BOOM BOOM BOOM
Penta ‘Covers’ All Bases ( 5)
Els Leads Delayed Bay Hill ( 8)
The favorite for The Masters next
week is ... Tiger Woods.
Nah. Too many distractions. Too
much rust.
The favorite for The Masters next
week is ... Ernie Els.
Nah. Too much late stumbling Sun-
day before rain postponed the finish at
Bay Hill.
The favorite for The Masters next
week is ... Phil Mickelson.
Nah. Too many putting thoughts.
The favorite for the Masters next
week is ... Fred Couples.
Hmmmmmm.
All the 50-year-old Couples did
Sunday in the Dominican was win
for the third straight time on the
Yes, of course, we understand that
Augusta National has been supersized.
But clearly Couples still knows how
to score. And he has won a Masters.
And he has made the weekend there
23 times. And he’s nothing if not the
sentimental favorite at a “toon-a-ment”
he won in 1992.
Tiger has won four Masters; and Els
was about to win despite himself at Ar-
nie’s tournament before play stopped;
and Mickelson knows the greens at
Augusta like the back of his right hand.
But ignore Couples at your own peril.
Think he’s a longshot? Think Butler in
the Final Four with a lot more duende.
And if you want to go just a little
further down this road, think Freddie in
the Ryder Cup in the fall.
