JD CubanEvery April, the mere sight of pink azaleas and beautiful sun-soaked skies beating down on the vibrant green turf of Augusta National Golf Club is enough to make golf fans flock to their television sets in droves. Add in a few Sunday storylines, something the Masters provides no matter who is on the leader board, and you might as well cancel Christmas. It doesn’t get much better than that.
If you were picking up a Jim Nantz vibe from that lead-in, that was a very astute observation on your part. No one welcomes us all into the broadcast quite like Nantz, especially on Sunday… AT THE MASTERS…when his opening monologues double as poetry that rivals the work of Robert Frost.
Thanks to Augusta National putting the last 50 final-round broadcasts of the Masters on YouTube, we’ve had some time to comb through Nantz’s best and most-syrupy monologues in all their slightly over-dramatic, perfectly pitched glory.
Without further ado, Hello friends, and welcome to our top 10 Nantzian o..

Josh DuplechianBefore Saturday night's Villanova-Kansas semifinal, the record for most three-pointers made by a team in in a Final Four or championship game was 13, and it has stood for 30 years. Then Villanova hit 13 threes . . . in one half. Watch:
https://twitter.com/marchmadness/status/980262474355126272
Everything about that is beautiful—the passing, the movement, and of course the shooting. Obviously Villanova went on to break the record in the second half, finishing with 18 threes, and they also set the single season record for most threes by any NCAA college basketball team. In a sport where quality of play keeps getting uglier over time, the Wildcats are a fun, fast, exciting godsend. The fact that they're through to the championship while the sludge factory that is Virginia basketball became the first 1-seed to lose in the first round…well, it's the greatest proof that style karma is real since Duke beat Wisconsin in the 2015 championship.
Speaking of Nova…..

AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) How well do your know the Masters? Try this quiz:

1. Which former British Open champion never broke par at the Masters?

a.) John Daly

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b.) Bobby Jones

c.) Bill Rogers

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2. Who won the first Masters?

a.) Gene Sarazen

b.) Byron Nelson

c.) Horton Smith

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3. After which flower did Sergio Garcia and his wife name their daughter?

a.) Golden Bell

b.) Camellia

c.) Azalea

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4. Which player has won the most green jackets?

a.) Jack Nicklaus

b.) Arnold Palmer

c.) Tiger Woods

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5. Name the only player to complete the career Grand Slam at the Masters?

a.) Gene Sarazen

b.) Gary Player

c.) Ben Hogan

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6. Name the first player to win the Masters in a sudden-death playoff.

a.) Fuzzy Zoeller

b.) Nick Faldo

c.) Ian Woosnam

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7. Who was the only player to lose the Masters in a playoff twice?

a.) Chris DiMarco

b.) Ben Hogan

c.) Greg Norman

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8. Which player recorded the highest score on the par-3 12th hole at the Masters?

a.)..

RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif. (AP) The Latest on the LPGA Tour’s ANA Inspiration, the first major golf championship of the season (all times local):

7:27 p.m.

Inbee Park and Pernilla Lindberg will return to Mission Hills on Monday morning to decide the ANA Inspiration.

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They played the par-5 18th four extra times before it was too dark to continue. Jennifer Song dropped out with a par on the third extra hole, and Park and Lindberg decided to play one more hole in fading light.

Twenty minutes after sunset with portable lights and the scoreboard helping illuminate the green, Park made a 6-foot par putt and Lindberg knocked in a 2-footer to match.

They will resume play Monday at 8 a.m. on the par-4 10th.

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6:55 p.m.

Inbee Park, Pernilla Lindberg and Jennifer Song are headed to a third extra hole in the ANA Inspiration.

They each parred the par-5 18th on the first two extra holes. Park and Song each had putts to win, with Park missing a 15-footer on the first ..

HUMBLE, Texas (AP) Ian Poulter delivered another big moment Sunday, this one for himself.

Down to his last putt, Poulter made a 20-foot birdie on the 18th hole to force a playoff with Beau Hossler, and then he won the Houston Open with a par on the first extra hole to earn the last spot in the Masters.

