Perspective from the 19^th Hole is the title I chose for my personal blog, which is meant to give me an outlet for one of my favorite crafts – writing – plus to use an image from my favorite sport, golf.  Out of college, my first job was as a reporter for the Daily Astorian in Astoria, Oregon, and I went on from there to practice writing in all my professional positions, including as press secretary in Washington, D.C. for a Democrat Congressman from Oregon (Les AuCoin), as an Oregon state government manager in Salem and Portland, as press secretary for Oregon’s last Republican governor (Vic Atiyeh), and as a private sector lobbyist.  This blog also allows me to link another favorite pastime – politics and the art of developing public policy – to what I write.  I could have called this blog “Middle Ground,” for that is what I long for in both politics and golf.  The middle ground is often where the best public policy decisions lie.  And it is where you want to be on a golf course.

In case it needs to be said, the Masters Golf Tournament is my favorite tournament in any year, including this one – 2026.

It used to be that I also liked the Ryder Cup, but the incredibly boorish behavior of American fans last year – most of them from New York – soured me on the tournament.

I don’t intend to focus on the Ryder Cup much anymore.

As for the Masters, I watched most of the tournament over the weekend and, via text, phone or e-mail, kept in touch with my daughter, Lissy, as we liked re-living our experience of attending the event in 2015.  It was a great father-daughter experience, one I’ll never forget as it lives on in my mind, as well as in photos.

So, my thoughts on the Masters this year:

Rory McIlroy:  I loved the way McIlroy fought through adversity in his fourth round.  If he hit a bad shot, he rallied with a good one, thus illustrating an important golf precept:  What’s the most important shot in golf?  The next one.

McIlroy’s par saves on holes #16 and #17 were memorable.  So was his bogey on hole #18 to preserve his second straight win at Augusta National.

Justin Rose:  I have a soft spot in my heart for this Englander who had a chance to win this year at age 45, after three previous second place finishes.  It is still possible for his time to come.

Scottie Scheffler:  Don’t ever count out Scheffler.  As Tiger Woods might say, Scheffler did not have his A-game this time around, but he rallied to finish second, only one shot behind McIlroy.

Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson:  They weren’t at the Masters this year and, frankly, I did not miss them at all.

Sergio Garcia:  Garcia damaged the second tee box Sunday morning during the final round of the Masters.  He angrily took two swipes at the tee box turn, prompting Masters volunteers to need to show up and fix the damage. 

Then, walked to a cooler right of the tee box and swung his driver at it, snapping the head off his club.

The incident is the latest in a career of bad behavior issues for Garcia, who once was disqualified at the 2019 Saudi International for “serious misconduct” after purposefully damaging several greens the day after having a meltdown in a bunker.  Three years later, Garcia signed with the Saudi-backed LIV circuit, only weeks after throwing a temper tantum at a rules official at a PGA event.

My view is that, given his pent-up temper tantrums, Garcia should be banned from the Masters forever.  The tournament is too important to allow him to continue playing, even as he damages the course to express his anger.

Enough.  So on to the Masters in 2027.  I’ll be watching.