The normally reserved Augusta crowd...going wild...

BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE...In your argument The Masters basically becomes a wholly owned subsidy of the rest of the tour and their sponsors because they are propped up by the golfers' own sponsorships - which was my original point before I was distracted by your gaudy and yellow and green visor, Kurtz.

The Masters itself would not really be shit without all the other perks of The Tour...which reeks of communism to me.

And Ryan - Bloor has taken up Derris' mantle of Masters as mom and pop store in a Wal Mart world. Everyone knows The SB is a corporate and ad spending wet dream. The difference is these two are somehow convinced that The Masters is some kind of benevolent tournament entity akin to the first Olympics, based on one man vs. the course, and existing outside of, instead of basically creating our corporate perk laden modern sports world where for enough money, you could get a blow job between 8 and 9 in an exclusive underground boom-boom room, provided you know the right people.

A corporation unto themselves yes, but what's wrong with that?

Look, I'll put it this way: The Masters doesn't need CBS or any network to broadcast it's tournament...they could get by with those cartoony courtroom-style drawings and be just as happy. People would still come and every top golfer would still play in it.

I would think you would admire an entity that actually controls it's situation as much.

exactly how much money for these blowjobs are you sayin

The Masters isn't a part of the PGA or the PGA tour. Again, it's it's own entity.

I actually did not know this. I would force it to join The Tour by punishing players who showed up, and they'd get the drift, because from what you say they basically get the security blanket of having consistent, professional golfers without contributing. I admire their Goldman Sachs style plundering of the Golf Economy.

dave, you probably shouldnt play golf now that i think about it. that would REALLY piss you off even more than this thread.

but man think of those drives.

mid-70's yesterday and i had the bright idea to hit the driving range for the first time this year yesterday at lunch.

bad idea jeans.

I played my first round this year on Sunday morning before the start of the Masters, it wasn't quite mid-70's but it was great to get out.

i've been fortunate enough to endure three rounds already this year in the MN and it's broken 70 only a handful of times. it's insane how quickly this fucker turns into a lush green golf haven with only a few weeks of sunlight. i once again plan to play the role of daryl motley on my league team but it's worth the entertainment of upsetting fat golfers where haitian lives depend on every shot. obesity: she's a funny bird. oh and i;ll shoot sub-80s about five times a year - im not a massive hack.

Yeah, we need a little more rainfall around here, but it gets nice and green pretty fast. I hear the Minneapolis has some great courses...I'm still working my way around the state though, Wisconsin has some gems. I play about the same as you far as score goes, I broke 80 a hand full of times last year...wish I had more time to practice and play.

If I may...the US Open is a USGA sanctioned event (not PGA) and the The Open Championship (British Open) is the European Tour. The PGA Tour really does not have the leverage to "punish" players. They have an incredible franchise, and are light years ahead of Tennis, but Golf is still dominated by The Majors (at least for my casual viewing pleasure). They must walk a thin line, as many players like Tiger and Phil take a couple of weeks off to focus on upcoming majors. The PGA Tour even added the Fed Ex Cup, or whatever its called, last year (similar to the Chase in Nascar), which Phil was pretty vocal about, and sat out for a week or two. Many of the Players even went so far as to demand getting paid for representing the US in the Ryder Cup matches. The players, TV contracts, as well as the Masters itself, have so much power. Its a good thing the PGA of America does not flex its muscles.

Sorry for the rant. I guess what I am saying is that the "Game" of Golf is insanely popular. It should be commended on the fact that the PGA Tour can coexist with the USGA, Agusta National, Europe, Asia, etc... Take the US Open. You don't have to be a professional, any USGA card carying member can go through local/sectional/ regional qualifying events to try and make the field.