? yes, Scheffler shot 3 over, Hovland followed his 65 with a 73, and Danny Willett, former Masters champ, will be watching the rest of the action from the comfort of his sofa. Second place is a tie between Ikey's Heroes and Sobo's Pinseekers, a mere one shot back. After 36 holes, it is wide open. Sobo leads by one over Fox. Speaking of watching from the soft, Willett has plenty of company from guys expected to win, or at least challenge. Missing are McIlroy, Thomas, Kisner, and last weeks winner, Conners. Rory was a real disappointment. Looking ahead to rounds 3 and 4, only Ikey has all 5 players still active. Fox, Prep Gabes and I have 4 playing. Sobo, Al, and Mags have 3 with Andy sadly watching only two of the Happy Hookers still on the course. I like Rahm's chances to win his first green jacket, with Brooks and Colin Morikawa likely to challenge the most. Looking further down the list, I would not count Spieth out just yet. He has won on Easter Sunday the last two years. A 3-peet maybe? If you are not on Masters.com looking at any shot by any player, you are missing out on the best coverage all year. Once again, I'd welcome additional comments on the action. Enjoy the golf! Hans Day 3 Round 3 was very interesting, to say the least. It started in ridiculously bad weather. Fortunately for the players the suspension of the round happened at 3:15 EST shortly after CBS came on the air. Bad timing for CBS. That said, the play this morning was very interesting. It was mid 40s when play started, which, as we all know, makes it tough to grip the club and make a shot. I really enjoyed watching the 'game faces' on both Koepka and Rahm. Brooks has a 2 shot lead going into the final round and will be tested by Rambo. As for our pool competition, we have new team leading after 54 holes. My Ace Holes are at 277, with the Red Foxes one shot behind. Gabes' Foreskins and Ikey's Heroes are only 4 more shots back, so still in contention for the overall honors. In round 3, the Ace Holes edged out the Heroes by one shot. I was thrilled to see Viktor Hovland post 5 straight birdies on the back nine, starting at #11. He is at -8, only 3 behind Koepka, and could make a run at the Green Jacket. Fortunately for the players, the temperatures will rise this afternoon. That and the course should firm up with the predicted winds. I always enjoy watching #16 where inevitably someone makes an ace, or a spectacular shot to influence the final results. Enjoy round 4 of the Masters. I'll be watching CBS while having my laptop on Masters.com. We the whole family (except Dave and Luke) coming over in 20 minutes for brunch. I sure hope they plan on watching the tournament. Day 4 We know that Sobo is happy with a Major win courtesy of John Rahm. And I'm happy with the Ace Holes taking overall honors in this pool. I was hoping for a down to the wire win today for someone, but Brooks Koepka struggled through most of round 4. Could it be the lack of better competition? You can make a case for LIV with top 10 finishes by Koepka, Phil and Reed. In fact Phil's performance on Sunday was amazing. The final round saw 3 teams, Ikey's Heroes, Sobos Pinseekers and my Ace Holes all posting 210 scores, splitting the daily money three ways. Following the Ace Holes for the overall prize were Ikey's Heroes 5 shots back, and Sobo's Pinseekers another 2 back, edging the Red Foxes for the final money by one shot! The weather will be what I remember most about the 2023 Masters. No one aced 16. I don't remember any hole outs from any significant distance. Nevertheless, Rahm played solid for 4 rounds. He now has the US Open and the Masters as major victories. And as a 28 year old, has plenty of time to win the other two.... but many have gotten close only to end with only 3 majors - just ask Phil or Arnie. The next major is the PGA Championship at Oak Hill in Rochester, May 18-21. Andy, I hope you will be in attendance for at least one of the rounds. Oak Hill is a special course, as Al, I and you can attest to. That's a wrap on the 23 Masters. Congrats to Jon Rahm! Hans Daily Overall Combined Hans 54.6 Hans 113.4 168.00 Ikey 24.68 Ikey 47.25 71.93 Sobo 24.67 Sobo 28.35 53.02 Fox 22.05 22.05