2017 Masters Golf.

[TANGODANCER]

Can Rory or Justin Rose grab the green jacket this year?

[Montreal Wanderer]

Justin has to be a favourite - playing really well. Garcia and Westwood both in with a chance after those years of no major triumph. So many in the mix today but I'd go with Justin.

[TANGODANCER]

Think Rory's left it too late but Justin Rose has been so very good in major events I'd love to see him take this. Sergio is as ever, Sergio, holing a big one, missing a reasonably easy one, but he's on form overall. The two young Yanks; Speith and Fowler are both playing great golf so...???? Lee Westwood had a stroke on his card for a half-inch putt yesterday. Not the luckiest of lads, but a far bettter golfer than his scorecards sometimes show.

[Bruce Rioja]

Normally stick a bet on with such and such to win with Sergio each way. Sergio was 66-1 on Wednesday. Muggins didn't get a bet on.

[Worthy4England]

What a great final round. Delighted for Sergio.

[TANGODANCER]

If football is a funny old game, golf is a whako one. Fantastic entertaiment, three times Sergio looked dead and buried and three times he "rose" and haunted Justin. Twice he was in jungle and the got a real stroke of fortune when his ball got stopped almost dead hitting the flag. It was almost like watching Seve again. Neither deserved to lose after playing super golf, so well done Sergio.

[Dr Hotdog]

It defies belief sometimes that the BBC are cutting the golf. Who makes those decisions? A decision to pay Lineker M...M...M...Millions to present a Highlights Package (seriously, !!!!!!HIGHLIGHTS!!!!!! We live in an INSTANT world and the BBC blows their shit on the Saturday Staple Match of the Day...Are you 4REAL??!!!!??!!) while letting the Open, the grand old Open, go from terrestrial to subscription.

Last night was brilliant, one of the best duels at Augusta. A superb cast of characters (shame Spieth and Fowler got in each other's way and didn't pile any pressure on the last pair), a course we all know, a prize we all know and 5+ hours of the Uninterrupted Unknown. Splendid.

[BWFC_Insane]

Sometimes things are just meant to be somehow. Felt like the gods were on Garcia's side yesterday. The little crucial breaks all went for him. He deserved them though. What a story.

At one point it looked like cool, calm and steady Rose would have too much composure for him. Glad he won though as he has too much talent not to win one and I do think he has some bottle, unlike a few others who will remain nameless.

[TANGODANCER]

At one point it looked like cool, calm and steady Rose would have too much composure for him. Glad he won though as he has too much talent not to win one and I do think he has some bottle, unlike a few others who will remain nameless.

Bottle's a funny term to use about golf Insaney. You can have all the "bottle" in the world (if that translates as will to win) but the angels of shank, yip and twitch can and do strike anytime in a round. How else can golfers like Ernie Ells card 14 over par.? You want to tell him he has no bottle? Putts don't drop by desire, or lack of it, but by reading the runes and having some luck.

I'm thinking you've never played the beautiful game very much? Stand over a three foot putt to win a major tournament...and miss it. Would that be because you have no bottle then or because the green didn't quite slope as you read it (as happened to both Garcia and Rose at the end) and lady luck was out of office ? Bottle isn't my favourite word.

[Dr Hotdog]

Bottle doesn't translate as 'will to win' or 'desire' but more 'means to win' - as in, do you have means to put the mental and the physical together to win "In The Moment".

I've played plenty of golf Tango and read plenty of golfy books by the likes of Bob Rotella (the man who helped Journeyman Padraig Harrington win three Majors in 12 months), and the title of his book "Putting Out of Your Mind" suggests that it is very much a mental task in addition to the physical action of simply rocking the shoulders and letting it go. Bottle exists. Sergio has learned to master (hoho) his past demons and he's been rewarded.

Plenty of people have missed tiddlers for a Major - Doug Sanders (the jury is out on that, but it was a mental error to bend over and flick away a stray twig that crossed his line and then NOT step away and re-align himself before hitting), Scott Hoch (how did he miss that? Nerves? Mis-read it? Over hit it? A combination of all of them?), Dustin Johnson three-putted from 12-feet at Chambers Bay for the US Open in 2015. It was poorly executed technique because he couldn't control his nerves after 4 days of tense battle.

Ernie Els can card 14 over par because it's a very tough course and he is ranked 423rd in the world having been Not Very Good Anymore for about 3-4 years. He only qualified because he received a 5-year invitation for winning The Open in 2012 (when Adam Scott's nerves and course management deserted him at Royal Lytham) and he likely won't be tee-ing it up at The Masters ever again. I wouldn't tell Ernie he has no bottle. He had plenty of bottle - two US Opens and two Majors (two of them won in Play-offs, I think) - but his career is winding down. Maybe his levels of Bottle is slowly dwindling too?

Bottle exists - the ability to control your mind to let your body do what needs to be done to get it done in the heat of the moment. One Chance. One Putt. Can he do it? He's done it before - no doubt 10,000 times throughout his life - but can he do it NOW when it matters? With the Green Jacket or the Claret Jug on the line? That takes bottle.

I bloody love it. What a stupidly simple and infuriating and brilliant sport.

[Dr Hotdog]

PS: Lee Westwood, good career, lacked bottle in the Majors.

[LeverEnd]

Sometimes things are just meant to be somehow. Felt like the gods were on Garcia's side yesterday. The little crucial breaks all went for him. He deserved them though. What a story.

