March 12, 2008
MASTERS PREVIEW page 150
With nearly 60 pages of insight, facts, photos and features, this year’s Masters Preview section is sure to have you prepared for the “start” of the golf season. Get Tiger’s take on his famous broken 4–iron (including a swing sequence of the shot); learn how to master the Par 5s from defending champion Zach Johnson; and find out why former Augusta chairman, Hootie Johnson, may have the last laugh about the course’s length.
Also unveiled in this section is our statistically–based game plan for winning the Masters, such as the importance of the seventh hole and avoiding double bogeys (the last nine Masters winners have played the hole in even par or better, and only one of the last nine winners has made a double bogey or worse).
We cap everything off with the results of our Masters–themed survey (should we be concerned or elated that nearly 55% of you said that you would get Tasered each morning of the tournament if it meant you could walk the hallowed grounds of Augusta?)
GOLF & POLITICS 2008 page 126
Check out Golf Digest’s second–ever ranking of the top golfers in politics. This time, roughly half are senior–level lobbyists, including No.1–ranked Tony Russo. President Bush is tied for No. 11 with a Handicap Index of 15, but perhaps the most interesting outcome given the current political climate is the duo that’s tied for No. 123: Terry McAuliffe, Chairman of the Hillary Clinton for President committee, and Sen. Barack Obama (both have Handicap Indices of 16).
Included in this package is a look at President Eisenhower’s passion for the game. Executive Editor Mike O’Malley studied his daily itinerary and found that the 34th president played over 1,000 days of golf and 800 rounds during his eight years in office, including 194 golf days in 1958 alone (he played 24 times at Augusta that year). But Ike prided himself on never talking about world affairs or politics while on the course—golf was his ultimate retreat.
Since 2004 Vijay Singh hasn’t been himself on the course— in the past six majors he’s missed three cuts and finished no better than a tie for 13th, and last year he dropped to 13th in the world. After missing the cut at the 2007 PGA Championship he knew it was time for a change. Senior Writer Jaime Diaz examines Vijay’s transformation, from developing a new swing and going back to a conventional putter to hiring a new caddie and trainer— all at the age of 45.
The always outspoken Johnny Miller offers six pieces of advice to the eventual winner of the Golf Digest U.S. Open Contest. He also ranks the most nerve–racking moments the contestant winner will face, including playing with three celebrities and having NBC’s cameras following every shot.
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