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The Tortured Fans Department
The Tortured Fans Department will meet weekly to discuss the latest news in sports and music. Our focus will be on providing a fun listening experience for everyone. Topics will range from fantasy football sleepers to album reviews for our favorite artists. We will talk about travel, TV or whatever else catches our attention, but we promise there will be something for everyone in each episode.
The Tortured Fans Department
Ep. 41 - Holy Ground (Masters Deep Dive, Favorite Moments, On Course Experiences and a Musical Hole by Hole Breakdown)
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Shaun is joined by Michael Collins to bring you an evergreen Masters conversation that should have something in it for Masters experts and first timers alike. They kick off with what makes the Masters special and some of their tips from their trips to Augusta. They dive into some of their favorite moments from recent Masters tournaments before getting into the main event, which is a hole-by-hole breakdown of Augusta National. Shaun and Michael breakdown what makes each hole special while renaming it after a familiar song.
Song: 'Holy Ground' - Taylor Swift (2012)
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Hello, everybody, and welcome back to another episode of the Tortured Fans Department. I'm your host, Sean Boyle, and joining me today is Mr. Augusta himself. It is Michael Collins, MC. How are you doing?
SPEAKER_00Sean, I'm jazzed up to join you today. An amazing time of year we have going on right now. Uh April's loaded up. Final four, Easter. Uh, and of course, Augusta right around the corner for the Masters. So can't wait to break it down with you.
SPEAKER_01Yes, it is officially Masters Week. So today is going to be a deep dive on all things Augusta National and the Masters. We want this to serve as a resource if you have never watched a shot at the Masters, or if you are a Master Sicko like we are. Hopefully there's something in it for everybody. What we're going to talk about, we'll break down what makes the tournament so special to us. We'll break down some of our favorite memories from previous masters, our favorite on course food or drink combinations. And perhaps most importantly, we have each provided a hole-by-hole breakdown with some songs to help us explain them to you. We tried to have some fun with it. MC, how does that all sound to you?
SPEAKER_00Amazing. Let's get it going.
SPEAKER_01My opening question: what makes the masters so special? Each of us has prepared a few reasons. We'll go back and forth one by one. And as the guest, of course, you are free to go first.
SPEAKER_00I guess I'll start off with this. So it is the the only major that year in and year out is at the same course. So that has led to a lot of it's now steeped in tradition. Um, the course itself that we'll dive into at in depth uh a little bit later, is a beautiful piece of property. Just couldn't be much better down there. Yeah, the we it allows us to become more familiarized with uh with the course itself. And um, you know, there are certain players who uh play particularly well there. So it's just the the fact that this is the the one uh major that does not travel around is maybe the the most notable thing about it in my mind.
SPEAKER_01I think you're right in starting there because it truly does allow us to create a context around each of the holes, around the player's own histories there, like you talked about. It we all know what's required on each hole. If you've watched the Masters year after year, you know what a good shot looks like, and it gives you an easier ability to break down what's happening. Whereas sometimes when you're watching a major at a course you're not familiar with, you see a ball in the air and you see it land and you're like, oh, it's on the green, it might be good. Whereas at Augusta, you could be really specific with what you're looking for and what's a good shot. Not traveling makes it, like you said, definitely special in that regard. I'm gonna go on a similar note. It is always the first major of the year. It is the kickoff to golf season. For much of us in the Northeast, it's about time when we can get outside and play golf. This is the start of April, it is about the same time that we can actually get into golf ourselves, but also just having the Masters as the first major of the year, it allows us to kind of yearn for it through those winter months when we can't go outside. You're just thinking about Augusta and spring being right around the corner. So I think having it kick off the golf year is special in a lot of ways.
SPEAKER_00Absolutely. I mean, you start to see those Azaleas in full bloom and just something makes you know, sends to shiver down your spine, get get you ready to go. Um I I'll stay on theme here, I I guess, and I'll just take one that that you had here. They're just iconic theme music, you know, it goes right along with the the looks and the aesthetics of the course itself. And you start hearing those commercials for the for the few weeks leading up with that theme music, you get a little uh uh little Georgia. It's you know, just the total vibes of of the tournament as a whole.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, I think that ties right in with the spring feel, the Azaleas in bloom. The theme music couldn't be any better for setting the tone for that. So I think that's a good pick. I am gonna go with the old school leaderboards and no phones on the course. All of the nostalgia that is associated with Augusta and how they try to keep it truly like a time capsule. When you step foot in there, it feels like you're going back in time. And we've both been lucky enough to attend a masters. And I think the no phones thing is aging like a fine line. I think that's the coolest thing going in sports now because everything has become about capturing it on your phone first. And the fact that you just don't have a phone all day and you could get lost from your party, and you hope you have a meeting point set in place, or else you might just see him at the car at the end of the day. It's truly a special, special environment.
SPEAKER_00A hundred percent. And beyond just you and your party, it's just disgusting when you are are watching these uh golf tournaments and you see uh just all phones lifted up in the gallery behind the guy, just taking pictures, recording. And I fall into that trap too. I when I go to big events that uh of course all of them allow phones besides the masters, but when I go to uh to a PGA tour event, I'm like, should I be taking pictures of this guy? Should I be videotaping this drive right now? And uh and it looks terrible on television. You see everybody have their phone up. Um, it's it it's not not great. So yeah, I love that. I'm very glad that you went with that. The old school leaderboards and everything are great. Where I wanted to go with it also kind of on the same line, um, was just the exclusivity. So not only as far as the the players go, um, of course, it's an invitational tournament. You need to to win an event or have a certain world ranking in order to get in as a player, but as a as a patron, excuse me, I almost said fan. They are they're very much they're patrons there at Augustine Ashley.
SPEAKER_01They are listening. We need to be cognizant.
SPEAKER_00They are they are listening. Um as a patron, you can't just go and and buy a ticket. You have to be selected, win a lottery, uh, know somebody. So the exclusivity just adds to that aspect of um it's special, steeped in tradition. It truly is a tradition unlike any other.
SPEAKER_01I love that. I love that little pick there. And to piggyback off that a bit, I think the fact that we get the old timers, the former champions, in the field still, even when they're well past their prime. I'm speaking about the Freddie couples, the Bernard Longers. Yeah, seeing those guys out there and still having some of them just through sheer coarse knowledge and know-how make the cut or have those stories where they're kind of flirting with contention into the weekend. I think that's awesome. It's just it's all these new guys on tour hitting the ball a million yards. It there's nothing like seeing Freddie Couples on the back nine at Augusta on the weekend.
SPEAKER_00Mike Weir just thinking dunk his way around the course. Yeah.
SPEAKER_01Just carefully planning, prodding a way around. It's great. The only other pick I would have would be just a shout out again. I believe we talked about this a few weeks ago. The Masters app is spectacular. So, like most of us are doing on a yearly basis, is we're not able to attend every year. So when you're watching at home or at work on a Thursday or Friday, the Masters app is the best in the business. It you are allowed to watch your favorite golfers every shot from their round, which is the only app like it. It's all in one place, it's perfect. I wouldn't change a single thing about the Masters app.
SPEAKER_00100%. And it's totally free, which is amazing, incredible. Uh, and Sean, like you said, the the it's the only golf tournament that exists that you can literally watch every single shot that uh that a single golfer has. So yeah, incredible.
