2011 Masters Tournament Doesn’t Dissapoint

Soon after the 2011 Masters Tournament many commentators began to speak about Tiger Woods being washed up since he didn't comeback to win the tournament and this morning hearing that too many foreigners were competing for American championships. This kind of small thinking is what is exactly wrong with golf today (Conversely, some of the elites in the soccer world feel the same way about the United States moving up in the world, but that is another blog post for another day).

In a sport desperate to find an identity apart from being Tiger and everyone else, The Masters Tournament showed viewers young players from six continents in contention for the title from the Argentine Angel Cabrera to the eventual champ Charl Schwartzel from South Africa.

Golf needed this tournament.

Golf needed a finish like Sunday where Tiger didn't win after making a front nine charge and Rory McIllroy pulled a Tin Cup and completely collapsed on the back nine. Schwartzel pulled off a great performance of four birdies on the last four holes to win.

The days of Bobby Jones are long gone and American dominance of a Scottish sport may be coming to an end, for now. The world has caught up to America, but for Golf it is much needed because its truly becoming a world sport now with the likes of KJ Choi from South Korea competing for titles in every tournament, the European uprising and the elegant courses being developed in Dubai.

The 25th Anniversary of Jack Nicklaus' final Masters victory was a great a way to potentially revive a sport that needs young blood who play a back nine of the Masters to win as opposed to being cautious and playing not to lose like the last generation.