At one point it looked like cool, calm and steady Rose would have too much composure for him. Glad he won though as he has too much talent not to win one and I do think he has some bottle, unlike a few others who will remain nameless.

I don't know, Rose had a couple of lucky bounces late on where Garcia hit the better approach but ended up with a similar result. He fully deserved it.

[Montreal Wanderer]

Sometimes things are just meant to be somehow. Felt like the gods were on Garcia's side yesterday. The little crucial breaks all went for him. He deserved them though. What a story.

At one point it looked like cool, calm and steady Rose would have too much composure for him. Glad he won though as he has too much talent not to win one and I do think he has some bottle, unlike a few others who will remain nameless.

I don't know, Rose had a couple of lucky bounces late on where Garcia hit the better approach but ended up with a similar result. He fully deserved it.

Insano said "at one point" and I agree with him. As Sergio was going round Amen Corner it looked like the wheels were coming off. I thought it was likely over when he hit his tee shot into the woods for an unplayable. I agree also that he came back and fully deserved the win over the last two holes and the extra hole. A great tournament to watch over four days (and unlike BBC we got it on tv from 9.00 am until play was over each day).

[LeverEnd]

Yes they both had their breaks. A classic duel.

[TANGODANCER]

PS: Lee Westwood, good career, lacked bottle in the Majors.

Not to split any hairs here Doc, but I think we're just going to have to disagree on the definition of "bottle". It's a slang term anyway and pretty indefinable to pin down. You say you wouldn't tell Ernie Else he doesn't have the bottle anymore and age is his main reason for losing his ability to win, yes, I fully agree there, even Phil Micklesen's approaching that stage now slowly and plenty others have already got there (Fred Couples a shining example), and they've had what it takes to win for years, but would Insaney tell Lee Westwood he doesn't have the "bottle" to win? Would he tell the others he hints at that they don't have what it takes (that's after all the context he's using "bottle! in, and not for the first time. If having "bottle is what's needed and he's admiting that Sergio has it, how come it's taken him all this time ( he's 37) to win a major?

All I'm really saying is what I ended my first post with, I don't like the term "bottle". In light of how Insaney is using it, it indicates a lack of guts and I doubt he's tell one single player in the field that to their faces.

[BWFC_Insane]

At one point it looked like cool, calm and steady Rose would have too much composure for him. Glad he won though as he has too much talent not to win one and I do think he has some bottle, unlike a few others who will remain nameless.

Bottle's a funny term to use about golf Insaney. You can have all the "bottle" in the world (if that translates as will to win) but the angels of shank, yip and twitch can and do strike anytime in a round. How else can golfers like Ernie Ells card 14 over par.? You want to tell him he has no bottle? Putts don't drop by desire, or lack of it, but by reading the runes and having some luck.

I'm thinking you've never played the beautiful game very much? Stand over a three foot putt to win a major tournament...and miss it. Would that be because you have no bottle then or because the green didn't quite slope as you read it (as happened to both Garcia and Rose at the end) and lady luck was out of office ? Bottle isn't my favourite word.

Bottle isn't will to win. Its the ability to perform under pressure. It is like a mental strength. Perform when it counts. When it matters. It is probably in many sports like Golf, Tennis etc, one of the key aspects. Arguably the most critical. You can be the best player in the world but if on the big occasion you can't perform at your best, it matters little.

Take Westwood, it isn't chance that he's been in the position so many times to have a stab at winning on the last day and hasn't. There is a reason for it. And given he isn't lacking the ability to play golf, it is something in his head.

[Dr Hotdog]

You might not like the term, but it is a common theme that Westwood lacks the Stones, the Balls, the Bottle, to win one of the big ones. He has won around 40 tournaments around the world - and some pretty big ones. But the Ones you remember - the Majors - when he needs to show he's got the Big Balls to pull it off. It hasn't happened. It's not a twitchy yip, it's his nerve. His bottle. His mental ability to let him do what he has done in other, less pressurized situations, in this most pressurized situation. You might not like the term and I feel like I'm wasting my time here.

Watch now as Westwood will probably go and win the US Open at Erin Hills and then Luke Donald will win The Open and Rickie Fowler will win the US PGA at Quail Hollow (where he won his first US PGA Tour title a few years ago).

[TANGODANCER]

You might not like the term, but it is a common theme that Westwood lacks the Stones, the Balls, the Bottle, to win one of the big ones. He has won around 40 tournaments around the world - and some pretty big ones. But the Ones you remember - the Majors - when he needs to show he's got the Big Balls to pull it off. It hasn't happened. It's not a twitchy yip, it's his nerve. His bottle. His mental ability to let him do what he has done in other, less pressurized situations, in this most pressurized situation. You might not like the term and I feel like I'm wasting my time here.

Watch now as Westwood will probably go and win the US Open at Erin Hills and then Luke Donald will win The Open and Rickie Fowler will win the US PGA at Quail Hollow (where he won his first US PGA Tour title a few years ago).

Ah, sorry about that. I thought we were just expressing our individual views. Worry not, I'm done and out..

[Bruce Rioja]

2018 Masters. Put a £iver on Rory e/w and the same on Tiger - cash in the bank

I'm off all of next week too so bring it on

[Montreal Wanderer]

2018 Masters. Put a £iver on Rory e/w and the same on Tiger - cash in the bank

I'm off all of next week too so bring it on

Not too sure about Tiger lasting four rounds....