SPEAKER_01Let's stay on the topic of being at the masters. We're gonna break down the best food or drink on the course and then maybe give a couple of tips for if you are going to be in attendance, where you want to watch, play, where you want to post up. Any tips you have to enjoy the day. Let's start with your food or drink. What's your favorite few items on the Augusta menu?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, Sean, I was lucky enough to attend the Masters in uh 2014. So we're coming up on 12 years ago. Um, I was just a young pup. Uh of course, the pimento cheese sandwich is the staple item, the signature item of Augusta National and the Masters. Um, that's what you're gonna hear everybody talk about all week. Uh I'm not huge on the taste of pimento cheese itself. Of course, I had one. Uh and of course I pretended like I loved it at the time. Um, I had to let me let me chime in. Only$1.50. Only$1.50. That's the other thing about these prices. The the price is amazing. Uh, I I believe I also had uh one of the barbecue chicken sandwiches, which I would definitely recommend uh as well. Um but yeah, the the prices you can't beat. I wasn't uh old enough to enjoy an adult beverage, but those are nice and cheap as well. But yeah, the you can't beat the the concessions down there.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, I am in the same bucket as you with the pimento cheese. As most listeners that know me would know, I'm not a mayo guy. I'm very out on mayo, and I believe I could taste some mayo in the pimento cheese blend. So something about that doesn't sit right with me. I did have one, and it wasn't as bad as I thought it was gonna be, but it wasn't. I'm not going back to it. But that is by far the most hyped item on the menu. I was with you with the barbecue chicken. That was probably my favorite. I will say I had a chicken biscuit for breakfast. Wow. Delightful with a little cup of coffee. Augusta does a good cup of coffee as a surprise to no one. And I also they I believe they call them sports drinks instead of Gatorade or Power Aid. It is likely just one of the two. I couldn't distinguish which one, but they just pour it in a cup and call it a sports drink. So I had several of those, kept the cups, and then a couple adult pops and they were flowing nice and easy on a pretty chilly Augusta day when I got to go a few years ago. Yeah, that's powerful. What about tips for where to watch on the course?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, so I mean we'll we'll get into it uh as we go through the holes on on which ones are our favorites and and whatnot. I think a perfect well okay, first of all, I can't mention anything uh before I say A-Men Corner, of course. Um Amen Corner being the uh sort of collision of polls 11, 12, 13. Um, or 12 is sort of uh a signature pole at Augusta National and and one of the prettiest and and most eventful for sure. So if you're able to uh you know kind of set up a chair, get your spot at Amen Corner, you're gonna have a primo view. What say you? I that's where we have to start for sure.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, that is what people think of first when they think of Augusta is that three-hole stretch. And there is this angle that I was posted up in for a couple hours in 2022 where it's right to the right of 11 green and to the right of 12 T. Exactly. And you could almost see some things happening on 13 as well.
SPEAKER_00So it's pretty their landing spot, sort of yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_01You can see where they're where they kind of ended up off to T on 13. So it's a pretty perfect. That's that's what most people are dying to see when they're watching at home. And the fact that with your own two eyeballs, you could stand and get a good idea of what's happening on those three holes is a great place. The other place I wanted to shout out that I spent a lot of time was behind six green, right next to seven T. I think six is a really cool par three, and any time you're able to see more than one golf shot at the same time, I think that's key when watching golf in person. So you never want to just stand at a T-box where you only see them hit their drives, and then you can't really see their approach because they're 300 yards away. I think if you stand behind the green of a par three, you're able to see them tee off on the par three, you're able to see the ball coming your way. A lot of times when you're right behind six, it looks like it's gonna hit you in the air. You've got to have the depth perception dialed in. And then also once they finish that hole, you're able to see them turn and hit their tee shot and approach it on seven as well. So I think that's a really good spot.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, no, I was uh I had the very something very similar uh teed up in my mind. When when I was down there with my dad, we we were we went hole in one hunting. We were we wanted to hopefully see a a masters hole in one, and no better place to do that, but on the 16th hole. So we set up our chairs just behind and uh to the right side of the 16th, did not see a hole in one, saw a few guys get real close. Uh, and then just like you said, we were able to just turn around and watch the guys tee off of on 17 as well. So it's perfect, perfect spot. Uh, like you said, you want to you want to see an approach shot come in. And uh if you could see these guys rip driver, that is of course amazing. I also wanted you mentioned the seventh hole. I wanted to throw a little hat tip on that as well. Uh, one of my favorites. I well, I shouldn't say it's one of my favorites, but it's one of the uh prettiest, in my opinion, and one of the most picturesque. And if you stand right behind the seventh green, you're kind of able to see. Uh, of course, the the eighth T shot, you have the second green that's right there, you can kind of see as well. Um, you have 17 that's kind of going right there. So the seventh green is a very central spot, and this spot that we were kind of surprised we found ourselves sort of just standing there and just observing the entire scene for for a little bit of time.
SPEAKER_01I I like that. What would be your tips to someone to enjoy the day at the Masters if they have not gone before? Maybe a little niche recommendation for someone who has gone but wants to add something to their arsenal. I'll start to give an idea of where my head's at. I had a couple. My main one was you are allowed to leave the premises once and re-enter with your ticket. So my thing was get in, get to the pro shop as soon as the gates open. And boy oh boy, can you spend a lot of money in that pro shop? I think they intentionally hide the price tags. So I was like, this looks nice. I have no idea how much it is. And at before you know it, I just grabbed a bunch of things. I was getting gifts for people, family, friends, and I was like, all right, I just gotta load it up and see what it is at checkout. I'm just gonna have to bite the bullet. Well, boy oh boy, was it a lot more than I was expecting it to be, but it was a true YOLO situation. But the good thing about this was I was able to leave and drop things off at the car quickly and not miss any action and get that done ahead of time. So I'd give that as what my main tip is if you're gonna hit the Pro Shop, hit it early, be done with it, drop the bags off so you're not lugging them around all day.
SPEAKER_00I think we went the route of shipping things back. I it was a it was a number of years ago. I I don't remember all that well, but uh, and of course, that just runs the bill up even larger. So for sure.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, uh it was like I don't want to do that.
SPEAKER_00Yeah. Uh my number one tip for for anyone who's going, the the very first thing you have to do, unless you you uh take Sean's advice and hit the pro shop, number one. Um, I would say first thing you have to do while it's early, nice and cool out, is you have to just walk the entire course. Just walk the the full course one through 18. You truly get the appreciation for the elevation changes and just you know it's it's kind of a beast of a walk, too. Um your dogs are barking. You should do some training. Yeah, it's it's uh a little bit of a uh a trek there. Um but you know, we went through all of our viewing locations and everything, but really the the number one thing that you're gonna want to do is just walk the course and and see the entire uh thing because there if you're there to watch golf, there will be holes and spots and times that you just completely miss or blind spots. So you got to do yourself a favor, walk the entire thing so you can fully see it all.
