It's that time of year - the NCAA tournament is behind us, baseball is back, and the flowers are in full bloom around Augusta National, which means its time for The Masters.
My co-host, Nick Handley, was kind enough to go back and forth with me on a few Masters topics, and here's what we came up with.
After, you can hear our interview with Justin Ray of The Golf Channel, who obviously knows a bit more about golf than we do.
How heavy will last year's defeat weigh on Jordan Spieth?
NICK: I think if Jordan Spieth plays average or below it will not be because he is dwelling on the past. The one thing that I have grown to appreciate about the 23-year old is his focus and maturity. He seems to have the mental toughness that is required to be an elite golfer.
JOE: Spieth seems to have the mental fortitude to move past what happened last year, but you can bet it'll be talked about constantly this weekend. We've seen plenty of guys dump shots in the drink, or suffer penalties, and bounce back to win plenty of tournaments. I don't think this will turn into a Phil Mickelson U.S. Open type of deal for Jordan. Right now, it just feels like a media and crowd conversation piece.
How disappointed are you that Tiger Woods isn't playing this year (again...)?
NICK: Not disappointed at all about Tiger because I have no reason to believe he is the even close to being around after Friday. It always seems like a constant letdown when Tiger makes an appearance lately, and can't finish or just plays horribly. The air goes out of the event.
JOE: Well, I'm a Tiger guy, and always have been. While it pains me to not see him out there, I tend to agree with Nick. If Woods isn't going to at least be a threat to finish the weekend, it's probably best he's not playing. Selfishly, I just hope we get to see Woods tee it up at the Masters with a real chance to win at least one more green jacket in our lifetimes.
With what happened to Lexi Thompson last Sunday, do you think fans will be watching extra close on TV for rules violations, or letting things go?
NICK: Unfortunately I think it will bring the "freaky-freakies" out of the woodwork to see if they somehow can impact a player or two. I doubt too many people knew that they could even report such a thing. Now they do. Buckle up.
JOE: Ugh. I hate this "rule." I hate what happened to Lexi Thompson. I hate that there are going to be more idiots calling things in from their couch this weekend. But I doubt the kind of people that would actually pick up the phone and call the USGA or PGA really care what I think.
Who are two or three guys that are your favorites to win this week?
NICK: Well, before he took a tumble down the stairs, Dustin Johnson was a guy I had a lot of confidence in, but we'll see. I really like Rory McIlroy and Hideki Matsuyama. I would say Justin Rose, but that name was privileged information that was given to me.
JOE: The freaky injury to DJ certainly changes things a bit. He would have been one of my top picks prior to Wednesday night. As it is, I'll lean towards either Jordan Spieth or Jason Day. Spieth, of course, has the demons of last year to overcome, but has played incredibly well in this event over the past three years. Day, meanwhile, is dealing with the illness of his mother, and we've sometime seen athletes use those kinds of situations (as sad as they are) as fuel for incredible performances.
Here's Justin Ray from our show today on AM 590 - ESPN Omaha. One quick note - this aired today before the Dustin Johnson news broke.
