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I really don’t want to go on and on about this, but I couldn’t help notice it, and wanted to know if anyone else out there noticed the same. The other day, I was watching the first episode of ‘Donald J. Trump’s Fabulous World of Golf’ (I’ll reserve my commentary on this show for a later post, because what I’m concerned about here is the actual match that took place). What I noticed near the end of the first match was, well, it was troubling.

The match in question was between Football Hall of Fame Members Jerry Rice and Lawrence Taylor. Jerry has a half-decent swing, Lawrence, well, not so much. What’s amazing about Lawrence is how well he manages to get the ball in the hole, with a swing that looks like a full-body dry heave… ANYWAYS…

Lawrence went on to win the match 1 up (I believe that was the final score?)… But on the 17th hole, Lawrence hit his tee ball into the edge of a water hazard. His ball was playable, but it was within the hazard, which was clearly marked. While addressing his ball, I could have sworn he grounded his club within the hazard. Did anyone else not see that!? Or am I seeing things!? This could have clearly been the turning point in the match for Jerry.

Again, please correct me if I’m wrong, but I could swear this is what I noticed. I’m all about playing by the rules, and was a little shocked by this especially when the whole darn thing was televised for everyone to see.

Sound off in the comments, would ya?

Note: Then again, I wouldn’t be surprised if Lawrence didn’t know the rule (not saying that’s an excuse, he should know the rules). From some of his actions on the course he DID seem a little off… I mean, the guy walked over his own putting line at one point, on a short must-make 5 footer. What gives LT? I thought you played every day!?

Harbour Town, a part of the Sea Pines Resort on Hilton Head Island in South Carolina, is where the PGA Tour pros are headed next.  The Verizon Heritage Classic offers a different kind of challenge.  To start, this Pete Dye designed course has the smallest greens on the tour  (55% of norm).  It is also the shortest course on the PGA Tour (a 6973-yard, Par 71).  Plus, it is very narrow with most holes requiring precision driving accuracy.

John Farrell, Harbour Town’s Head Golf Pro, has been quoted saying that it is the course’s “target nature” that makes it play so difficult:

“You have to be real precise with your iron play to score well here, and you’d better be able to drive it to a certain part of the fairway to set up your next shot.  It’s a real position golf course that favors accuracy over brawn, and that’s why so many tour players like it.”

Harbour Town is probably best known for the signature candy-cane striped lighthouse which can be seen on the approach to the 18th green.  Interestingly enough, this  lighthouse that was never actually used for seafaring vessels.

About this year’s field:

Some of the golfers playing this weekend include returning champion, Brian Gay, Paul Casey, K.J. Choi, John Daly, Luke Donald, Jim Furyk,  Lucas Glover, Trevor Immelman, Zach Johnson, Matt Kuchar and Camilo Villegas.

You can find the tee times here:

To learn more about the course, go here.

The total purse this week is $5.7 million with the winner getting $1,026,000 plus a very stylish plaid jacket.

Looks like CBS should raise a toast to Phil Mickelson and an “in the mix at the start of the fourth round” Tiger Woods for their roles in boosting television ratings 36% from last year’s win by Angel Cabrera in a two-hole playoff.

Sunday’s final round on CBS earned a 12.0 overnight rating and 25 share. The 2009 Masters was 8.8/21. The “off the charts” ratings of 15.8/32, occurred in 1997, when Tiger Woods won for the first time.

According to published reports, the 2010 Masters had the third highest overnight rating for a final round of any golf tournament since at least 1986, which is as far back as the records go.

So how did the 3-D broadcast do?  Check out the thoughts of this columnist, Chris Zelkovich of the Toronto Star.

For a technical overview of the 3-D broadcast, check out what James Pikover had to say at Tom’s Guide.

“Once I settled in to watch, I decided that the Masters in 3D was surprisingly good. The picture was clean, and the extra depth afforded by 3D imagery helped me to see slopes and distances. I believe the 3D actually added to the golf-watching experience. As someone who’s been on the course but doesn’t play, the importance of understanding a distance or a slope can’t be emphasized enough. Those distances and angles get lost during regular broadcasts. 3D fills that gap very well.”

It was the eye of the tiger.  I saw it on Sunday during the Masters broadcast.  However, it wasn’t the tiger many expected.  Rather, it was Phil Mickelson who hit a phenomenal second shot on No. 13 – off of pine needles, between two trees, over the creek, onto the green, four feet from the hole, sailing 207-yards.

Photo: David Cannon / Getty Images

He swung with determination and, I sensed, the confidence of a tiger going for a kill.

This report from Ron Kroichick  of the San Francisco Chronicle describes what happened on that dogleg-left par-5 where Mickelson’s tee shot drifted into the trees on the right. The ball ended up a few feet behind one tree, with another close by.

“Remember, he led the Masters by two shots (after Choi made bogey ahead on the green) and mostly needed to avoid costly mistakes. His swing coach, Butch Harmon, hoped Mickelson would lay up short of the creek. His caddie, Mackay, vigorously asked him to lay up short of the creek.

Jack Nicklaus probably lays up short of the creek. So does Woods.

Arnold Palmer and his modern-day descendant? No way.

“I tried to talk him into laying it up and he said no,” caddie Jim “Bones” Mackay  said. “Then we found out Choi had made 6, and I went at it again. He said, ‘Definitely no.’ He basically said, ‘Listen, there’s an opening in the trees and it’s a 6-iron into a big ole’ green. All I have to do is execute.’ Fair enough. I got out of the way, and you saw what he did.”

Said Mickelson of the opening in the trees: “The gap wasn’t huge, but it was big enough for a ball to fit through.”

So he brilliantly plopped he ball on the green, in what CBS analyst Nick Faldo called “the shot of his life.”

It doesn’t matter that he missed the short eagle putt and settled for birdie.  What mattered was the conquering attitude he had when he hit that shot.  You could see it and hear it.

At that point, I knew he had his third green jacket.  The bogey-free 67 was extra icing on the cake.

Wasn’t that a great Masters? For me, the tournament just seems to get better and better each year. Coverage was solid, with CBS handling the live coverage like true pros, and The Golf Channel providing awesome analysis all through the week. My hat is well and truly tipped to both for superb coverage.

With that said, I came across the official 2010 Masters prize money list last night, and thought it was very must ‘post worthy’. Check it out for yourself after the jump.

Some interesting points to take from this:

• The amounts remained unchanged from the 2009 event.
• Any golfer missing the cut still received $10,000.
• 11 Masters Champions were at the event, but did not play. They received amounts totaling $110,000.
• 23 honorary invitees were present, with 17 of them being professional. These professionals received honoraria totaling $17,000. The remaining 6 were amateur, thus, they received no cash.

Full Masters 2010 Prize Money List after the jump.

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