Golf Magazine anonymously polled 40 PGA Tour pros at four Tour events in 2011. All respondents had played in at least one Masters and cumulatively they'd played in nearly 200. The fan polling was conducted over four weeks on Golf.com. Of the 2,736 respondents, more than 80 percent said they have been watching the Masters for at least 10 years and nearly 30 percent said they have been tuning in for more than 30 years. Two in three fans said they plan on watching more than 10 hours of this year's Masters coverage.
WHAT THE PLAYERS THINK
What's the coolest Masters tradition?
Par-3 Contest: 40%
Champions Dinner: 22.5%
Green jacket to winner: 20%
"You would have to live in outer space
not to know its significance."
Others receiving votes: No. 2 - 2.5%
"It's so not Augusta, which makes it cool."
What's the scariest tee shot at Augusta?
No. 12: 60%
No. 7: 12.5%
No. 1: 10%
No. 11: 5%
No. 13: 5%
No. 18: 5%
Do you think the tournament is less exciting since the course was lengthened?
Yes: 65%
"Yes, it's less exciting,
especially on Sunday
for obvious reasons.
But they set it up right
all four days last year."
No: 32.5%
"I think
Billy Payne's done a
good job of making it
more exciting and
bringing it back. Last
year was very exciting."
Don't know: 2.5%
"I never played it before
it was lengthened."
On which hole are you most liable to card an 'other'?
No.12: 37.5%
No. 11: 25%
"The drive
is brutal and the hole is
over 500 yards to a green
you're 50 feet above."
No. 13: 10%
No. 15: 10%
Which hole should be bulldozed?
None: 32.5%
"Are you kidding me?
There's too much history."
No. 7: 17.5% "The back
tee should be bulldozed."
No. 11: 17.5%
"You're hitting a long iron
into a small green guarded
by water. It's too severe."
"It should be shortened, not
bulldozed. Bulldoze the tee."
No. 4: 12.5%
Others receiving votes:
No. 5 - 5%
If you could be guaranteed that one part of your game stayed in top
form throughout Masters week, which would you choose?
Putting: 85%
Driving: 5%
Iron Play: 5%
Chipping: 5%
What's your biggest pet peeve about the event?
That the grass is mown green-to-tee to reduce roll: 45%
"Such a petty way to
screw with the players.
It's already long enough
out there, and mowing
it like that makes it very
inconsistent for chipping
around the greens as well."
Nothing! It's perfect
the way it is: 27.5%
"It's my favorite tournament
every year and I can't wait
to go back there."
Course changes of
last 10-plus years
are too drastic: 20%
"It could lose 100 yards."
Invitation policy
creates the weakest
field of the majors: 7.5%
How soon before Augusta National admits a woman member?
Never: 62.5%
10 years: 17.5%
20 years: 12.5%
5 years: 7.5%
"I would say they
will admit
a woman
member
when the
right woman
member
comes along."
Does it bother you that the club's membership excludes women?
The players say...
No: 90%
"Nothing about the
club's policies bothers me."
"It's their club. They can do as they like."
"You're asking the wrong people this question."
Yes: 10%
"Yeah, I care, and you can quote me on it." —Bubba Watson
Would you rather win one Masters, two U.S. Opens or three PGAs?
Three PGAs: 52.5%
"No brainer."
"That's a tough one. No
Australian has ever won
the Masters."
Two U.S. Opens: 35%
One Masters: 12.5%
"Double major-winner is
big, but PGAs go unnoticed."
"Ooh, good question. Very good question."
Do you wish former champs would hang it up when they've become uncompetitive?
No, they've
earned the
right: 72.5%
"They've earned the right
to play as much as they
want."
"As long as they
don't shoot 90 and hold
up play."
"The fewer guys I
have to beat, the better."
Yes, give someone
else a chance: 27.5%
"Move on if you can't
break 75. The field strength
needs to be better."
"An age limit or a competitive
limit makes sense."
Is Tiger or Phil more likely to win the 2011 Masters?
Tiger: 57.5%
"Something good has to
happen for that guy."
Phil: 40%
"Phil's the
favorite until he says he's not."
It's a coin flip: 2.5%
"You guys are
too obsessed
with two
people."
