The Stage is Set

36 down...36 to go.  Moving Day is upon us.  Perfect weather conditions for the first two rounds at Augusta National have led to low scores and high entertainment so far at the 2011 Masters.  History has shown us that the eventual Masters champion will at least be in the top 10 at the halfway point, so let's focus on that group as we highlight the most intriguing storylines of the tournament so far.

The leader at the halfway point is 21-year-old Rory McIlroy at 10-under par.  Having already experienced the most pressure-packed situation he will ever be in (playing on the European Ryder Cup team last summer in his native Ireland, and performing brilliantly), and also having finished 3rd at the previous two majors, don't expect McIlroy to fall off the leaderboard.  A victory would make him the second youngest champion ever (Tiger Woods was a few months younger when he won at age 21 in 1997) as well as the first European to win since 1999 (Spain's Jose Maria Olazabal).

23-year old Jason Day from Australia is sitting at 8-under par and will be paired with McIlroy for today's third round.  Day has one career PGA Tour victory (2010 HP Byron Nelson Classic), and this is his first appearance at the Masters.  He tied for 10th at last year's PGA Championship at Whistling Straits.  Day is looking to become the first Australian to win the Masters (Greg Norman will now light himself on fire).

Speaking of Australians, 2006 U.S. Open Champion Geoff Ogilvy is the only golfer besides McIlroy to post two rounds in the 60s.  Don't be surprised if we see him in Butler Cabin tomorrow evening.

K.J. Choi and Y.E. Yang, both from South Korea, are each trying to become the first Asian to win the Masters.  If one of these guys actually breaks through to make their continent proud, I hope it's Choi (mainly because I'm still pissed at Yang for breaking Tiger's "undefeated when leading or tied for the lead entering the final round of a major" streak at the 2009 PGA Championship).  Random inquiry:  if I were ever to move to South Korea, would I be legally required to change my name to P.A. Breaux?

And how much of a bad-ass is Fred Couples?  The 1992 Masters Champion, now 51-years-young, shot a 68 on Friday and is right in the thick of it at 5-under par.  If he's still in contention tomorrow afternoon, he will be the overwhelming crowd favorite.  A victory would make Couples not only the oldest Masters champion, but also the oldest major champion ever.

(Hmmm...let's see...any other major headlines from the first 2 rounds?...)

OH YEAH!  Late Friday afternoon, the most recognizable golfer on the planet, the most dominating athlete of my generation, turned back the clock by playing the most impressive 11-hole stretch of golf we have seen from anyone in quite some time.  Tiger Woods went from being in danger of missing the cut to sitting in a tie for 3rd at 7-under par within the span of about two hours.  Absolutely brilliant.  Now, does Woods' recent history lead me to believe he can keep this up and win his 5th Green Jacket this weekend?  Honestly, no...but good God I hope he proves me wrong.  Let's put this in a historical perspective:

The most amazing individual record in all of sports is Jack Nicklaus' 18 Major Championships.  Tiger currently has 14 Majors, and has many times stated that his singular career goal is to eclipse Nicklaus' mark.  If we had a Mount Rushmore of "Transcendant Athletes of the Past 100 Years" the faces would be those of Babe Ruth, Muhammad Ali, Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods.  I obviously didn't have the pleasure of seeing either Ruth or Ali, but damn, if Doc Emmett Brown would build me a DeLorean these would definitely be 2 of the top 5 events I would travel back in time to see:
1.  1932 World Series -- Babe Ruth famously "calls his shot" at Wrigley Field against the Cubs
2.  The Rumble in the Jungle -- Muhammad Ali stuns the heavily favored George Foreman in front of a raucous crowd in Kinshasa, Zaire to regain the Heavyweight Title

I feel extremely fortunate to have witnessed Jordan's entire NBA career, and am convinced I will never see anyone as exciting as him in team sports.

Which brings us back to Tiger Woods.  I hope you all realize the rarity of what we have witnessed from him over the past 15 years, as well as the magnitude of the situation each time he is in contention at a Major.  I hope he can give us another one of "those moments" tomorrow afternoon on the back nine at Augusta.  As Andy Dufresne said, "Hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things.  And no good thing ever dies."