Scott Van Pelt Explains What A Masters Tournament Without Tiger Woods Feels Like
On today's Pardon My Take, we recap the 2021 Masters Tournament with our good friend Scott Van Pelt. The SportsCenter host gave us a breakdown of the tradition unlike any other from his perspective as he was leaving Augusta, Georgia. Mr. Cat and Mr. Commenter helped him make a very important selection at the vending machine (which ended up being a Big Texas Cinnamon Roll), the importance of the win for Hideki Matsuyama, and more. Another big storyline about this year's tournament was the unfortunate absence of Tiger Woods. Is there a different vibe at The Masters when Tiger isn't playing? SVP says without a doubt, yes:
Mr. Cat: I know there's been Masters that he hasn't competed in, but can you feel it when he's [Tiger] not there? Because we were talking about it on Thursday and Friday, it's almost like a gravity force, where it's like, "OK, there's a lot of golf going on, but what's Tiger doing?"
Scott Van Pelt: It's not kind of like that, it's exactly like that. I mean, there's no denying that in the absence of Woods, there's this kind of, I don't know... He injects a different level of excitement. And it was wild on Saturday, there's that brief rain delay. And naturally, you're CBS, you're like, "Let's see, what should we put on? Oh, I know. '19 Tiger, how about that?" And you know, when the golf starts back up in the afternoon, there's a part of you that's like, "OK, well good, let's get back at it." And there's part of of you, II'm sure there's people like, "No, I want to watch Tiger win!" Because what he did that day was nuts, just in terms of the emotion of the moment.
Scott Van Pelt: And so look, everybody knew he wasn't going to be around. There are a bunch of young players that I think people like. You know, when DeChambeau plays well, I think he captivates a lot of attention. Spieth does, but it feels more golf-y with him. It feels like it's more of a golf crowd that kind of follows his ups and downs in every move. I think there are a ton of young guys that are compelling and the sport has got plenty of people that can carry it well. It's rated well without Tiger. But, particularly here, there's just no denying that not having him, you lack what he provides, and it's really something that only he provides.
Hopefully by the time we get to the 2022 Masters Tournament, Tiger Woods is back on the course at Augusta National. There is no doubting that things just feel different when he is not only playing, but in contention. And what's better than just being in contention? Winning. Can't get enough of this crucial moment in sports history: