The Masters lived up to the hype and had something for any golf fan to follow. The heartbreak is always as big of a story as the victory itself in a major tournament. For Kenny Perry, he unfortunately will be the foil for blowing a two stroke lead with two holes to go, and a total of three bogeys over his final four holes. Angel Cabrera seems like a likable enough guy. I don't speak Spanish so I can't go into greater detail, but he looked happy about it. Chad Campbell got a reprieve as he watched the lead fall back into his lap after his round was over, but made a quick exit in the playoff.
Tiger and Phil of course made the event most memorable. Rivalries are what makes competition great, and the mere presence of Tiger makes any tournament that much more interesting. The two of them tugging each other up the leaderboard was great drama until they ran out of gas on the final two holes. On Friday, it was touching to watch 73-year-old Gary Player make that final walk up 18 at Augusta in his record 52nd tournament there. It reminded me very much of when I was there five years ago to witness Arnold Palmer make that same walk.
Last week, I took my 14-year old son to play golf with my 73-year-old father at Chester Golf Club. On a day with 20-25 mph wind gusts, we laughed, played and enjoyed the day together. It's fun to watch the light go on, as Pops straightened up Andy's stance on the tee box. Where Andy was slicing to the right previously, he immediately ripped a drive down the middle of the fairway. As we all know, it doesn't usually stay that automatic in golf, but you live for those wide-eyed moments where the game comes into focus.
Nobody knows for sure where the Julius Peppers saga will end. I don't rule out a trade on or around draft day with the Patriots and Eagles looking like the most interested contenders. Regardless, the Panthers need to add to both the defensive and offensive lines. Overall, the starters look relatively set, but there is a priority to fortify every unit with the exception of linebacker and running back from what I see.
North Carolina's Ty Lawson is ready for the NBA. Wayne Ellington is a nice college player with a terrific jump shot, but maybe a tad slow for the big show. With a young group of big men, led by Deon Thompson and Ed Davis, plus the return of defensive specialist Marcus Ginyard, the only major hole would be point guard if Lawson in fact turns pro. Larry Drew does not look like the fulltime answer, but reinforcements are on the way as usual in Chapel Hill. Duke was a solid second in the ACC this season, but I miss the years when the Blue Devils, NC State and Wake could really compete on a national stage consistently. Duke and Wake were paper number-1's at times this past season, but the talent gap is obvious.
