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Augusta’s Morning News with John Patrick & Mary Liz Nolan

Augusta’s Morning News with John Patrick & Mary Liz Nolan

Augusta’s Morning News with John Patrick & Mary Liz Nolan

Curtis Strange Previews The Masters

Author John Patrick
Curtis Strange tees off during final-round play in the Office Deport Father/Son Challenge at Champions Gate Resort near Orlando, Florida December 5, 2004. (Photo by A. Messerschmidt/Getty Images)

From the Augusta Golf Show, Curtis Strange previews the Masters.

I’ve known of Curtis Strange for nearly 50 years.  Curtis and I grew up in the same area, the Tidewater area of Virginia, Norfolk, Virginia Beach, Portsmouth, etc.  I knew the name Curtis Strange because he was the hot shot high school golfer from Princess Anne High School.  He was really good.  He won just about every junior tournament, not only in the area, but in the state of Virginia.  We had never seen anyone do that.

When he left the area for college, he decided to go to Wake Forest University.  We would watch from afar.  He famously, his freshman year, eagled the final hole in the NCAA tournament to not only secure the national championship for the Deamon Deacons, but he also won the individual championship.  He also won the prestigious North/South Amateur twice. He was well on his way.  Until he wasn’t…he left Wake after his Junior year, he went to Q-School, like everyone did back then to get on the PGA Tour.  He didn’t qualify.  Needless to say, we were stunned.  I’m sure he was too.

Eventually he did get to the PGA Tour, and he did leave his mark.  He won 17 times on the PGA Tour.  He was the leading money winner in 1985, 1987 and 1988.  He became the first player to win a million dollars in a season.

He won two majors, but they were a big deal.  He won the US OPEN in 1988, defeating Nick Faldo in a playoff and then won the US OPEN the following year.  He’s one of only three golfers in the history of the game to successfully defend a US OPEN.

Curtis played for a while on the Champions Tour but without much success.  In 2007 he was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame and in 2009, he was named to the Hampton Roads Sports Hall of Fame.

He found his way to TV with ESPN/ABC.  He left over a contract dispute and joined FOX when they began covering the USGA events in 2016.  These days, he’s back at ESPNs as an analyst for their golf coverage.  He will be a part of their MASTERS coverage again this year.  Which brings us to my conversation with Curtis, which you can listen to now.

March Madness 2024 Power Rankings: These Teams Should Top Your Bracket

We’re into March, and it’s official championship time in the 2024 men’s college basketball season. Right now, games are being played that will help determine which teams will make it into the much-coveted NCAA tournament and March Madness. So, which teams should top your bracket?

The No. 1 seeds are no surprise, for the most part. There’s no way any other teams will be able to top Purdue, Houston and Connecticut. But, the rest is up for grabs.

Before we get into the rankings, let’s learn some fun facts about the NCAA Tournament. The very first March Madness started on March 17, 1939, according to BleacherNation.com. They also note that the first tournament in college basketball history had only eight teams. Oregon won the NCAA Division I Championship that year, with a 46-33 win over Ohio State. As for huge upsets, and I remember this one, during the 2018 NCAA Tournament, UMBC beat No. 1 seed Virginia 74-54. That marked the first time in NCAA history a No. 16 seed beat a number 1.

The Odds of a Perfect March Madness Bracket

What are the odds of you getting a perfect bracket? Not good. Not good at all. According to the NCAA, you have a 1 in 9,223,372,036,854,775,808 (9 quintillion) chance to make a perfect bracket. If you really know nothing about college basketball knowledge, your odds become 1 in 120.2 billion. So, don’t bet the house or first born on your bracket. That’s so crazy. For years, I was really good at doing brackets and even won in some bracket pools with coworkers and friends. But, then I stopped doing brackets for a few years, because I wanted to enjoy the game. Now, I’m back and ready to do a bracket again this year. My team, the Michigan State Spartans, have not been doing well lately. But, there’s time, and hopefully they can turn things around. Fingers crossed.

Let’s get into our March Madness 2024 power rankings.

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