SPEAKER_01I think that's the perfect tip. I was I was hoping you would say that. That was my next one, anyway. If you didn't, it's what you have to do when you go, you have to say you saw the whole property. And I think one thing like the golfers change, the scores change, the course doesn't, as we talked about. This is where it's played every year, and it's iconic. It is it does get a little longer, and and that ties into your point about your feet will be a little bit sore the next day. You're getting your steps in for sure. And also, what's weird about walking it is there's no flat steps, every step is on the side of a hill or up a hill or down a hill. There's no real stretch of flat land at Augusta. It's all these subtle hills or even drastic hills. I love that. Another tip I had obviously, no cell phones. So you're able to get a program. They give you a pencil, program, whatever you want. I would get one of those and I would write down anything cool you saw. So I was able to write down some cool shots I saw. Again, like where I stood that was cool just to remember. So moving forward, if I ever make it back, I know where to go, how to get there. They also hide their uh concession stands very well, Augusta. You would never see them on TV, but you look in the middle of the trees and you see a line of people and you're like, what's going on? And there's a concession stand in the middle of the woods. So little stuff like that is just fun to kind of recollect on and remember. That's another thing I would have. Just be able to jot stuff down or just have a really good memory, which I do not. So I I recommend a pencil and paper.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, uh, and to round out my suggestions, I'm I'm right on the same line with you. Uh, I don't believe we did this when we went, but I saw a friend do it uh just last year. Bring in a disposable camera because, like we said, there's no phones, uh, so no no photos or anything. But uh, if you can get a disposable camera in there and you know, snap snap some shots of yourself out there, get some landscape views and whatnot, uh, then that'll be great keepsakes for sure.
SPEAKER_01And I think I just want to hammer home the point of just how cool it is without cell phones. You just end up making connections and talking to people throughout the day way more than you would if you were just looking at your phone to avoid any awkwardness. For example, there was a there was a guy with a Tottenham hat on standing near me on one of the holes. I saw a Tottenham hat, and he goes, Oh, Top Man, Top Man. And it was just it was just nice. And we spent the next 15-20 minutes walking to the next hole together, chatting about our lives, and you just meet people that way, and it's so cool. Exactly. Yeah. One drawback to that though is the fact that the year I went was the year Scotty won, but Rory made an incredible Sunday charge. And because you don't have a phone, you have no idea what's happening on the course other than what you're watching and word of mouth. So you would just get these little updates from people walking by, be like, oh, Rory just birdied this, or and you would see the leaderboard change, and then you would hear maybe through the grapevine what happened. I think that's so cool, but it's also a little bit frustrating where you're trying to get a feel for who's gonna win the tournament. And I was there on a Sunday, and the Sunday is of course probably not the day to go, if you want to, if you want to see the course and as much as possible, but that was the only day I I could go. And it was just a little bit frustrating knowing that one of my favorite golfers, Rory, was nowhere near me on the course. I couldn't really catch up to him, and he's making this incredible run, and I just couldn't see any of it.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, no, I I totally agree. I was also there on Sunday. I had a very similar experience where you kind of just you see the roar, or you excuse me, you hear the roars uh from a few holes away, and then you see the the number change on the old-fashioned uh leaderboard, and that's kind of all you get. It's electric because you hear the roar and then you're waiting for that board to change. Like, what who did it? What happened? There was an amateur, I believe he was an amateur at the time when I was there in 2014, uh, by the name of Jordan Spieth, who made a nice little run on Sunday, and we were like, oh my god, who is this guy? And it was like that exact situation where you just hear the roars, and we were like, Man, I wish we could have seen a little bit more of the Speath guy, but uh we saw plenty of him the following year.
SPEAKER_01Well, that's a perfect segue. We're gonna talk quickly about some of our favorite masters memories throughout the years that we've been following it. I'll start because obviously you know what's number one on my board, and that is Jordan Speeth winning the Masters. He is my favorite player. That run in 2014, everybody got a sense of just how good he was at this course, and that still remains true. I saw a stat yesterday, in fact, that in terms of strokes gained at Augusta National, Speath is closer to Tiger in the 2000s than Scotty in the 2020s. It's just you'd think he'd have more than one of them at this point. So unfortunately, my favorite memory is just cherishing that one that he does have.
SPEAKER_00He choked the one away, too. Who could forget that? This is favorite memory moments here, not not devastating. I think I think. The lead has has been buried here. The the best and most favorite memory is just last year with Rory McElroy uh completing the career grand slam um in a playoff against Justin Rose. He missed a putt on 18 to to ice it in in regulation and choked a little bit there and then came back with a birdie on in the playoff hole and just threw an absolute dart on the 18th, fell to his knees and wept, but uh just uh a the entire round uh and playoff was a uh absolute cinema. And he he we he himself was uh back and forth and making double bogies and making birdies, it was crazy. Yeah, Rory McElroy just last year, 2025, um career grand slam. That's the best memory I have. That's a special one, too.
SPEAKER_01That was unbelievable. And anytime you get to see a golfer complete the career grand slam, it's special because only six have ever done it. So it's just rare air. And Rory had had so many troubles at Augusta in the past that seeing him get over the hump was indeed special. I have another one that's a little bit off the beaten path because it's probably a it's definitely not third on a lot of people's lists in terms of favorite. But when Hadeki won the Masters, I loved not only just how graceful he was with his win, but the caddy bowing to the 18th bowl and the flag is such an iconic moment photo for me. Yes, that I just have to shout that out. I loved every second of that.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, that's an all-time sports picture. I think there's it's like a little, there's a little hint of fog uh on the fairway and uh the caddy uh bowing to the course, an ultimate sign of respect from the Japs. Uh incredible, incredible call by you. Um, I'll just throw it back to another all-time great uh in Tiger Woods, 2019, kind of defying all the odds after many injuries and uh things on and off the course both. So um, yeah, just coming back to win 2019, coming off the green, giving his son a big hug, uh, his daughter there as well. Um, sort of uh a callback to when he won in 1997, just a couple months after I was born, and uh his dad was there to give him a big hug. That was his first major, and uh so yeah, just you know, uh sort of the end of an era back in two in 2019 with Tiger.
SPEAKER_01I obviously saved it for you because I'd be disingenuous if I took that, and you you knew you could have taken that whenever. I think that is the most cinematic thing from sports that I could ever remember. It almost transcends sport. You could just tell anybody who didn't know a thing about golf, just that story of a man who was once at the highest of highs and fell to some of the lowest of lows and was on his way back, and the way it played out on the back nine, seeing people just collapsing around him and the crowd getting that buzz in the air that oh my god, it's actually going to happen, and then to capital off with the wind and the hug of his mom to recreate that iconic scene with his dad. It honest to god was you couldn't write a script that good.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, no, you put it a lot a lot more eloquently than I was able to, but uh yeah, that is just an all-time scene at Augusta and the this stuff steeped in tradition that you read about.
SPEAKER_01For sure. And I'm gonna take us something not very steeped in tradition, but just something that tickles my fancy. And I love Vern Lundquist, the longtime announcer for not only SEC football, but the 16th hole at Augusta. Vern would be up in that tower, and nothing gave me more joy than when he would just get a name wrong. He would get very excited. He's been famous to call call people by the wrong name. I believe he called Justin Thomas Justin Thompson. He's called Matt Wallace, Mike Wallace. Some SEC football slips into Vern's call every now and then. And it's just great. That was great having Vern up there. Not only was he great at the good moments, he was also good at some of the dull moments, just adding a little color.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, they gotta stick him up there until he can't any longer. If we need narrowlift, we'll we'll get him up there somehow. We need Vern in the tower on 16. I that might be all I have on on top of mind.
