A decent Masters

For the second year in a row now, the Masters Championship has a foreign flag next to the champion’s name.

Spaniard Sergio Garcia picked up his first major win of his PGA career Sunday afternoon with a nine-under par victory that came on the tournament’s 73rd hole.

The one-hole sudden death playoff was forced after Garcia missed a very makable – even for duffers like myself – putt on the 18th green, giving eventual second place finisher Justin Rose another chance.

With Garcia and Rose battling it out down the stretch and then onto the playoff, either way, the American flag was going to remain on the shelf for at least another year, with Rose hailing from England.

Garcia’s win for the Spaniard followed the 2016 championship that was claimed by Danny Willett, another pro golfer who hails from England.

My money was on (American) Jordan Spieth to lead the pack this year again and slip on the coveted green jacket Sunday afternoon for the second time in his career.

Spieth, who finished this year’s Masters tied for 11th place, was the last champion from the United States, winning the title in 2015.

Kentuckian J.B. Holmes managed to make the cut and survive through Sunday’s round, but just barely. Holmes, who hails from just up the road in Campbellsville and played for Taylor County High School before going on to play for the University of Kentucky, finished in 50th place, out of 53 professionals in the field.

I’ll admit that watching golf on TV isn’t the most exciting sporting event to view, but this particular tournament is the one the keeps me, and most golfers in the U.S., at least close to the television during the weekend.

With that one behind us now, I’ll try to take advantage of some warming spring weather to spend more time outside with a golf club in my hand, than I do inside watching someone else playing the game.

I hope you do too.

Let’s take it outside!