Images and a new Law...

   The Masters is probably my favorite golf tournament. It is close by us, only about 3 hours away, it has the color and the tradition. CBS does a masterful job in its television coverage, with a dignified broadcast, good announcers and a minimum of ad spots.

   Not only all those reasons, but I have been a few times and have a feel for the course, the crowds, and the food concessions. The egg salad sandwich for $1.50 is the best sandwich for the money at any venue.

   I watched most of this year's tournament's final round on last Sunday, some of it live and some on the DVR, and there were some images that stick in my mind, even today.

   Three in particular:

   1. Not only the hole-in-one by Matt Kuchar, but the aftermath of that shot on hole 16.

   Matt is one of the pros who have moved to St. Simons, and it was good to see those two smiling faces, Matt as he hit the shot and watched it go in the hole, and the boy he signed and gave the ball to after retrieving it from the cup. A great gesture and a memorable moment.

   2. Sergio Garcia and Justin Rose after the match on the 18th green. They are friends on and off the course, and they seemed not to be competitors as much as fellow golfers who truly liked one another.

   3. A shot of Angela Akins, Sergio's fiancee', as she holds her hat over her face and crouches after she witnesses the final putt for the win. Raw emotion for Sergio, and for her.

    There was, and is, a final picture, one that I have not found on the Internet, but one that I feel says it all about competition, friendship and respect.

   I'll have to explain it, and ask you to see it in your mind's eye.

   I believe it was after the tee shots on 16, and, as the two men walked from the tee box toward the green, Sergio, without saying a word, reaches his open hand backwards, and Rose reaches forward and gives it a small slap.

   Rose had hit a great shot to 16, and Sergio issues his congratulations on a job well done. The respect of two men, both competitors for the green jacket which neither had ever won.

   Three shots that someone else took and put out for all of us to enjoy. Three shots that I felt conveyed the emotion and drama of the final round.

   And one shot that I could not find, but that I will bet will show up one day, if not from an official photo, at least from a iPhone.

   And a Law that I discovered while watching:

   Bowman's Law of Taping Sport's Broadcasts:

   Never ever assume that the length of the telecast of any sporting event will correspond to the length of the DVR setting. My recording ended with the two men on the green on 18, both with legitimate birdie chances, but time ran out before either could putt.

   I had to go to YouTube to catch the highlights of that 18th hole and the playoff.

   Oh Well,

   It was a Tournament Like No Other, in many ways….