SPEAKER_01Uh that's that's fine with me. The only other thing I wanted to mention was this came from the par three contest, which is something we probably should mention. Yeah, nothing but good vibes at the par three contest. Family fun. They bring wives, children, everyone out for a little bit of a laugh. Everybody gets to take a shot, hit a couple balls. A couple years ago, an icon was born when Frankie Fleetwood got on the microphone, Tommy Fleetwood's son, and he hit the ball in the water, and they asked him whether he was going to be able to make it over the green. And he said, I'm just trying my hardest. And it was such a funny. It honestly sounded like he was media trained, and then you had Shane Lowry and Rory McElroy sitting there laughing, like, what'd you teach this kid, Tommy? How's he speaking like that? It was so funny. I'm sure most of you have seen that by now, but Frankie Fleetwood donning the master's apparel. I think that was just an iconic moment.
SPEAKER_00I'm just trying my hardest to get it there. I'm just not strong enough quite yet. Just no, yeah, it's it is a total miss by us that it took us this long to mention the part three contest because when you talk about tradition and uh just what makes this event special or elevates it above the other majors, it's exactly stuff like that. They get a chance to bring their bring their their families out. I think a few years back Sung J M's dad hit a hole in one, which was just electric. Uh and so yeah, you get the kids out there putting and the wives, you know, and girlfriends they could uh take a shot, and some of them are sticks, so it's most of them most of them have much better swings than we do.
SPEAKER_01Oh, for sure, yeah. Yeah, they look like they could play on tour. Uh, so that is, like you said, just all good vibes during the part three. All right, let's get into it. The main event here. Okay. This is why this is why we showed up, and this is why we podcast. You're only gonna get this at the torture trance, I can promise you that. A combination of golf and music. It might be niche, it might be, it might be a lot of things, but it will be fun. So we'll start with just naming what Augusta has named their holes because they have given a name to all 18, and then we will take turns telling you what we name them based off a famous song. The first hole is T Olive, and I will let you take it away.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, the first the first hole is the epitome of uh Miss Natasha Bettingfield's um unwritten perfect perfect answer. It's a blank slate opportunity to to get a great round going, start it. It's really you're you're reaching for something in the distance, so close you can almost taste it, and you're gonna need to release your inhibitions in order to succeed at this course.
SPEAKER_01It's great. I went with hello, goodbye from the Beatles, obviously a classic. And the reason I chose this, there's so much excitement, and then you could just make a six, a double bogey on the first hole, and it's a complete ejection. A goodbye, see you later. So, because the first hole's tough, it's not it's not the easiest opener, it's not a gentle handshake. So just need to be cognizant on the first hole that you don't blow up and lose the tournament. They always say, yeah, you can't win the tournament on the first hole, but you can lose it.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, well, we have seen uh guys double and then come back to win, or double and come back to be first round leader. I think Rory last year in the final round, he maybe doubled or took a bogey on the first. I don't quite remember.
SPEAKER_01He definitely bogeied at least, yeah.
SPEAKER_00I do remember that when John Rom won, uh, he doubled the very first hole of the tournament. So you you do see guys kind of come back, but you know, yeah, you're totally right. You if you have any type of jitters, this one's gonna come up and get you. You need to be self-confident and hit a good firm t shot, nothing gentle. And it is it is like drastically uphill, like more way more than you can kind of tell on television. And so I just couldn't imagine like slicing or duck hooking one into the trees, and then you gotta just trek up a mountain to go and find it. And you're like, what have I gotten myself into this weekend?
SPEAKER_01Just waving the club at your side, like, oh boy. Hey, I I like that you added the context since you were there of just how drastic that hill is. I think that's good to do as we go through these holes. So if you have any more insight like that, because I couldn't agree more. We talked about how you should walk the course all 18. I'll tell you what, when you get to that first hole and you start walking up the hill, you're like, I'm not sure I'm gonna make it all 18. I'm not sure how they're doing this six days in a row.
SPEAKER_00Yeah. Uh on the first hole, we we also should mention they every tournament they bring back uh past champions uh who are maybe no longer able to kind of get around and and play, uh, but they do ceremonial, ceremonial first T shots um by guys like Jack Nicholas, Tom Watson, and and the like. And when you watch that, you're like, oh, this first hole is kind of a you know flat-ish par four, nice and easy start, but boy, is it anything but yep, it is way more than meets the eye.
SPEAKER_01The second hole is called Pink Dogwood, it's a nice downhill par five. So I have named this one Green Light by Lord. It's a green light special that's a positive song, it's upbeat, immaculate vibes on that song, and a hole that we simply need to attack at Augusta if you want to have a good round.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, definitely. And especially like you said, coming off of that tough first hole, uh, where any small mistake can really cost you there. I'm on the same same wavelength as you. You mentioned vibes. I'm going good vibrations by the Beach Boys. Um, you just hit a good t-shot, you go make a four, and then we're vibing. We're off, we're off and running, we're we're going. I love it.
SPEAKER_01The third hole is named Flowering Peach by Augusta. A lot of tree bush plant names throughout the Masters self-dub titles. We're definitely taking it in the more fun direction. So feel free if you want to change any of these names. You you can use these, Augusta. So just be vigilant of that. I'll let you kick off the third hole, which is one of my favorites on the front nine.
SPEAKER_00Uh yeah, the yeah, I I totally agree. It's a great hole to watch on that Masters app, like we mentioned. What I went for here was, oops, I did it again. Britney Spears. It is Britney Bitch. Uh just we every year, this is the ultimate um without any like real hazards, there's no water or anything. It somehow finds a way to still be an incredible risk reward type hole. We see guy, it's a it's a shorter par four, and we'll see we see guys every single year trying to drive it or trying to get up close to the uh close to the green to force a birdie. And uh it always is is a mistake, and you have to be uh surgical, sort of, to to really get a three on this one. Um oops, I did it again. We just see same same mistakes over and over here.
SPEAKER_01Yes, surgical, I think, is the perfect word to sum it up because the t-shot's almost a neutral factor. Everybody ends up in a similar position off the T. There's a few people, I guess, that still choose to lay back with something less than driver, but I don't think that's super common anymore. So it's most of the time hit a driver three wood up there, and then you just basically have to be very precise with a wedge. And it's asking a very direct question, and time and time again, like you said, guys just can't answer it. So I think that's a that that's a good title. I've gone for long story short by of course the queen Taylor Swift. It's a short hole, but it tells a long story and telling us where exactly your iron game is, your approach game, especially early in the round. It's asking you a very blunt direct question. Can you answer it? So I've gone long story short.
SPEAKER_00Love that. And it it'll it really like it, it'll kill you in your mind if you come away here with the bogey. Um, because you got a tough stretch coming up, too.
SPEAKER_01And the tough stretch begins with the fourth hole, the flowering crab apple. It sounds like it has some sass just in the name of the hole. And I think this one it it's got a little bit of a bite to it. And so I've named it Come and Get It, I believe by Selena Gomez. I think you could help me with that. I think she sings that song, right? If you're ready, come and get it, na na na. Is that Selena?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, definitely. Yeah, okay. I was like, I think that's her, but I'm not sure. I think there's a Beatles song called Come and Get It as well.
SPEAKER_01That's where my brain went. There is, yeah. But the one I was referred to is the almost tantalizing nature of the na na na. Like, hey, here's the question. It's a straight part three. Here's hope you have the answer. It's really long, it's really hard. Uh, just go ahead and try your best.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, yeah, 100%. You hit it, it's really long, long part three. Oftentimes we'll play like 230 plus. Um, you it's at minimum a long iron for these guys, a lot of times uh wood. Um, so I had named it the long and winding road. Shout out again to the Beatles. It's not the t-shot I wouldn't describe as winding, but it's very long. But if you uh are if you are on the green, far away from the pin, that's where the winding part comes in because it's not gonna be an easy putt. Um, and if you're if you miss on the wrong side of the green, a lot of times you see guys making fours and fives.
