PokerStarsNJ gave everyone a gift the other day with a Tiger SuperBoost. Tiger Woods 100-1 to win the Masters on first $10 bet. The next $1 or more after that paid 21-1. I bet $11 on Tiger. It should be a fun Saturday and Sunday. If he is among the leaders on Sunday I should be able to lock up some money with in tournament betting.
Moving Day ...morning thunderstorms
9:05 a.m. ET – Eddie Pepperell
9:15 a.m. ET – Branden Grace, Emiliano Grillo
9:25 a.m. ET – Zach Johnson, Takumi Kanaya (A)
9:35 a.m. ET – Alex Noren, Billy Horschel
9:45 a.m. ET – Martin Kaymer, Devon Bling (A)
9:55 a.m. ET – Henrik Stenson, Haotong Li
10:05 a.m. ET – Keith Mitchell,Aaron Wise
10:15 a.m. ET – Tyrrell Hatton, Patrick Cantlay
10:25 a.m. ET – Hideki Matsuyama, Trevor Immelman
10:35 a.m. ET – Satoshi Kodaira, Andrew Landry
10:45 a.m. ET – Cameron Smith, Matthew Fitzpatrick
11:05 a.m. ET – Marc Leishman, Rory McIlroy
11:15 a.m. ET – Si Woo Kim, Kyle Stanley
11:25 a.m. ET – Keegan Bradley, Bubba Watson
11:35 a.m. ET – Kevin Na, Alvaro Ortiz (A)
11:45 a.m. ET – Viktor Hovland (A), Jimmy Walker
11:55 a.m. ET – Patrick Reed, Webb Simpson
12:05 p.m. ET – Jordan Spieth, Kevin Tway
12:15 p.m. ET – Bernhard Langer, Rafael Cabrera Bello
12:25 p.m. ET – Charley Hoffman, Tommy Fleetwood
12:35 p.m. ET – J. B. Holmes, Lucas Bjerregaard
12:45 p.m. ET – Thorbjorn Olesen, Kevin Kisner
1:05 p.m. ET – Gary Woodland, Rickie Fowler
1:15 p.m. ET – Corey Conners, Tony Finau
1:25 p.m. ET – Bryson DeChambeau, Justin Thomas
1:35 p.m. ET – Charles Howell III, Kiradech Aphibarnrat
1:45 p.m. ET – Matt Kuchar, Phil Mickelson
1:55 p.m. ET – Jon Rahm, Patton Kizzire
2:05 p.m. ET – Tiger Woods, Ian Poulter
2:15 p.m. ET – Justin Harding, Xander Schauffele
2:25 p.m. ET – Louis Oosthuizen, Dustin Johnson
2:35 p.m. ET – Brooks Koepka, Adam Scott
2:45 p.m. ET – Francesco Molinari, Jason Day
[h=1]Francesco Molinari hopes to continue big year at Augusta[/h]
During the last 10 months or so, Francesco Molinari has played the best golf in the world. He’s won four times, including the British Open, and became the first European to win five points in a Ryder Cup.
Always accurate, he’s transformed his game, adding power and touch to climb to No. 7 in the world and enter the Masters Tournament as one of the secondary favorites.
Golf’s oldest championship provided the setting for Molinari’s top accomplishment so far. Nearly five years ago, the British Open also motivated him.
He was ranked 43rd in the world in 2014 and paired with two of the best and most powerful in pro golf, Dustin Johnsonand Rory McIlroy in the third round at Royal Liverpool. They bombed drives past him all day. Well past him.
“I just didn't have a chance. I could play as well as I wanted but I didn't stand a chance,” Molinari said. “That was I think a big turning point for me. It's all about perspective and how you take things. I took it like, if I want to keep doing this job and do it at a high level, I need to work as hard as I can and see if I can get closer to those guys.”
Molinari, 36, worked with coach Denis Pugh to change his swing, “taking the brakes off” as he explained to Golf Digest earlier this year. Their work enabled him to add 20 yards to his tee shots in a three-year span. He averaged 301 yards last season, a respectable 52nd on the PGA Tour.
“So what that did for me is now when I go out, play with Brooks or Dustin or Rory or whoever you can name, and I'm not really intimidated, because I feel like I can compete with them, even if I'm not hitting the ball 370 yards,” Molinari said. “I'm hitting it long enough to be competitive and to use my strengths to get good performances in.”
Is he ever.
Molinari’s torrid tear began in late May at the BMW Championship, a premier event on the European Tour. He shot 68 in the final round to outgun McIlroy by two shots, igniting a sizzling run through the summer, which included a victory at the Quicken Loans National, runner-up finishes in the U.S. and Italy, and a tie for sixth at the PGA Championship.
