Is a Masters Win Minus its TradeMark Roar Worthy of a Green Jacket?

The, if a tree falls in the forest and no one is around to hear it, concept is not what‘s at play, but rather something far more sinister as it relates to Augusta

Augusta National is like a cathedral. When the cameras and the lights are on it is the most spectacular playground in golf, but when the lights are off and the media has gone elsewhere, it is dark and empty. In order to continue forward as one of golf’s elite, four major championships, the Masters Championship needs to continue on in the mode that it used to, pre-Coronavirus, where its dedicated crowds have turned Augusta’s back-nine on the Sunday of the Masters into the hottest frying pan in sports.

The Masters’ galleries’ trademark roars have propelled legends like Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods to epic victories while the resulting pressure and Amen Corner have famously cooked the likes of hall of fame players and journeymen alike. Minus the galleries and the roars though, is the Masters 2020 just another golf tournament played on a super-tricked up and pretty golf course? Will there be a pressure cooker Sunday like normal? Doubtful.

Perhaps it wasn’t the legend of Bobby Jones that made the Masters a major championship all along ? Maybe it was all due to the spirit of it fans?

#PR Moment!! If I was Fred Ridley, chairman of Augusta National, today I’d issue a public invite for Augusta residents only to come to the Masters Championship in person to serve as the tournament’s galleries, so long as everyone entering can wear a mask, social distance and leave their political statements at home.

The local Augustan’s could then help save Augusta National and the Masters from a bleached-out, FedEx Cup-like experience, ultimately helping the club retain the overall value of its championship. It would be cool to see the greens surrounded by mostly kids. Just imagine the impression that moment would make on kids watching worldwide. Golf might become cool in their eyes.

What once was a roar could become a scream in 2020, instead of silence. Screams echo through Georgia pines the same ways roars do, only with more shrill!