2017 Masters Tournament: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

There was a lot of good golf played at the 2017 Masters, a bit of bad, and some just plain ugly – here are the highlights.

The 2017 Masters Tournament is in the books and while there’s going to be much written about this year’s Masters, let’s start with the highlights.

This first year without Arnold Palmer began on a soft, more nostalgic note than usual. But the golf tournament Jim Nantz has famously characterized as “like no other” quickly picked up pace.

That murky Twitter figure, “Secret Tour Pro,” predicted on Thursday that the 2017 Masters champion would win at 9-under par. That was just before Charley Hoffman shot a 1st round for the ages, a 7-under 65 that had Secret Tour Pro scratching his (or her) head for a while. In the end, 9-under was just about spot-on.

Up and down the leaderboard, hopes rose and fell and rose again, sometimes, as the field battled against Bobby Jones’ perennial enemy, Old Man Par. Some prevailed. Others did not.

The Good

There were plenty of notable tour players in the weekend field. While some faltered on Saturday, it was a memorable Masters tournament packed with weekend star power.

Phil Mickelson, Jordan Spieth, Rory McIIroy, and Rickie Fowler were amongst those playing over the weekend. In years past we’ve seen a strong field, and golf’s top players this year didn’t disappoint.

Mickelson’s failed bid for a 4th green jacket was peppered with heroic Mickelsonesque golf shots, and Phil’s great good humor epitomizes the spirit of the game.

Among the first-timers Jon Rahm probably enjoyed his Masters debut more than Masters rookies generally do, and he certainly provided the requisite number of spectacular golf shots.

To be sure, the Sergio Garcia-Justin Rose playoff finish put the icing on an already tasty cake, made all the more delicious by the fact that Sergio’s long-awaited first Major championship title came on the day that would have been Seve Ballesteros’s 60th birthday.

Happy 60th birthday dad! Miss you every day! Im sure you'll be pushing for Sergio today!! @SeveBallesteros #Dad #Masters #VamosSergio pic.twitter.com/LzC85WO7ez
— Javier Ballesteros (@J_Ballesteros1) April 9, 2017

The Bad

The Sunday pairing of Jordan Spieth and Rickie Fowler took the cake here. Going into the final round they were both in contention to mount a run to win this thing. It looked like an ideal pairing – two young American guns, Ryder Cup teammates, all set to thrill the on-course Masters patrons and tv viewers alike with 18 holes of hot-shot, winner-take-all, best-on-the-course golf.

It didn’t work out that way. Spieth and Fowler seemed to drain all the energy out of each other.

Fowler was sitting three shots back until ultimately making five bogeys on the back nine carding a 76.

With Spieth closing out his back nine by making three out of four birdies on his last four holes, you can’t help but wonder if there’s a deeper issue considering he was on a roll to close out Saturday. The biggest question with him that should be asked is “Did last year’s meltdown roll over into this year?”

The Ugly

More from Pro Golf Now

Danny Willett becomes the first defending Masters champion to not make the cut since Mike Weir in 2004. That’s been a long thirteen years for something of that significance to happen.

It’s honestly not that he missed the cut, it’s how he missed it: by opening with a double bogey on his first round Thursday followed quadruple bogey on his second round on Friday.

The ugliness doesn’t solely lay on Willett’s shoulders. Two-time Masters Champion Bubba Watson missed his first ever cut. Considering how much he loves this course, that’s as surprising as it is ugly.

There’s more to be said about the 2017 Masters and the ProGolfNow team is hard at work dissecting and reflecting. While you wait, here’s what coming next week.

Next: Around the Tours: Golf TV Broadcast Schedule, April 10-16

What were the high points, and the low ones for you at the 2017 Masters Tournament?

Home/The Masters