By now you know that my favorite golfer, Jordan Spieth, didn’t win yesterday. The green jacket went to Sergio Garcia of Spain. It was fun to watch Sergio win. Afer 74 attempts, he won his first major golf tournament, and it’s always inspiring to see someone win something as big as the Masters. He appeared to be over the moon excited and thankful.

In 2015, when Jordan won, I wrote him a nice, motherly letter full of good advice for his future. You can read that here: https://melodyreid.com/2015/04/13/dear-jordan-spieth/  Last year when he didn’t win, I wrote him again:  https://melodyreid.com/2016/04/11/bless-your-heart-jordan-spieth/ ‎  This year I’m just going to write about the things I love about the Masters, no matter who wins.

In no particular order, here are my top 10 favorite things about the Masters:

1. Augusta National is the most beautiful golf course in the world. I say that not having seen all the gold courses in the world, but it is truly a breathtaking place.
2. The golfers all seem to be aware that Augusta is a special place, and even the ones who have played it year after year still appear to recognize the mystery and the magic that is the Masters.
3. The fans are polite. They know when to cheer and when to be quiet. They turn off their cell phones as directed. Even if their guy isn’t winning, they enjoy watching a beautifully played game of golf.
4. The sports commentators don’t yell and they speak in a respectful tone of voice. There’s none of the loud, back-and-forthing that you get with football or basketball.  They honestly seem to be pulling for each player as they make their way through each of the holes.
5. The birds singing. Yeah, just the birds singing in the background as I’m watching it on television. The place is so quite when it’s supposed to be quiet that you can actually hear the birds. I can’t think of another sports event where you can hear nature in the background.
6. Watching the Masters is a great excuse to knit on the couch all afternoon. Not that I need an excuse, but whatever.
7. My husband also likes to watch the Masters, and since we don’t do a lot of sports things together, it’s super fun to watch it together. It’s the whole “I went to Alabama and he pulls for Clemson” thing that sort of gets us out of sorts… For the Masters, we’re both just watching for the fun of it.
8. I love hearing all the stories about the different golfers, their families, what tournaments they’ve won and all that. It’s the same thing I love about the Olympics! The background details fascinate me.
9. I guess if you ever win at the Masters, you are automatically invited back ever year without having to qualify. Yesterday when someone was interviewing Jordan Spieth, he said something about “being back for the next 50 years.” I enjoy seeing the older golfers play for the love of the game. They know they’re not going to win, but they love being a part of the tournament.
10. The azaleas. They’re stunning and perfect and look almost fake they’re so real. I know they have groundskeepers and heaters underground and all that, so that the bloom time can perfectly coincide with the tournament each year. But I love those big “Pride of Mobile” azalea bushes that line that course. They make me happy to be from the south and get to have such gorgeous flowers every spring. Will and I married in April and it’s always been one of my favorite months. The azaleas at August National are worth seeing. And they make me happy

Until next year Augusta. It was a good time and I can’t wait until 2018.