Well, Sunday was a treat for everyone. Watching the back 9 on CBS was like floating among the clouds, watching the gods do what they do best.

My sleepers (McIlroy, Kaymer and Quiros) didn’t perform, which is no real surprise, and I’m really just left wondering, what’s up with Rory?

I couldn’t have been happier that AK, Tiger, Watney, Mahan and Poulter were on the leaderboard.

Here’s my recap for guys I had picked for the Top 10:

• Tiger “Tiger” Woods – T4
• Anthony “AK” Kim – 3
• Paul “My shoulder doesn’t hurt” Casey – MC
• Ian “I haven’t played in a month” Poulter – T10
• Retief “The Gooseman” Goosen – T38
• Ernie “Not Bert” Els – T18

Not too bad, not just for me, but for some golfers who will have some confidence going to Harbour Town.

I’ll make one note about Tiger: he looked like he played awful and still gets a T4. Pebble Beach and St. Andrews, watch out.

No one can be upset about the results from The Masters. Congrats, Phil.

Congratulations to James Morrison on his victory at the Madeira Islands Open, and to Oliver Fisher for his second place finish there. Congrats also to Anthony Kim for his third place finish at the Masters, and to Tiger Woods for his T4 finish in his return to competitive golf. Here’s how the rest of the Nike Golf athletes fared at the tour events this past weekend:

PGA Tour/European Tour: The Masters

Anthony Kim  3  -12  276
Tiger Woods  T4  -11  277
Trevor Immelman  T14  -2  286
Francesco Molinari  T30  +3  291
Charl Schwartzel T30  +3  291
Lucas Glover  T36  +4  292
Paul Casey  MC
Stewart Cink  MC
David Duval  MC
Simon Dyson  MC
Justin Leonard  MC

European Tour: Madeira Islands Open

James Morrison 1 Champion  -20  268
Oliver Fisher 2  -19  269

I had a great time attending the Masters Wednesday practice round and Par 3 contest. On Wednesday morning I took a tour of the back 9 where I was able to see several of the Nike Golf athletes, most notably Stewart Cink and Lucas Glover who I caught up with on the 15th hole. I followed them in for their last 3 1/2 holes, and shot several photos of them finishing their practice round. Because of timing I actually missed seeing Tiger in person, who was coming up hole #8 when I was heading down #10 (I had an hour to see the back 9 before meeting friends up near the clubhouse), so thanks to my friends Tim, John and Drew for their photos of Tiger on hole #9, as well as their photos of David Duval on the back 9. There are also photos of Francesco Molinari, Justin Leonard and Charl Schwatrzel.

Note: I also shot several videos, look for those to be posted shortly.

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Attending any round of the Masters is truly an unbelievable experience for a rabid golf fan like myself, and I feel that the Wednesday practice round and par 3 contest is one of the more special days of Masters week (I also attended the Wednesday practice round in 1999). Not only can you wander the course and shoot pictures at will (you can’t bring your camera in on any of the tournament days), the par 3 contest offers the opportunity to see many past and present players who may not be playing in the tournament, in the intimate setting that is the Augusta National Par 3 course.

I shot a bunch of photos of the Wednesday practice round and par 3 contest and wanted to share them with you here. If you’ve never been to Augusta National, obviously I recommend going if you ever get the chance. Until that happens I hope these photos give you a sense of what it’s like to wander the grounds of one of the most famous major golf tournament venues in the world. If you’ve been to the Masters you know what I’m talking about, and I hope these photos can be a reminder of what a special place Augusta National Golf Club is.

Note: I also shot several videos, look for those to be posted shortly.

PRACTICE ROUND PHOTOS

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PAR 3 CONTEST PHOTOS

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Here are the Nike Golf athletes at The Masters this week:

PGA Tour/European Tour: The Masters

Paul Casey
Stewart Cink
David Duval
Simon Dyson
Lucas Glover
Trevor Immelman
Anthony Kim
Justin Leonard
Francesco Molinari
Charl Schwartzel
Tiger Woods

European Tour: Madeira Islands Open

Oliver Fisher
James Morrison

The first week of April is here, and the kickoff of the golf season for many starts this week. The season of golf’s majors also starts this week on Thursday with the first round of The Masters. I was lucky enough to get a ticket to the Wednesday practice round and par 3 contest (thanks to my friend Tim McCormack), and the opportunity to check out the course the day before the tournament starts (I’m actually writing this post on the way there). I’ll post photos and maybe a video or two from that soon.

On Thursday morning, the opening tee shots of the tournament will be struck by Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus (I think we can look for Gary Player to fill out the trio in the next few years). Also on Thursday, 11 Nike Golf athletes will tee it up at Augusta National, here’s the full list:

Paul Casey
Stewart Cink
David Duval
Simon Dyson
Lucas Glover
Trevor Immelman
Anthony Kim
Justin Leonard
Francesco Molinari
Charl Schwartzel
Tiger Woods

Every one of these Nike athletes will be looking to conquer Augusta National’s challenging layout and come away with the green jacket and the Masters trophy on Sunday. Here I choose five that I feel have a chance at doing just that:

MY FIVE TO WATCH:

Charl Schwartzel
Charl won the first two events on the 2010 European Tour schedule, and has followed that up with a recent T2 at the Arnold Palmer Invitational and a T3 at last week’s Shell Houston Open. Look for him to be high on the leaderboard on Sunday.

Paul Casey
Paul is primed and ready for the 2010 major season, and look for a strong showing from Paul at this year’s Masters. Paul WD’d from last week’s Shell Houston Open with a shoulder problem, which we hope will not hinder his performance at Augusta. If the shoulder is not prohibitive, look for Paul to threaten the lead on Sunday.

Anthony Kim
AK is fresh off his win at the Shell Houston Open, and he takes a high level of confidence with him to Augusta. It is rare for the previous week’s winner to win The Masters the following week, but if anyone has the confidence and game to do it, AK does.

Francesco Molinari
Francesco is the younger half of the first duo of brothers to play in the same Masters tournament in 10 years. Francesco won with brother Eduardo at the Mission Hills World Cup at the end of last year, and several high finishes this year on the European Tour have him primed and ready for a breakthrough performance at this year’s Masters.

Tiger Woods
And then there’s Tiger. A lot has been made of Tiger’s return to competitive golf at The Masters, so I won’t repeat that here. Predictions have run the gamut from him missing the cut to winning. I fall in the latter category — I think he will come out and win the tournament. My rationale is this: after all that has happened in his personal life in the past several months, I think he will be more determined than ever to prove that he is still the best player on the planet.

No matter what happens this weekend at Augusta National, it is sure to be an exciting week of golf at a venue that is rich in history and tradition. We’ll have to see if one of Nike Golf’s athletes becomes part of that history by donning the green jacket on Sunday afternoon.