Masters chairman on a mission to protect the game |
It’s not that the final result of last weekend’s Masters isn’t important. Rory McIlroy’s second victory in as many years was a win for the ages, but the yearly Masters ritual has blossomed into so much more than just 72 holes of hard fought, nerve-racking shots.
There’s no question the Masters has always held a coveted place on the calendar, but Masters week now serves as the sport’s weeklong spiritual and economic pilgrimage, a golf version of The World Economic Forum (Davos) mashed with Cannes, with a little bit of SXSW (South By Southwest) thrown in.
The most important week in global golf is now bookended by the Augusta National Women’s Amateur and the national finals of Drive, Chip & Putt on one end, and the awarding of the iconic green jacket on the other end. In between are hours of swing analysis, highlights, interviews, gossip and what is undoubtedly now the most important media event of the golfing year, the annual Augusta National Chairman’s Press Conference.
This annual........