Anticipation is the only way to describe it. Getting closer meant a rapid increase in the number of internet scrolls for updates….minute by minute. On the eve of my inaugural trip to the Masters, becoming fixated on the leaderboard was THE thing to do. Although looking forward to the experience…doing so without Tiger on the grounds would mean an entirely different energy would be in the air! Alas, he made the cut!!
Golf fans are all too familiar with the correlation….holding one’s breath for “the cut” rarely, if ever, translates into being in actual contention. But this was Tiger and as demanding as the course notoriously is, it had failed in its quest to be Tiger-proof…therefore, Mr. Woods was the proverbial exception to the rule. Not since 2015 had he moved beyond his role of former champion and the pomp & circumstance it entails to participant….the buzz in Augusta was at fever pitch.
The history of the course is not lost on me. In terms of racial & gender equality…just as in our great country…there is much work to be done!
Aesthetically speaking, there is no exaggeration involved when folks refer to the Augusta National Golf Club as majestic. It absolutely did not disappoint. Neither, by the way, did Tiger. I wanted him to win simply because…I wanted him to win. Yet, having gone from not knowing whether professional play was even an option to putting folks on their heels merely by entering the tourney… the anticipation of his next major win remains alive and well!
On that note….
Villanova Wildcats fans are probably filled with anticipation. Will THIS be the championship…a second in three years….to change the narrative from them being lucky to a solid program worthy of being in the blue-blood of college basketball discussions? Congrats Nova for the win & making your presence known!
The NBA & NHL followed in the NFL’s footsteps. Once again, it is difficult to recall a season in which decisions were based on the last regular season game. Fans were sitting on the edge of their bar seats figuring out where a win or loss would place them in the playoffs. In seasons past…especially in the NBA…that sad song, “It’s Not Fair To The Fans!” would have been playing in rotation for weeks. Btw, as a fan, what I don’t do…is buy tickets beyond mid-March, I just don’t!
Speaking of the NBA. The anticipation melody of a commercial from years ago played in my head upon hearing the back story of Los Angeles Lakers player Andre Ingram. Ten years in the G-League! Tipping my hat to him aaannnd wondering what took so long. The Lakers have had plenty of opportunities in which a call was warranted…. One doesn’t have to be a physics major, like Ingram, to know Kobe’s last season woulda been a good time!
Back to Augusta….the most pleasant surprise was the vendor prices! A turkey & cheese sandwich on wheat, trail mix, apple slices, crackers & two beers…for a whopping $17.50!! The other professional sports industries could certainly take a page out of that playbook. Do I “anticipate” it happening though? Naahhhh…..
