Welcome to a very special edition of The Clubhouse! Luke Elvy and I talk Masters nonstop for nearly 35 minutes! We chat about Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson and Rory McIlroy, along with our favorites and dark horses for the week.

Thanks as always for asking questions. Sorry I didn’t see the ones on my YouTube page until just now — I’ll be sure to look out for them next time (tomorrow).

Pictured: sand.

Still air, sky-high temperatures and soft conditions appear to have a knack for producing low, low scoring. Who knew?

The first round of the WGC-HSBC Champions in China, held this year on Mission Hills’ Olazabal layout (the positively sprawling venue now boasts of 12 “championship” designs and a further 180 holes), yielded two rounds of 65, four of 66 and a further 20 that dipped below the (nominal) par of 72.

Not bad for a shortened field, even if it is one populated almost exclusively by the best and brightest of world golf (no Tiger or Rory, though: they’re the subjects of *sigh* another appearance fee controversy!). (continue reading…)

Oosty ousts Rory in this race

In case you missed it, I wrote a story on Golf.com last week (earlier this week, whatever) on the battle for the purest swing in golf between Rory McIlroy and Louis Oosthuizen, who were paired together for two straight days at the Deustche Bank Championship. (continue reading…)

Tasty!

Following his second-career major title at last month’s PGA Championship, Rory McIlroy didn’t waste much time to find his way back to the winner’s circle. Just twenty-two days after hoisting the Wanamaker Trophy in Kiawah Island, McIlroy overcame a three-shot deficit early in Monday’s final round at the Deustche Bank Championship and held on to capture his third victory on the PGA Tour this season. (continue reading…)

Lou-Ry

Louis Oosthuizen put on a clinic in Sunday’s third round of the Deutsche Bank Championship. He set several new tournament records, including posting the lowest 54-hole total (19-under), making the most consecutive birdies (seven), and carding the lowest score on the front nine at TPC Boston (29).

At one point, Oosthuizen was cruising a la the Open Championship at St. Andrews in 2010, where he won by a decisive seven strokes. At one point here in the present day, Louis led by seven shots over Rory McIlroy, who recently won the PGA Championship, his second-career major, at Kiawah Island. (continue reading…)

The shot of the day goes to Nick Watney, who carded the rare albatross. Watney hit a 5-iron from 190 yards on the par-5 17th and watched in roll in the hole. He followed it up with a celebration for the ages (or one that matched someone named “Peter Oosthuizen” at the Masters earlier this year). (continue reading…)

Hold up, hold up

I’m catching up on the good ol’ blog since I took a much-needed respite the last few days. (Yes, I’m in Hilton Head for The Heritage, but I made my grand entrance into the media center only today — hey, it was at 7am, though!) I’ve obviously watched Bubba Watson on Letterman, along with several other moments of his dazzling post-Masters victory media tour in NYC. There were a few other gems that came out of the woodwork, while I was sleeping resting.

Let’s take a gander: (continue reading…)

Louis' consolation prize: an albatross, only the fourth in Masters history

I spent Sunday afternoon in the sitting room in between the locker room and the Grill Room at Augusta National and watched most of the final round with Louis Oosthuizen’s family and management. Defending champion Charl Schwartzel and his Green Jacket even showed up around the 12th hole. So did Bubba Watson’s agent Jens Beck.

Interesting enough, WUP’s special contributor Brendan Prunty and I unknowingly switched places. At the end of regulation, I headed back to the press center, while Brendan wandered into the same room and observed the final 90 minutes with Team Louis. (continue reading…)

Streeter Lecka/Getty Images

AUGUSTA, Ga. — The family of Louis Oosthuizen sat in the small room off to the right of the grille room in side of the Augusta National clubhouse, fixated on the flat-screen television in front of them. His wife, Nel-Mare rocked the couples’ two-month old daughter Sophia in her arms, while his parents — mother, Mienie and father, Piet — sat expressionless. They had just watched Bubba Watson defeat their beloved family member on the second hole of a sudden-death playoff to decide The Masters, so they did the proper thing: They clapped.

(continue reading…)

Charl thinking to himself: Dang it, I was supposed to be putting this on my best friend Louis...

Bubba Watson held up his hand, gesturing for the crowd to hold the applause on the 10th green in the sudden death playoff. He had a tap-in for par and the win, but well, as we learned last week, it’s not over until the final putt drops in the cup. The big-hitting lefty cautiously and gently stroked it in and then the celebration and the tears commenced. (continue reading…)