SPEAKER_01So yeah, and we talked about that after the third hole, it starts that really tough stretch. The fifth hole, I think, is almost always the toughest hole at Augusta in terms of average score in relation to par. It is named Magnolia, and obviously I think Magnolia is a pretty good name. It's apt for Augusta to name a hole Magnolia, but I think the name you have given this one is perfect. So I'll let you start.
SPEAKER_00Magnolia is such a pretty name for such a brute of a hole, really. It's so brutal. I I dubbed it Maneater uh via Queen. Uh, because watch out, boys, she'll chew you up. It is like I said, it's a it's a brutal, brutal hole. If you mess up your drive, even in the slightest, you miss left, you're gonna be uh in in the bunker, or worse. If you miss right, you're you have a long, long shot into the green. Um, and then the green itself had like false front undulation, and it's just a brutal, brutal hole. One of my favorites to watch um on TV. You get that master stream, the four, five, six uh holes going. Yeah, Maneater, that's the picture perfect, I think. Here, and I have to just quickly jump in it.
SPEAKER_01It is Holland Oates, I'm pretty sure, right? Not Queen. You're right, right, it's Holland Oates. I wanted no, the reason why I just wanted to make sure we got the temple shout-out in because Holland Oates are temple boys, so we need to just make sure that it is Holland Oates. But I think that name no, I think you did such a good job naming this one. The lyric, watch out, boys, she'll chew you up, is just unbelievable. It is so perfect for this hole. It's just a brute. I said the name of the hole from Augusta was Magnolia. I've just named it Sugar Magnolia, which is a song by The Grateful Dead, because I think its birth name was pretty perfect. Sometimes you don't need to change it, but I just think this one is a little bit sweeter for us to watch at home than one would expect. So I'm going Sugar Magnolia, and it's not sweet for the people playing it. It is just for us to enjoy back at home.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, what I I mentioned a left miss will put you in the bunker, or worse, I believe it was Rasmus Hoygaard last year, uh, who had one of the sicker shots you'll ever see on this hole. He completely dug hooked his drive way left into the trees, and then out of the trees, kind of did a scoop-de-doo, went over him, and it was unbelievable, and put it probably 10-15 feet from the pin. It was, if you have a chance to go look it up, Rasmus Hoygaard.
SPEAKER_01And that's the beautiful part of the Masters app is you're able, we're able to text about somebody doing something crazy on a hole, and you just go into that player and you're able to watch every shot they took on that hole. All right, the sixth hole is called Juniper. What do you have for this one? It's a it's a beautiful little part three.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, it really is nice. Um, I went here with uh I'm alive by uh Kenny Chesney and uh and Dave Matthews. Nice little collab there by the two two kings. Um I'm alive and well, breathing in and out's a blessing, can't you see? Is is how the song goes. And that's kind of that's gotta be how it feels coming off four or five. Um, just two really difficult holes. Um, and then here at six, you really, in my opinion, you just want to put something on the green, two putt for par, make it out alive, uh, and breathing in and out at that point is a blessing.
SPEAKER_01I like that. I've gone for 99 and a half won't do by CCR because we are simply looking for a hundred percent on this T shot. You need to be precise, or else your ball is going to funnel off the front of the green or to that front left portion of the green, specifically when the pin is in that back right. It is just a very precise question being asked once again by Augusta for you with an iron in your hand. And if you're not a hundred percent accurate, you're gonna be struggling to make a three. No doubt. Seventh hole. I had a tough time with this one. You kind of assisted me. So I'll I'll give you a tip of the cap when I say you reminded me just how pretty this hole was. So I have named it Gorgeous by, of course, Taylor Swift again. I will say it's a pretty hole to look at, but it's not my favorite tune of hers, and it's not my favorite hole.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, no, that's great. I I'm I was thinking exactly along the same lines. We mentioned seven earlier and and how uh pretty gorgeous I think it is. Um, I went with Beautiful Day by U2. I just the harping on the beautiful again, just for a sec. This is one of the ones, if you see a picture from the T box, you're like, man, that's nice. So you have the the small green protected by multiple like bright white bonkers, it's just really nice to look at. Um, and then at the same time, just like in Beautiful Day, you don't let it get away because this one will come and get you. Um, the one line in In Beautiful Day is skies fall, but you feel like it's a beautiful day. And I feel like that if I were ever to look to be lucky enough to play the course, I feel like it would this hole would chew me up and spit me out because I can't hit a ball straight off the T to save my life. And if you can't do that, then it's you're gonna have a really tough time. And coming off this hole, I would just be thinking, like, man, the sky is falling, but it's so beautiful out here.
SPEAKER_01I think that's a great message to just remind yourself Augusta. Hey, the sky might be falling, but we're lucky to be here. It's a beautiful day. Keep telling yourself, you know. I think that's great. The eighth hole is named Yellow Jasmine. I'll let you kick this one off.
SPEAKER_00Uh, okay, yeah, Sean. I wanted to uh so first of all, the the eighth hole is uh is one that you gotta go get. We we said you're you're coming off of some uh tough stretches uh four, five, six. Seven is not a picnic either if you can't do it correctly. Eight is one is par five, long par five, you gotta go and get it. Uh so Sean, I also wanted to give a little hat tip to you because I know for a fact you uh recorded a uh an album review. I picked one off of Harry Styles' most recent album uh titled Ready Steady Go. Uh, because it's time to go get one back here. So ready steady on your t-shot, put one out in the fairway, uh, and go get it.
SPEAKER_01That's a great company, man. You are just hat tipping the album review, which is out for Harry Styles. And I think it's an aptly named song for this whole. I'm gonna go with Can't You See from the Marshall Tucker band, what that woman should been doing to me. I I just think admittedly you can't see much on this one. So it's kind of just hey, you hit a T-shot, and then you have a ski slope to hit up, and it's kind of just a hit in hope. Because that second shot is entirely blind, and I will say, I don't think there's too many repercussions. Exactly. You could you could get into disaster area if you go, I guess, really far left. If it's really by the ball. Yeah, but for the most part, these guys seem to be doing a pretty good job now of having a putt for four on this hole almost every exactly, and that's right.
SPEAKER_00Your second shot, long and uphill, but like you said, you're you're not really gonna find too much trouble. And then it's a relatively simple up and down, or if you're able to uh kind of stick one onto the green, you should at least be able to two putt for a birdie. So yeah, eighth, I think, is one of the lowest in scoring average, if I had to guess. And yeah, you got to go get one back there.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, you just also don't see a ton of big numbers on eight, like a six is a disaster there. So I think that you you need to take advantage of the eighth hole. The ninth hole, the final hole on the front nine, which I believe Augusta calls on the first nine and second nine, correct? Yeah, you're right. They do, yeah. That is another thing I should have been more cognizant of. But it is actually named Carolina Cherry. I have gone for Czech Yes or No by George Strait, and it's a simple one for. Me because it's are you ready to go to the best nine holes of golf in the world? Yes, is the answer yes? Okay, cool. Then make a three or four here. If you're gonna mess around and make five here, I think you should just check that no box and roll over and turn it in. You gotta take care of business on the ninth hole because it's about to get real again.
