Masters week is special for many reasons. It jumpstarts the spring. It’s the first major of the golf season. Augusta National is home to some of the most iconic moments in sports.   

The Masters is the reason I write the “Golf Insider” every Thursday in The Denver Gazette, and the reason I look for any chance to get on the golf course. And a couple of wins by Tiger Woods is the top reason.

Plus, Tiger and I share a Dec. 30 birthday, the extent of our golf similarities. 

Golf was never on my radar growing up. I grew up during Michael Jordan’s six-title run with the Bulls. I was in high school when John Elway, Mike Shanahan, Terrell Davis and the gang were winning two Super Bowls. Those things were important to me. I wasn’t worried about Greg Norman choking away the 1996 Masters or Woods dominating the amateur circuit.  

I knew my dad had played golf and his old clubs were in the garage of our Broomfield house. It never crossed my mind to try them out. I played hoops in my backyard, learning to dribble on rocks by the way, or played baseball every summer from the age of 7. Golf was not for me. 

Something changed in 1997 when I was a 17-year old junior at Northglenn High School. 

Woods’ dominating win at the 1997 Masters was something special. People knew it at the time and people still know it, yikes, 26 years later.  

That wasn’t a time when everything was at our fingertips. I couldn’t get on my phone to check The Masters scores or stream the first round on my iPad at work. (This will be happening Thursday). The tournament was on TV and the first two rounds were on cable, which our family did not have at the time.  

My first experience with The Masters? Watching the late-night recap show on CBS4 Denver Friday night after the second round.  

People had talked about Woods at my high school but I had never watched him. Late that Friday night, he was the talk of the show after taking the lead with a 66 in the second round. Wait, he wears Nike clothes on the golf course? (I had Nike clubs up until last summer because of him and still wear a Nike hat). He swings really hard and hits the ball farther than everybody else? He stays in shape?  

Woods ran away with the tournament and won his first green jacket and first major. He scorched the field Saturday with a 65 and I watched all of it. He was so far ahead it was merely a formality that he was going to win on Sunday, but it was on the TV all afternoon. Maybe you were the same way. Woods won by 12 shots, still the largest margin in Masters history. 

I wanted to try the game. I could hit a baseball. Why couldn’t I hit a golf ball? It doesn’t look that hard. Spoiler alert: it’s really, really hard.

I had some friends who played a little so I asked if I could join them. All I had were my dad’s old clubs, but I was ready to try it out. Those clubs were like swinging tree trunks compared to technology now.   

We played the North Par 3 at Hyland Hills Golf Course in Westminster, which happens to be the same course where I took my oldest son, Everett, for his first round, in 2020. I didn’t hit many balls off the ground and didn’t have much fun. But the game draws you in, doesn’t it? 

The 1997 Masters turned me into the golf lover I am today. His return to glory in 2019 was another special moment at The Masters. It was a special moment as a grown man and father. 

That tournament was much easier to follow, watching the action on phones, iPads and TV. Woods was in the middle of it for 72 holes. It was riveting television. Most Woods fans wondered if this day would have ever come. He had not won a major tournament since 2008, when he won the U.S. Open with a broken leg. 

I remember getting ready for the final round which started earlier than usual due to the weather at Augusta National. The round was televised in the morning instead of its normal afternoon time slot. 

My wife Stephanie told our three kids: “Sit and watch this with your father. It is very important to him.” Everett, Abrielle and Theodore didn’t understand what was going on, and why it meant so much to me. Them watching along made it even more special. 

Then Woods won and hugged his son in an emotional moment — like he hugged his dad in 1997. I still remember putting a photo on social media saying, “It is OK to cry about sports.” 

It was that day and still is.  

Will there be another memorable moment at Augusta this year? That’s always on the table.

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Local Links

Ladies Night Out at Hyland Hills

What: Registration for the 2023 Ladies Night Out series is open. Each night is a fun opportunity for women with minimal golf experience to learn about the game while still offering a great value to experienced golfers. 

When: Every other Thursday starting May 18

Time: 5:30 p.m. shotgun start

Where: 9650 Sheridan Blvd, Westminster

Information: 303-428-6526 or click here

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This week in golf

PGA

The Masters

When: Thursday-Sunday

Site: Augusta National Golf Club

Defending champ: Scottie Scheffler

Purse: $15 million

TV: Thursday-Friday, 1-5:30 p.m. (ESPN); Saturday 1-5 p.m. (CBS); Sunday Noon-5 (CBS)

Skins game

Odds to win The Masters

Rory McIlory +700

Scottie Scheffler +750

Jon Rahm +1000

Cameron Smith +2000

Jordan Spieth +2000

Justin Thomas +2000

Patrick Cantlay +2000

Tony Finau +2000

—Odds from SuperBook Colorado

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World Golf Rankings

Player, points

1. Scottie Scheffler, 533.51

2. Rory McIlroy, 401.92

3. Jon Rahm, 405.95

4. Patrick Cantlay, 280.14

5. Max Homa, 269.75 

6. Cameron Smith, 233.80

7. Xander Schauffele, 253.11

8. Will Zalatoris, 226.32

9. Viktor Hovland, 254.70

10. Justin Thomas, 219.15

Ryder Cup standings

United States

Captain: Zach Johnson

Player, points

1. Scottie Scheffler, 16,481.423

2. Max Homa, 6,636.810

3. Cameron Young, 5,665.003

4. Will Zalatoris, 5,529.134

5. Sam Burns, 5,379.644

6. Justin Thomas, 5,261.750

7. Collin Morikawa, 4,827.095

8. Kurt Kitayama, 4,525.605

9. Patrick Cantlay, 3,797.925

10. Tom Hoge, 3,327.309

11. Chris Kirk, 3,255.402

12. Jordan Spieth, 3,096.092

Note: The U.S. team will be made up from the top six eligible players in the points rankings with six captain’s picks

Europe

Captain: Luke Donald

European points

1. Rory McIlroy, 2,171.5

2. Jon Rahm, 1,883.53

3. Victor Perez, 1,286.02

4. Yannik Paul, 1,269.97

5. Alex Noren, 1,037.5

6. Adrian Otaegui, 1,020.51

 World points

1. Jon Rahm, 206.74

2. Rory McIlroy, 176.86

3. Tyrrell Hatton, 108.72

4. Viktor Hovland, 103.92

5. Shane Lowry, 62.71

6. Tommy Fleetwood, 61.26

Note: The European team will be made up from the top three eligible players from the European points List, the top three eligible players from the World Points List and six captain’s picks.