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| 11/5/11 - Photo by David Cannon/Getty Images AsiaPac |
The crux of the controversy, in the minds of many, seems to have boiled down to the special invitation received by Ryo Ishikawa... and the one not (up to this point) received by Ernie Els.
Interestingly, the two players being pitted against each other in the popular debate, happen to have a special relationship that transcends the current polemic. Having played mercurially together at the 2011 Presidents Cup, the likable duo became known as the "the kid and the veteran" and after two losses, Els' insistence on keeping the pairing intact, was rewarded when Ishikawa summoned the steely nerves required to birdie the final three holes and win their last match together.
The Masters, with its limited field and mystical aura, is the event every golfer dreams of, and an element of controversy surrounding the elusive "special invites" is not uncommon, with little hope of influencing the powers-that-be in Augusta, the opinionating doesn't ultimately amount to much. It can, however be divisive... and perhaps counter-productive to the global golf cause... in the end.
A couple of years ago, the always-outspoken Colin Montgomerie raised the invite issue with his "a la China" comment, which was seen by some players as anti-Asian, and... not surprisingly... offended many.
This year, the majority of players and fans appear to be taking a pragmatic view on the issue of the invite. Acknowledging the attributes of each of these two players (and other's who barely missed inclusion) most seem to accept the fact that the committee at Augusta does things their own way and isn't likely to acknowledge... much less respond to... complaints, criticism or supplication.
In fact, the powerful men on Magnolia Lane are most likely absorbed with an issue potentially much more controversial than their decision on the 2012 special invitations: her name is Virginia Rometty,
and it's a fair guess she's getting more attention from the committee members then Els and Ishikawa combined.
Note: Ryo Ishikawa fans (like me) can cheer him on with a personal message... here's how to do it.
It's going to be interesting to see how "The Committee" handle the new IBM CEO. I'm sure they weren't happy when Ginny Rometti got promoted.
ReplyDeleteI sure hope Ernie gets in somehow. How's this for a coincidence: the only two time I've had the good fortune to attend the Masters were 2000 and 2004, the two times The Big Easy was runner-up. I'll be there again this year and I'd love to see him go for it again.
ReplyDeleteAm I the only one who can't help thinking the Augusta National BigWigs relish the chance to withhold invitations to top players. From what I've read, soon after its debut in the mid 30s, The Masters "brand" (though I don't suppose the committee would like that word) seemed to start leaning towards the idea of a closed society with little regard for outsiders, almost becoming a character of itself in the process, with its exclusionary policies It seems inevitable that the last vestige of those policies, the exclusion of women, may now finally tumble.
ReplyDeleteInteresting post, thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteIshikawa's invited because of the massive TV following in Japan, certainly not based on his accomplishments. 10-12 geezers per year play in this limited field event that have absolutely no chance of winning. Els may or may not be invited for who knows whatever reason(s). None of this bothers me because the Masters is great spectacle, but in truth, not much of a golf tournament. Why it's still considered a major is beyond me.
ReplyDelete.
ReplyDeletethe powerful sure do know how to make the rest of us seem unimportant - don't they ?
anyway, it's their sandbox, and they can do whatever they want to do with it
kumbaya is not on the jukebox at the grill there
puff
puff
frankD
ft liquordale soFLA 33316
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ReplyDeletethis may just be a technical point BUT augusta may have had a woman member
a male member of augusta upon his demise left his assets and rights and priviledges, as the will read, to his niece
therefore the niece became a member of what was then a highly-leveraged very deeply indebted club, and may have been properly advised by counsel at that time, to resign from augusta, to avoid any personal liability to the niece, or attach any further obligations to the estate, regarding those club liabilities
i am looking for the authoritative basis for the above comments which are according to my memory, which is a dangerous thing to rely on, given it's friday today
anyway,
just sayin
frankD
ft liquordale soFLA 33316
That story makes me wish I had a kindly uncle who was a member... and approaching his demise. ◔‿◔ It'll be interesting to see how they handle Virginia Rometty.
ReplyDeleteI may be wrong, but I doubt memberships can be inherited. They'll handle Rometty the same way they've handled similar situations. At their own pace and in secrecy.
ReplyDelete