The highlight may have been his impeccable ball-striking throughout the British Open on the demanding Carnoustie layout. Paired with Tiger Woods in the final round, Molinari relied on his newfound mix of precision and power to fire a 69 and defeat McIlroy and Justin Rose by two shots.
Then again, maybe it was Molinari’s performance outside Paris, where he paired with Tommy Fleetwood to steamroll the Americans in four matches then beat three-time Masters champion Phil Mickelson to earn Europe’s winning point.
“Moliwood” was born, solidified by a unforgettable and hilarious post-match video produced by the European Tour.
Molinari, the first Italian to win a major, is playing in his eighth Masters since making his debut in 2010. He’s made five cuts, but broken 70 only once and has a 73.25 stroke average. His best finish is a tie for 19th in 2012.
Despite that indifferent track record and the challenges a soft Augusta National could pose, Molinari enters the week feeling confident because of the changes reflected in his game.
He shows no sign of cooling off, either. There was another dazzling display at the Arnold Palmer Invitational last month when he closed with 64 to win, followed by a march to the semifinals of the WGC-Match Play in Austin.
“Confidence comes with success, and I've had a lot of success in the last few months, and I think that the important thing is that I don't have to let my guard down,” Molinari said Tuesday, in his familiar monotone. “I still have to go through all the work and the process that got me to this point, and hopefully will get me even further forward in my career.”
9:05 a.m. ET – Eddie Pepperell
9:15 a.m. ET – Branden Grace, Emiliano Grillo
9:25 a.m. ET – Zach Johnson, Takumi Kanaya (A)
9:35 a.m. ET – Alex Noren, Billy Horschel
9:45 a.m. ET – Martin Kaymer, Devon Bling (A)
9:55 a.m. ET – Henrik Stenson, Haotong Li
10:05 a.m. ET – Keith Mitchell,Aaron Wise
10:15 a.m. ET – Tyrrell Hatton, Patrick Cantlay
10:25 a.m. ET – Hideki Matsuyama, Trevor Immelman
10:35 a.m. ET – Satoshi Kodaira, Andrew Landry
10:45 a.m. ET – Cameron Smith, Matthew Fitzpatrick
11:05 a.m. ET – Marc Leishman, Rory McIlroy
11:15 a.m. ET – Si Woo Kim, Kyle Stanley
11:25 a.m. ET – Keegan Bradley, Bubba Watson
11:35 a.m. ET – Kevin Na, Alvaro Ortiz (A)
11:45 a.m. ET – Viktor Hovland (A), Jimmy Walker
11:55 a.m. ET – Patrick Reed, Webb Simpson
12:05 p.m. ET – Jordan Spieth, Kevin Tway
12:15 p.m. ET – Bernhard Langer, Rafael Cabrera Bello
12:25 p.m. ET – Charley Hoffman, Tommy Fleetwood
12:35 p.m. ET – J. B. Holmes, Lucas Bjerregaard
12:45 p.m. ET – Thorbjorn Olesen, Kevin Kisner
1:05 p.m. ET – Gary Woodland, Rickie Fowler
1:15 p.m. ET – Corey Conners, Tony Finau
1:25 p.m. ET – Bryson DeChambeau, Justin Thomas
1:35 p.m. ET – Charles Howell III, Kiradech Aphibarnrat
1:45 p.m. ET – Matt Kuchar, Phil Mickelson
1:55 p.m. ET – Jon Rahm, Patton Kizzire
2:05 p.m. ET – Tiger Woods, Ian Poulter
2:15 p.m. ET – Justin Harding, Xander Schauffele
2:25 p.m. ET – Louis Oosthuizen, Dustin Johnson
2:35 p.m. ET – Brooks Koepka, Adam Scott
2:45 p.m. ET – Francesco Molinari, Jason Day
[h=1]Francesco Molinari hopes to continue big year at Augusta[/h]
During the last 10 months or so, Francesco Molinari has played the best golf in the world. He’s won four times, including the British Open, and became the first European to win five points in a Ryder Cup.
Always accurate, he’s transformed his game, adding power and touch to climb to No. 7 in the world and enter the Masters Tournament as one of the secondary favorites.
Golf’s oldest championship provided the setting for Molinari’s top accomplishment so far. Nearly five years ago, the British Open also motivated him.
He was ranked 43rd in the world in 2014 and paired with two of the best and most powerful in pro golf, Dustin Johnsonand Rory McIlroy in the third round at Royal Liverpool. They bombed drives past him all day. Well past him.