SPEAKER_00Exactly. I was thinking the same thing. You you need to uh to check that box, you need to take care of your biz. I went with this one is actually queen. I'm positive of it. This one is not Hall Notes. Uh, don't stop me now, Queen. Like I mentioned, you're hopefully coming off of a birdie on eight, and it's you need to build some momentum here. You need to start hitting some proper shots. This approach shot on the ninth is not easy. You're most likely hitting off a down slope, and it's like an elevated green with uh multiple tiers. So don't stop me now. Hit a good one uh and get ready to play that second nine that is so difficult. Perfect.
SPEAKER_01Uh, the 10th hole, the start of the second nine, is called Camellia. And I like your name for this one, so I'm gonna let you start.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, yeah. So this the uh the the 10th is another gorgeous hole, a beast of a hole. I chose Sugar We're Going Down by Fallout Boy. It is at least a hundred foot downhill drop off the T, as as they report. And uh yeah, you're gonna you're you just need to hit a proper draw around the corner down the hill and and hopefully put one on the green to make a par uh on this 10th before we're getting to the real teeth of the course.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, the 10th, it's not included in that amen corner, but it's a really cool hole. It's so unique. It's a sharp turn left that we take off the T. You really do need to hit a draw and get it rolling to the left side. Also, a good place to stand. I found myself probably there for about half an hour when I was at the course, right behind the green on the 10th hole. And you can only see really the approach shots, which it does limit your viewing in terms of number of shots, but it's such a cool angle, dead behind the flagstick, seeing them hit at you. All these things look so big and vast on TV, but then you're right next to it, and you're like, with the slope of this thing, I don't know if you give me a bucket of balls from 100 yards if I'm keeping one on. So it's so drastic. I have named it actually romantic. How can you not be romantic about the second nine at Augusta National? I think that's where where I went with this one. It's also a sneaky diss track, actually romantic about trolley X. So just mind your business, hit a draw and keep it moving. Let's not step out of out of line here. Let's let's keep it between the mustard and the mayo.
SPEAKER_00Actually romantic is what I've named the 10th. Exactly. I mean, this one is one that like others, you may overlook, but it will come and get you. And uh yeah, you need to have your wits about you. Sugar, we're going downhill, and your round could be going downhill quickly if you don't play proper.
SPEAKER_01The 11th is called White Dogwood and the beginning of A-Men Corner, and we should mention that we have both dubbed all of A-Men Corner as holy ground. Yeah, I think that goes without saying. That's just a that's a layup of sorts. So I have named the 11th hole Only a Fool by Steely Dan, and the reason why is because it's just a challenging hole, and it's very important that you are not foolish when you're hitting your approach shot towards the screen. You don't want any part of that water on the left-hand side, and only a fool goes at the stick. Almost every seasoned person at Augusta is hitting their approach shot either to the right of the pin or even the right of the green, and then just having to hit a really difficult chip shot and trying to make a mid-range putt for Par, or just taking a bogey and moving on, because that's how tough this hole is. Only disaster can strike if you go for the pin and end up making double or triple. You don't want to ruin your round here, so I have gone for only a fool by Steely Dan.
SPEAKER_00Incredible, incredible. Uh, I went with uh Highway to Hell by ACDC. Um, this is a very long par five par four as well. Um and it is the uh number one scoring average over par plays uh historically at about 4.3. So a lot of guys are going to hell here, making making a bogey or worse. Um there's a if you can't keep your approach shot off to the right, um, you are flirting with disaster over the with the little pond. Um, and so for that reason, you'll see a lot of guys to just bail out way right to to keep it out of of hell there. And then, you know, just beyond that, you're on the highway to hell, you're entering the Amen corner now. So get ready, buddy. Get ready, buddy. Get ready to learn Amen Corner, buddy.
SPEAKER_01Uh the 12th pole is I I would say it's obviously one of the three most iconic, but it it has uh certainly a right to be voted the most iconic out of Gusta. It is called Golden Bell, and I think you came up with the perfect title for it.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, uh I went with Bridge Over Troubled Water, um, Simon and Garfunkel. Hogan's Bridge is the bridge that uh will lead you from the T-Box over to the green area, uh crossing over uh the creek there. And um it absolutely iconic. If you see a picture of Augusta National Golf Course, there's a high likelihood that you're looking at a picture of Hogan's Bridge. It's probably the most picturesque area of the course, um, that Amen corner spot. And it is troubled water, there's no doubt that it has claimed many, many a contender. We mentioned Jordan Speath's collapse. It was solely fueled by this 12th hole. Um, and take the bridge over troubled water and and play it safe here.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, and it's one of those holes that on TV you just kind of can't understand what the fuss is about. It's a hundred and thirty-yard par three for these guys on tour. It's either a wedge, a nine-iron, once in a while an eight if the wind is crazy. And you think, what's the big deal? And then you see just how tiny the green is and just how severe the trouble around it is, and you're like, oh shit, yeah, I could I could see what could go wrong. I have gone for a song that you actually put me onto. So shout out to you for this one. I went for Weren't for the wind by Ella Langley, who I am for the listeners, you guys know I am not, I repeat, not a country music guy, but I will say, Miss Ella Langley has opened my eyes to potentially softening my stance a bit. So she's shout out to her. I I'm into what I've heard so far. And this song, I just I think it's perfect because if it weren't for the wind, a lot of stuff would be different with masters history. And a lot of people come off the course and say, Yeah, caught a gust on the 12th hole. You just can't predict the wind on the 12th hole above the trees. You don't know what it's doing up there, and that's always the buzzword wind, wind, wind. And I would argue if it weren't for the strongest gust of wind in the history of the United States, that Jordan Speith might have five masters. I think that the scar tissue he built from that traumatic experience has prevented him from winning several others. I just think really a special hole must see TV anytime your favorite player or the leaders are approaching the 12th. It's truly get in your seat, get some popcorn and enjoy the show type stuff. So just wanted to pay the 12th hole its respect.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, great song, great artist, Ella Langley. She's a beast. Uh, and you also you always think about the the wind in terms of like knocking the ball down and get like having it roll back into the water, which it very often does. But if the win if you get a wind, a little wind at your back, it takes it over the green and you're back in the uh the flowers, the bushes that are back behind the green, and that's may equally as dead. So yeah, that it's just incredibly difficult shot.
SPEAKER_01Why not the no-laying up guys? I am wearing I'm wearing their hat now, but they always talk about the rub of the green, and that's when you hit it in the bushes back there, it is a true rub of the green situation. It's like hey, the bush might spit it out or it might not, and you're in for you're in for a big number if it doesn't. We saw Tiger Woods make a 10 here. Yes, a 10. So this hole has taken some souls.
SPEAKER_00And when Scotty won in, I think his first win, he hit uh a shot that the win took all the way back there and got absolutely crowned. It just spit it right back out, and he had a nice, easy chip shot up there. So you really never know. Some some guys get the luck, some do not. A crowning for sure.
SPEAKER_01The 13th hole is Azalea, and this to me is my favorite hole at the Masters. I will say, at least it always has been traditionally growing up. This was the hole I fell in love with. I was like, wow, this is really cool. It's different. There's like real risk reward. What have you gone for for your song title here?