One week after Poulter was mistakenly told he had locked up a spot at Augusta National through the world ranking, he left no doubt by winning with a clutch moment reminiscent of his Ryder Cup heroics from Medinah in 2012.

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”I had to dig deep today,” said Poulter, who closed with a 5-under 67.

Hossler, who also shot 67, overcame a three-shot deficit with four straight birdies on the back nine. He had a chance to win on the 18th in regulation with a 30-foot birdie putt that trickled over the right edge of the cup.

That set the stage for Poulter, and the 42-year-old from England lived up to his nickname as ”The Postman” by delivering his biggest putt in year..

For the first time through streaming technology, we bring up-close, in-motion and personal instruction no farther away than your mobile phone.

RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif. (AP) The Latest on the LPGA Tour’s ANA Inspiration, the first major golf championship of the season (all times local):

7:27 p.m.

Inbee Park and Pernilla Lindberg will return to Mission Hills on Monday morning to decide the ANA Inspiration.

Article continues below …

They played the par-5 18th four extra times before it was too dark to continue. Jennifer Song dropped out with a par on the third extra hole, and Park and Lindberg decided to play one more hole in fading light.

Twenty minutes after sunset with portable lights and the scoreboard helping illuminate the green, Park made a 6-foot par putt and Lindberg knocked in a 2-footer to match.

They will resume play Monday at 8 a.m. on the par-4 10th.

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6:55 p.m.

Inbee Park, Pernilla Lindberg and Jennifer Song are headed to a third extra hole in the ANA Inspiration.

They each parred the par-5 18th on the first two extra holes. Park and Song each had putts to win, with Park missing a 15-footer on the first ..

RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif. (AP) The Latest on the LPGA Tour’s ANA Inspiration, the major golf championship of the season (all times local):

3:05 p.m.

Jessica Korda holed out for eagle from the fairway on the par-5 ninth to take the ANA Inspiration lead at 13 under.

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Korda was 5 under on the front nine, also making four birdies and a bogey. Third-round leader Pernilla Lindberg was a stroke back with Hall of Famer Inbee Park, Ayako Uehara, Moriya Jutanugarn and Amy Olson.

Korda won in Thailand in February in her return from reconstructive jaw surgery.

Younger sister Nelly also holed out from the fairway for eagle Sunday, doing it on the par-4 sixth. Nelly Korda was 10 under with three holes left.

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2:50 p.m.

All Nippon Airways has confirmed its intention to extend its title sponsorship three years through 2022 at the ANA Inspiration, the LPGA Tour’s first major of the season.

ANA CEO and President Yuji Hirako announced the decision Sunday. The Japanese air..

AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) Sergio Garcia peeled back the blanket and leaned over for another peek at his 3-week-old daughter, sound asleep against her mother’s chest. As his wife chatted with friends, he walked back over to take a purse that dangled from her arm, and then a shopping bag at her feet.

He was much a doting father and husband as he was the Masters champion, and that was only fitting Sunday.

The mood is light the day before Masters week officially begins. It feels more like a day of family and celebration, enhanced by the 60 children moving out from the driving range to the chipping area to the 18th green for the Drive, Chip and Putt competition that has become a tradition since it began five years ago.

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Garcia was a big part of that, too.

He became the first defending champion to attend the reception Saturday night. One girl was asked for her best Garcia impersonation from his victory last year, and she crouched, clenched her fists and pumped both ar..

Rob Brown/Augusta NationalIf you're a golfer and you own a man cave, you're clearly doing life right. That said, your special room is incomplete until you add a unique piece of Masters merch. We walked through the brand new Masters Golf Shop to find 11 items that every man cave needs.
FacebookPinterestMartin MillerKnow somebody who'll be at Augusta National? Send them this list and politely ask for a few items:
Metal signs ($35)
FacebookPinterestMartin MillerOffered in four different shapes, these signs are an inexpensive way to add some Masters flare to your favorite space.
Champions glasses ($18, set of 2)
Take a look at the glasses placed below the metal signs in the image above. They list all the previous Masters champions, making them perfect conversation starters.
Wooden signs ($45-$495)
FacebookPinterestMartin MillerThese signs are hefty and well-made, meaning they'll last forever, but they're distressed by design, making it seem like they've been a..