“I just didn't have a chance. I could play as well as I wanted but I didn't stand a chance,” Molinari said. “That was I think a big turning point for me. It's all about perspective and how you take things. I took it like, if I want to keep doing this job and do it at a high level, I need to work as hard as I can and see if I can get closer to those guys.”
Molinari, 36, worked with coach Denis Pugh to change his swing, “taking the brakes off” as he explained to Golf Digest earlier this year. Their work enabled him to add 20 yards to his tee shots in a three-year span. He averaged 301 yards last season, a respectable 52nd on the PGA Tour.
“So what that did for me is now when I go out, play with Brooks or Dustin or Rory or whoever you can name, and I'm not really intimidated, because I feel like I can compete with them, even if I'm not hitting the ball 370 yards,” Molinari said. “I'm hitting it long enough to be competitive and to use my strengths to get good performances in.”
Is he ever.
Molinari’s torrid tear began in late May at the BMW Championship, a premier event on the European Tour. He shot 68 in the final round to outgun McIlroy by two shots, igniting a sizzling run through the summer, which included a victory at the Quicken Loans National, runner-up finishes in the U.S. and Italy, and a tie for sixth at the PGA Championship.
The highlight may have been his impeccable ball-striking throughout the British Open on the demanding Carnoustie layout. Paired with Tiger Woods in the final round, Molinari relied on his newfound mix of precision and power to fire a 69 and defeat McIlroy and Justin Rose by two shots.
Then again, maybe it was Molinari’s performance outside Paris, where he paired with Tommy Fleetwood to steamroll the Americans in four matches then beat three-time Masters champion Phil Mickelson to earn Europe’s winning point.
“Moliwood” was born, solidified by a unforgettable and hilarious post-match video produced by the European Tour.
Molinari, the first Italian to win a major, is playing in his eighth Masters since making his debut in 2010. He’s made five cuts, but broken 70 only once and has a 73.25 stroke average. His best finish is a tie for 19th in 2012.
Despite that indifferent track record and the challenges a soft Augusta National could pose, Molinari enters the week feeling confident because of the changes reflected in his game.
He shows no sign of cooling off, either. There was another dazzling display at the Arnold Palmer Invitational last month when he closed with 64 to win, followed by a march to the semifinals of the WGC-Match Play in Austin.
“Confidence comes with success, and I've had a lot of success in the last few months, and I think that the important thing is that I don't have to let my guard down,” Molinari said Tuesday, in his familiar monotone. “I still have to go through all the work and the process that got me to this point, and hopefully will get me even further forward in my career.”
You could make a case for Tiger being -10, also for him being -3. How many short putts did he miss, 4-5? How many long, side hill putts did he make, say 3-4? The putts at 6,9,14,15 he may not make again. The putts at 8, 12, 13, 17, 18 he may not miss again. I guess it all evens out. He could have easily shot 65 today, could have easily shot 73. If he just gets the par 5's over the weekend, can keep his driver in play-he has the first 2 days, and makes just and average amount of putts, to include the routine 6-8 footers, he might be the guy to beat. I don't think anyone in the field is hitting irons any better. Weekend, here we come!
everyone who plays this great game knows that ya need a few breaks here and there. Tiger had two HUGE breaks today. The tee shot on 11 was miles right, somehow landing free of any obstrction, perfect view (maybe a patron gave it a foot wedge? 
). The tee shot at 13? over cooked it, was maybe 12 feet from OB? And then proceeded to birdie the hole.
Molinari is a machine, bisecting fairways. Unflappable . This guy has a grand total of ONE fuckin bogey in 3 days. Around this track? wow. To expect him to fade tomorrow ?
it's PAINFUL to watch Adam Scott putt.
its so tough to follow a super low round with a good round. Does Finau have the stomach for Sunday?
as it always is, it will be tremendous theatre Sunday at Augusta.
FINAL PAIRING (they go off in 3s): Molinari, Finau, Old Man River
'you don't come to Augusta to find your game. You come because you got one' Gene Sarazen
). The tee shot at 13? over cooked it, was maybe 12 feet from OB? And then proceeded to birdie the hole.Molinari is a machine, bisecting fairways. Unflappable . This guy has a grand total of ONE fuckin bogey in 3 days. Around this track? wow. To expect him to fade tomorrow ?
it's PAINFUL to watch Adam Scott putt.
its so tough to follow a super low round with a good round. Does Finau have the stomach for Sunday?
as it always is, it will be tremendous theatre Sunday at Augusta.
FINAL PAIRING (they go off in 3s): Molinari, Finau, Old Man River
'you don't come to Augusta to find your game. You come because you got one' Gene Sarazen