SPEAKER_00You said risk reward. I went with Gracie Abrams Risk. Uh, of course, you you maybe the best song of all time for maybe the best hole. That's that's perfect. No, it certainly is uh one of the top holes uh on this course. And I mentioned the the picturesqueness of 12, uh, but oh 13 is right up there with it. So if you're not if you're googling a picture, it's probably either 12 or 13, maybe both in the same shot. Uh the the flowers, the azaleas right behind the the green uh are just amazing to see look at and and all that. Um but as far as the risk, the risk is drowning in Ray's Creek. But I'm gonna take it. You have to uh to take on that risk of of Ray's Creek uh in order to really contend. And there are a lot of um birdies, eagles put up here. It plays a little bit shorter if you're able to hook it around the corner there. Um, but it's almost like you need to go make a birdie, and then like last year we saw we saw Rory flub a pitch shot into Ray's Creek and take a double. So um it's it can come out and get you just like every other one.
SPEAKER_01It's just a thrilling piece of television to watch. It's thrilling golf, it's golf at its highest form, in my opinion. I went for You Are the Best Thing, the Ray La Montagne classic. I just think it's the best thing that's happened in golf to me. It's what really got me in the sport in terms of like thinking about holes and how they're structured. Because really, when I grew up slapping the ball around, I didn't know my ass from my elbow. But when you start to become familiar with Augusta, because like we talked about, we're there every year watching on TV, you familiarize yourself with this hole and the 12th hole first and foremost, because they are the two heavy hitters, and just the iconic moments that have happened on this hole, you have the chance for an eagle, which everybody goes nuts for, and then you also have the chance for a double bogey, and they used to be almost equally as likely. And I will say I almost went for nostalgia's lie here from Sam Fender because it used to be a much better hole before Bryson and the bandits tried to steal our beautiful game by just mashing the ball all around and taking sort of the fun out of it. They've backed it up as far as they could go in terms of land and the T-Box. They've run out of real estate, so they can't make it any longer. So we might need a ball to be rolled back to get this hole really spicy and firing like it used to be. But I didn't go, I don't want to be too sinister, so I went for you are the best thing.
SPEAKER_00Incredible. And some of the most iconic moments in Master's history here, of course. Number one coming to mind is uh Phil Mickelson's shot from the pine straw. Uh I think he he had a six iron and just was bombarded by trees all all around him, and somehow weaved it through and uh made uh put it to like six feet on that shot. So yeah, it was uh the 13th is without a doubt one of the most memorable.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, something synonymous with almost all Master Champions. It's not a hard and fast rule, but at some point on the back nine, there's gonna be a shot from there around that sticks with them and the viewer forever. And the 13th pops up, the 15th, the 12th. A lot of those big holes are the ones that we're gonna remember for a long time. So I should mention also that the hole is named Azalea, which I feel like is Augusta's best name they got in the book. That's the thing that was synonymous with Augusta, so they saved it for a pretty good one.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, and it kind of that the book writes itself there because you got them all right around the green.
SPEAKER_01Yep. Yeah, they're everywhere. The 14th hole is named Chinese fur. What have you picked for this one?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, this one is so we, you know, coming off of 11, 12, 13, uh, we mentioned how memorable they all are, how difficult they are, um, of the big time moments that you have. The 14 is a little bit more uh forgettable, sandwiched right in between two par fives at 13 and 15. Here I went with uh Niall Horns Dear Patience. So you you really hear you kind of just have to keep your head about you, stay patient, um, take your medicine if necessary, take a par, move along. Uh there, you know, coming off of that 13th vibes could be very high, uh, but you have to settle down, patience.
SPEAKER_01I like that. I I went for a similar note. I went for something in between. I had to have Olivia Dean on the list in some capacity. And this is just a classic in-betweener. It's uh survive in advance, don't do anything too flashy, don't make noise in either direction. You don't want to be spectacular or unspectacular on this one. You just want to take a four and move on to the next because it's sandwiched between such great iconic holes that it's often forgot about the 14th. Yeah, it's not it's not being showed as much on television as the other ones are. So you just don't want to make too much noise. You don't want to give them a reason to show you in either direction. The 15th, we're back at it again. There's nothing but heavy hitters on this back nine here. Firethorn. I went for jailbreak by Thin Lizzie. This one is as much a theme for the potential of actually putting yourself in prison, like we saw Frankie Molinari do, but also for Thin Lizzie, the artist, because this green is the thinnest thing I've ever seen in my life. When you when you're walking, you cannot believe that people are hitting 230-yard approach shots onto this pencil-sized green.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, and especially considering like the first uh 10-15 feet or so, if you land it there, it's rolling right back into that front pond, anyway. So it's dead. Yeah, perfect. You mentioned get it getting in jail. How about getting in trouble? Uh, I went with I knew you were trouble by our Taylor Swift. Um, because trouble, trouble, trouble. It's everywhere to be found. This is my favorite hole to watch. Um, my my favorite hole at Augusta National. Iconic moments last year. Rory hooked it around the tree uh with a second shot. Unbelievable shot. But then the the bad moments are maybe even better to to watch than the good ones. Like you mentioned Molinari uh in 2019 when he hit a pine cone. That was amazing. There was uh a few years back, uh Sergio Garcia hit the hit the flag stick and it rolled back into the water. So there's trouble to be found everywhere. You can't leave your approach shot short because, like I mentioned, it will roll back off of that green. You can't, and when it's firm and fast and dry out there, you cannot go long either because there's uh another pond that is on the 16th hole that's waiting for these flyers to come in and it wants to suck those up too. So trouble everywhere to be found.
SPEAKER_01I love that. I think that's a perfect name. And like you said, long sometimes when it's firm and fast is almost worse because then you have to chip, even if it stays in play, you have to chip back towards that disaster waiting for you in the front of the green. So you have to be really precise with the chip shot, or else there's huge numbers in play. So the 15th is great, the 16th is great. It's called Red Bud. I went for a song called Climax by Usher. Going nowhere fast, we've reached the climax. I think this is oftentimes, yeah. I love it. I was hoping you could hit the false setup. I've got a bit of a sore throat, so I couldn't do it, but I'm glad you took it away. A lot of times I think this is the climax of the tournament. You stick the landing here and you pass one of the real final tests that Augusta has to offer you, and I think you're in the driver's seat a lot of times. It's just one of those last questions being asked. You oftentimes have Vern in the tower. It's a huge crowd around 15 and 16, like we talked about, and it just feels big. And of course, the iconic moment of the tiger chipping. Yeah. So I just think a lot of times the 16th is the pinnacle, the climax at Augusta.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, definitely. You mentioned the the big crowds, which is what I'm I'm going after here. I went with my uncle Phil, Phil Collins in the air tonight. Um just just based on the absolute vibes that are surrounding this whole the crowd is humongous here and they go nuts. And they're um it it's sort of when they set up the Sunday pin with that back left location, it sort of funnels down in there. So you see a lot of guys just putting it up on that hill, letting it roll down, and you really get close to a lot of hole in ones, um, holes in one. And uh yeah, in in the air tonight, it's just the absolute pinnacle of uh just total vibes back there, and uh it's absolute it's electricity, really.
SPEAKER_01It really is. Also, also, we should point out that on the Masters streaming app, which we should be sponsored by at this point. I I've I've mentioned it 10 times this episode, but the live feeds, they always have A-Men Corner, obviously, and then the 1516 channel is often slept on, but that's such a good one as well. You could basically watch anybody play the whole back nine in real time if you just pick up the Amen corner feed into the 1516, you're getting everything you need there. The 17th hole is called Nandina, but what have you named it?
