VictorOnopko

Big Brian Graham in all 11 positions. Manager: Big Brian Graham.

Went to bed when Scheffler hit the 13th green as that was clearly it. He's too conservative to lose a 3 shot lead from there. We have a lot more of this grindingly dull brilliance backed up by The Lord to look forward to. Very disappointing that the final round unravelled so fast in terms of competition. I really thought at least one of Homa, Morikawa or Aberg was going to surprise us and push him all the way (and keep pressure on his putting). Two of them in the pond at 11 with Collin already having doubled 9 then Max in the shrubbery on 12, goodnight Vienna with 6 holes left. It's not often you see leaders dunk it on 11 either as there's no way you should be anywhere near it. Ah well.

How can someone who hits shots like that be so boring and annoying?

The practice range nonsense after the Coldplay montage is infuriating. Show us the players on the course FFS!

I think it's because he arguably hasn't had his best stuff this week, putter was shaky yesterday, he even missed a few greens - and yet when he'd dropped some shots (which he rarely does), he just rolls in an eagle putt on the 13th and he ends the day sole leader with almost everyone else making bad mistakes. I thought he'd be further ahead by now but I'd still be really surprised if he doesn't win. 'Mon Morikawa or Aberg....

I'm just over the water at Cowal and keep meaning to come over and play Routenburn - was the layout changed recently?

I don't care what the Noddingham Foresd score is, Kenny.

I remember at least a couple of putts looking like they were going to drop early on, and they didn't. He didn't get going and I think he thought he just had to stay ahead of Hovland. Smith absolutely deserved to win. Of course, Young ended up beating Rory too so he didn't even come second My main point was that I don't think he has another major in him. I particularly can't see him ever winning the Masters as the wedge and putter are so tested at Augusta and he clearly tries too hard. That won't stop Sky going on and on about him every day of every year's tournament though. Rory's career is quite a weird one if his last major does turn out to be the 2014 PGA.

Listening to McGinley is torture at the best of times but him (and Dougherty and Jamie Weir) talking about McIlroy verges on cult-like hysteria. I quite like Rory, he seems like an interesting and thoughtful guy, but getting any more majors is looking unlikely now with the quality of younger opposition. If he finishes his career on four, he'll have underachieved given the talent he burst onto the scene with. He was unlucky at St Andrews - leaves a couple of good putts on the lip on the front 9 to really secure himself, and then Smith plays the round/back 9 of his life - but he needs an awful lot of things to click to win another now.

Bryson is top quality entertainment.

Morton have had a really strange season. I've not followed them all that closely obviously but didn't they have a club record unbeaten run, which also brought all-round nice guy Dougie Imrie multiple Manager of the Month awards? Good cup performances too. How come they're unlikely to even manage a PO place?

Yeah, same. The answer is probably no-one over 4 rounds, he's relentless. It'll be a sad state of affairs if he's 4 shots or more ahead going into the final round, meaning what should be an exciting Sunday night's viewing will be smothered in boredom before it even starts, and switched off way before the end. Almost wanting Bryson to contend here, that's how desperate this is. I'd rather he won than Scheffler tbh. It's a shame Willy Z fell back on the last two holes last night. Maybe one of the H-Boys - Hojgaard, Homa or Hatton - can do us a turn I fancied Niemann beforehand and he's made a quiet but decent start. Already 4 behind SS tho...

What a flukey b4stard Scheffler is, as well as being boringly brilliant. I'll be amazed if he doesn't win this.

Can't say I do - he's a great player on his day, and a European. Very impressive round today midway through an injury comeback. Some folk seem annoyed that he had the audacity to win the Masters.

We didn't get caddies on #2, no. The American guy who made up our 4 had one so we got some chat but I didn't think we needed one really. It's quite a flat course and the main thing you might need is green reads. I was off 10 at the time and short game is a strength but it's fair to say that I didn't play to anything near my handicap. It's just really, really hard (the landing areas on the greens are tiny and if you miss them you're off down a bank with a difficult chip), but all in a wonderful setting, the clubhouse is amazing too. Pine Needles was probably more enjoyable overall, just because it's wider and has more elevation changes (it has plenty of pedigree too and is also a Donald Ross). We already had Masters tickets but if you search on Golfwrx there's usually forum threads there on prices and how it all works on the secondary market. You will love it if you go, no question about ir. We walked the course before settling down at the 16th and I remember crossing the 15th fairway and looking down across the pond to the green with water behind it too, imagining that shot even with a short iron - a downhill lie to a tiny target. We just laughed as it looked so intimidating in the flesh!

I'm lucky enough to have done the Masters trip with my dad and brother. We were there on the Thursday from dawn till dusk; it was the best spectator experience I have ever had at any sporting event, by a long way. I think all the silly rules work well when you are actually there, especially no cameras (except on practice days - I think they had to be real cameras?), and it's not hugely crowded either because the numbers are very controlled. When you compare the atmosphere at Augusta to, say, the Open last year at Liverpool or most US Opens where half the crowd is annoyingly p1shed and you have folk shouting "mashed potato" or whatever, there is a lot to be said for the quieter experience. Even the catering is brilliant and certainly highlights what utter rip-off merchants the R&A are. Still have my pile of Masters plastic cups and green folding chair kicking around somewhere. We flew into Charlotte NC, stayed at Pinehurst for a couple of nights and played #2 (badly) and Pine Needles, then moved base to Columbia SC which was quite a nice town (about 1h 15 drive to the Masters). Not only is Augusta the town a dump (mainly a featureless, dusty long main strip with crappy restaurants and petrol stations) but ofc you won't find accomodation there in Masters week except at very silly prices. You may know this already but you can usually get tix on the streets just over a mile (or whatever the exclusion zone limit is) from the gates of the course. Tobacco Road does look fantastic - maybe next time...

I think they should be awarded the three points and a 3-0 win for providing this entertainment.

All the lonely people, where do they all belong? (Larkhall and Northern Ireland?)

I don't think Olesen is a LIV player is he? Immediately ruling out Aberg and Clark for being debuts seems a bit odd - but not as odd as filtering out McIlroy, Spieth, Homa and Day for "poor play from 175-225 yards" then having Keegan f8cking Bradley as one of the 10 picks. That made me chuckle.

You comment has already rightly been slagged but just to add - this part is Championship cliche bingo, and gets said every single year, usually by disappointed fans of a team doing quite well but not on top. This isn't the knock-out stages of World Cup 94, it's an average season in the second tier of Scottish football.

Yep, this sounds pretty grim for Lawless. I really hope the recovery goes smoothly and we see him again in a Jags shirt next season. It'll be interesting to see whether Doolan changes the shape or shoehorns folk in out of position to keep the current formation. Stating the obvious but we could really do with holding onto 3rd place for the prize money alone. Airdrie at home on the 20th looks like quite a big game now.

Has a fired-up, crowing, triumphalist, tifoing and smokebombing set of fans ever been silenced as quickly as today?

100% agree with this. I can't stand Off the Ball so I sometimes put 5 Live on at lunchtime on a Saturday if I am at home or in the car. despite it being about English leagues which I don't actually care much about. The analysis on there is excellent; well-balanced and enjoyable (even Mcfadden somehow isn't as bad when he is covering games down there). They have just the right amount of stats/analysis and more general punditry. Mark Chapman is 1000 times better than Kenny Mac, and they seem equally as interested in covering the championship as the premiership, with competent reporters across the country calmly telling listeners who has just scored rather than butting in with incoherent rambles or Biscuits' ear-splitting screams. Overall it makes Sportsound/OAM sound like amateur hour (which it is).