“There are more important things than golf” Jordan Spieth bitterly jokes, a few minutes after losing the Masters. The 22-year-old Texan is right, there are more important things, but there is no game more beautiful and impossible than this. We saw it last Sunday, when the number two in the world, after 66 holes of absolute domination, after about 15 hours of swing, ended up twice in the water and once in a bunker, in a treacherous but short par 3 of 145 metres, handing victory to 28-year-old Englishman Danny Willet. And it is Spieth, the 2015 Masters champion, who had to put the green jacket on his rival's shoulders.
“This is going to hurt for a long time,” admits Jordan. What happens in a player's head when he loses control after pocketing dozens of high-tension putts as if nothing had happened? Mystery. Maybe, at some point, the will to give up becomes stronger than the will to win. There have been many thrilling scenes at the Masters: in addition to Spieth's live "suicide", the 9 scored by Ernie Els on the par 4 of hole one will remain memorable. For those who don't follow golf, it is good to know that the South African Els is a gentleman who has won 4 majors and has one of the most beautiful swings that can be seen. He travels hundreds of meters with ease, but around the hole he goes haywire and a few centimeters can become an insurmountable obstacle for him.
Willet won the Masters because he was the best, especially on the last day and brought the trophy back to Europe after almost twenty years. But how many actually lost it? He was lost by world number one Jason Day who, after a crackling start, collapsed on the first day in the second nine holes and could no longer find the right feeling. Favorite Rickie Fowler lost him, unable even to pass the cut. Rory McIlroy lost it, never in focus in decisive putts. Spieth lost it in just one badly played hole out of 72 well played holes. Golf is beautiful, but cruel, humiliating and not only at the Masters.
For example, Tiger Woods knows something about it, who ended his career as a phenomenon (not as a champion) at just 32 years old, in 2008, at the time of his last major. Tiger, for ten years, was an absolute ruler, always solid in the decisive moments, where his rivals showed and show fragility. But in the end he gave in, weakened by scandals and ailments. For Tiger there has even been talk of yips, the dreaded tic of golfers capable of destroying any career, whatever it is, the images of the tiger's latest appearances remain in the eye, stammering on short shots like a Sunday player.
And what about Matteo Manassero? He is only 22 years old, he broke all records, won four tournaments on the European tour and then disappeared. Last week he did the Italian pro race, nice, but not really a major, and even there he stopped in the middle of the standings. His descent into the underworld of the ranking seems to never end: this week he is number 869 in the world. Will there be a background from which to come back? Jim Hermann, the 39-year-old player who won in Houston a couple of weeks ago for the first time in his twenty-year career, could answer yes. But nobody knows when and if the game will return to the hands of these athletes. Any week could be the good one
So, with the 2016 Masters closed and the first major of the year archived, it's time to turn the page and look for a new chance. The European tour finally arrives today in the Old Continent and stops in Spain, none other than the Real Club Valderrama, a highly prestigious club near Marbella, home of the 1997 Ryder Cup, a splendid but difficult track, immersed in an ancient forest. On the track there are the favorite Sergio Garcia, the former world number one Martin Kaymer and also seven Italians on whom to pin the blue hopes: Matteo Manassero, Renato Paratore, Edoardo Molinari, Nino Bertasio, Francesco Laporta, Nicola Ravano and Guido Migliozzi, dilettante from Montecchia. The prize pool is 2 million euros, 333 thousand for the winner. the race is broadcast live, at various times, on Sky Sport.
The Pga Tour instead moves to South Carolina, to Hilton Head for the RBC Heritage where Francesco Molinari will play, after a two-week break, partly forced, given that he didn't have the points to participate in the Masters. The Australian Jason Day, number one in the world, is a magnet for attention, as he has renounced the ritual week of rest after Augusta, unlike many big names. The field is of a good level and includes, among others, Zach Johnson, Matt Kuchar, Webb Simpson, Brandt Snedeker, Paul Casey, Ian Poulter, Luke Donald, and Bryson DeChambeau, winner of the last US Amateur, best amateur in Augusta ( 21°) and just turned professional. The prize pool is $5,9 million; first coin of 1,062 million dollars.