SPEAKER_00Uh, I went I went back, I was trying to do different artists for each uh hole. I went back to Harry Styles here because I wanted to remind the listeners go take a look at the album review that that Sean and Ryan had just put out. Harry Styles, uh, kiss all the time, disco occasionally. Check out the album review, please. This time I went with an older one of his falling. And uh, if you if you remember, if you were viewing, uh just a few years back, there were a few pesky little trees that that tumbled over. They they made a big timber. Um, and so that is where my where the uh inspiration for falling by Harry Styles came in. There also was uh famous, they called it Ike's tree, based on uh Dwight Eisenhower back in the 50s when he would play there all the time when he was president. Um that was a huge tree that was right in the middle of the fairway, and I think it like it died because of ice storms or it froze or something. They had to take it out about 15 years ago. So it seems like trees on 17 are just falling everywhere. So following Harry Styles is what I went with.
SPEAKER_01God, I hate to see that ice got Ike too. That's tough. I also love when we can name a tree on a golf course. I love that that a tree is prevalent enough to deserve a name. I think that's great stuff. I think it was because he hit it every time he played there. That's perfect. I have a few, if that's the case, we've got a few trees in the northeast Pennsylvania area. Boyle and Collins trees are running rampant throughout Pennsylvania. I love it. I think that was a very good outside the box idea from you. I went for Don't You Forget About Me by Simple Minds and shout out to the Breakfast Club, where this song was made super famous, in my opinion. It just fall is a 15th and 16th, and it's before the closing hole. And it's just one that you just need to be sure that you dot your I's and cross your T's on. You really don't want to have a slip up here when trying to get you don't want to get ahead of yourself, get out over your skis. You just want to get a nice score on the scorecard, don't do anything crazy. So I went for don't you forget about me because it could pack a punch and derail around at a very, very bad time.
SPEAKER_00Absolutely. And and don't forget about it in terms of excitement and and big moments either, because uh a lot of times it's it's considered one of the little maybe more boring holes on the course. But in recent years, it's it's produced incredible moments. Uh Rory had a crazy shot that he was begging to go last year that wound up being at like two feet. I think last year Patrick Reed had a sick he might even hold out. I think he holed out on on 17 to put him up. Uh, I think he came in solo third out outside of the playoffs. So um they're 17 when when guys have to go after the pin produces some big moments sometimes too. So don't forget about it.
SPEAKER_01Don't you forget about me. The last one, the 18th hole. It is named Holly. I'll let you kick it off because I think you have a really, really good one here.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I went, I went with Green Day here, uh, good riddance, time of your life. Uh, because you know, it it could be a true good riddance if you've had a bad day on Augusta coming up 18. Uh, it could truly be good riddance, get me off this golf course. It also could be I hope you had the time of your life. If you come out victorious, um, I'm sure you probably did have the time of your life. You see, we see how uh how much guys care about this one. This tournament as a whole, it's probably the the biggest major for for most of them in their mind. Um, and uh yeah, the time of their life. And also Green Day, you could be having a great green day with a fresh green jacket if you're victorious here. So I hope you have the time of your life, and I hope you're not saying good riddance. When you think Augusta, you think green.
SPEAKER_01I mean, that's just you we need I'm glad Green Day made the list somewhere. I went, I'm I'm pretty happy with this one. I went with Don't Dream It's Over by Crowded House, and a couple of reasons. Sometimes you're just wanting to get in the clubhouse with a good round that you're just wishing the round to be over, like, hey, let's just get in here, put it to bed, good score, sleep on it. And other times you're just wishing it's over because you're struggling. But I'm just advising you, don't dream it's over because you only get to play Augusta National a handful of times in your life, even as professionals. It's still a limited amount of time you get to play this, but don't take it for granted. You don't want to dream away your time at Augusta. Enjoy every minute. Also, simply not a lot of room in a crowded house. And famously, the 18th is a very, very tight t-shot. When you stand behind the 18th hole, it looks impossible to fit it between the trees. So I think Crowded House does a good job of summarizing just how tight, tight the piece of property is that you have to hit it into.
SPEAKER_00100%. And I mean, in terms of uh big moments here, you like it will produce the the playoff last year was unbelievable. Um, it's not it's maybe not the hole that I would choose as the finishing hole at Augusta if I could have my my option, but uh yeah, like you said, the the T shot is just a uh brute. It's a tight little shoot that you have. Um and yeah, it's it 18th is always a great one.
SPEAKER_01Yep, it's it's I would probably agree. It's probably not the best hole that they could have chosen to be the finisher, but over time you build up so many memories of the celebrations on the green there and just some of the moments of collapses on the 18th. So it's become better over time, but I I would agree, I'd probably go in a different direction. Do you have any final thoughts as we wrap up the Masters? I'm gonna pose one more question to you, and we wanted this episode to be ever evergreen, so we could kind of put it out every year ahead of the Masters. But I would like to know where is your heart? If you could see one person win the Masters this year, any year in the future, who would your one person that you would just want to see win be? Well, Sung J M, of course. Yeah, I'm not sure that the listeners know just how big of a Sung J M fan you are.
SPEAKER_00No, that that unfortunately will not happen. He did well in the Mickey Mouse Masters in November. He did, and that's exactly that's exactly why the the true and proper Masters is off the table. Um, Tiger Woods also at present day will not happen. Uh unfortunately. Whatever you'd like to say about him at this point, uh, he won't be winning another Masters. I'll say that. Uh man, who could I?
SPEAKER_01Uh I can tell you this. For me, for the next 10 to 15 years, you could just replay this episode. It's always going to be one A, Jordan Speef, and one B, Ludwig Aubert. So, yeah, those are those are my two horses. Uh, I've um I've accumulated a lot of heartbreak and scar tissue with Jordan, obviously. And uh honestly, we're starting to get there with Ludvig a little bit too after the players in 2026 here and then his masters, he's been good and then kind of fallen apart on Sunday. So those are my two guys for the rest of time. As long as they're playing, you could just jot Sean Boyle down as a fan of those two.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, no, that that's that's great. I I do think that Ludwig eventually will get one. He's played too well uh here, I feel like not to. Um, I don't know that he's the number one guy that I'll root for. I'll I'll throw it back. Uh, a guy who who left for live, and I hope to see more of him in the coming years. He had an opportunity. Uh Scotty kind of blew him out of the water. Uh, Cam Smith, the dingo. I would love to see him take a green jacket. I don't know how much he actually cares about professional golf that much any longer. Uh, so I don't know that that is really likely, but Cam Smith, I guess, would be my pick on if I could see one guy just because of that. I think it was 2022 or maybe 23 that he got so close, played so well the entire time, and uh ran into a Scotty train.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, because of the fact that he left for live and simultaneously did stop caring about professional golf, yeah. It he has become the forgotten man, but he was so good a few years ago. He was just a true gamer. And I we miss him from your watch, he's just electricity personified. All right, I appreciate you coming on, MC. Any final thoughts as we head into Masters Week?
SPEAKER_00Buy the merch, listen to the album reviews, and we will see you for our uh our Masters preview.
SPEAKER_01Thank you very much, listeners, for tuning in. Thank you, Mr. Michael Collins, for coming on and joining me as always. We appreciate your listenership. Please be sure to rate review, subscribe, and download those episodes. And until next time, take care of the video.