If you didn't receive it for winning the Masters, would you ever be caught dead wearing a green jacket?
No: 80%
"I got one for winning the
Jisan Open in Korea, and it's
never seen the light of day."
Yes: 20%
"For Christmas."
Which senior star is more likely to win the 2011 Masters: Fred Couples or Bernhard Langer?
Couples: 90%
"Hard to go against Freddie.
He still bombs it and you
need that at Augusta."
Langer: 10%
Should the club invite Gary McCord of CBS Sports back to the telecast?
Yes: 77.5%
"Yes, but they won't."
"What'd he do? That's
all he said? Then yes,
he should be invited
back."
"Absolutely."
The roars at Augusta National are...
...as loud as
advertised: 82.5%
...overrated: 12.5%
...louder than advertised: 5%
"Man, are they cool."
Which player would you most like to see win his first Masters?
Ernie Els: 37.5%
"How many time can you come that close?"
Davis Love III: 22.5%
Steve Stricker: 17.5%
Kenny Perry: 10%
Lee Westwood: 7.5%
No opinion: 5%
Tiger hasn't won a green jacket since 2005. How many more will he win?
One: 10%
Two: 37.5%
Three or more: 47.5%
I don't care: 5%
None: 0%
Do you believe Augusta National Chairman Billy Payne did the right thing when he publicly scolded Tiger Woods at the 2010 Masters?
No: 70%
"No, in the same way that Barack
Obama shouldn't have said
anything about Michael
Vick. It's beneath him."
Yes: 27.5%
"Someone had to say it."
No comment: 2.5%
Does it bother you that the Masters field is the smallest in major golf?
No: 65%
"About right, I guess."
Yes: 30%
"Still not enough
players in the field to match
the other majors' strengths."
Don't know: 5%
WHAT YOU THINK
Do you believe the Masters should further extend its TV coverage?
Yes: 76.6%
No, the Masters'
mystique is part
of its charm,
and limiting the
coverage helps
protect that
mystique: 23.4%
The Masters' website offers additional live coverage of specific holes. Is online viewing
an appealing option to you?
Yes: 70.9%
No: 29.1%
If you couldn't record the telecast of the fourth round, would you rather...
...stay
home and
watch on
TV: 68%
...or play a round
for free at the
best course in
your area: 32%
Do you believe Augusta National Chairman Billy Payne did the right thing when he publicly scolded Tiger Woods at the 2010 Masters?
Yes: 53.3%
No: 46.7%
Does it bother you that the Masters field is the smallest in major golf?
No: 89.6%
Yes: 10.4%
Does it bother you that the club's membership excludes women?
No: 78.1%
Yes: 21.9%
The Masters' tinkling piano music...
...is a
great
tradition: 73%
...needs a
tune-up: 21.3%
...makes my
skin crawl: 5.7%
Would it bother you if Augusta conserved water and let the fairways go slightly brown?
Yes: 66.1%
No: 33.9%
Which player would you most like to see win his first Masters?
Ernie Els: 37.5%
"How many time can you come that close?"
Steve Stricker: 20.4%
Davis Love III: 14.3%
Kenny Perry: 11.4%
Lee Westwood: 10.2%
Sergio Garcia: 6.2%
Tiger hasn't won a green jacket since 2005. How many more will he win?
Zero: 12.7%
One: 27.9%
Two: 45%
Three or more: 14.4%
I don't care: 5%
Phil Mickelson has three Masters titles at age 40. Will he catch Jack Nicklaus, who won six?
No: 94.3%
Yes: 5.7%
To which would you most like to win two tickets...
A state dinner at the
White House: 13.7%
A party at
the Playboy
Mansion: 13.4%
The Super Bowl: 7.6%
Rounds 3 and 4 of the Masters: 65.3%
What was the most thrilling Masters of the last 25 years?
1986 (Nicklaus wins at 46): 41%
1997 (Tiger wins his first Masters by 12): 17.5%
2004 (Mickelson wins his first Masters): 13.8%
Would you rather play Augusta or attend the fourth round of the Masters?
Play: 90%
Attend: 10%
How much would you pay to play Augusta?
Up to $300: 36.6%
$300-$499: 23.7%
$500-$999: 17.2%
$1,000-$2,000: 9%
Whatever it takes! 13.5%
