Welcome to my Business of The Masters live blog. Throughout the day, I'll be providing you with all sorts of nuggets about the golf world's first major taking place in Augusta, Ga.
Check back here periodically for updates.
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Lee Westwood Masters Gold Tournament
4:25 p.m. ET Tiger finishes 1 under par. Not horrific, but certainly not great.
Andrew Redington | Getty Images
Tiger Woods walks up the first hole during the first round of the 2011 Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club on April 7, 2011 in Augusta, Georgia.
It's pretty amazing that, out of the 253 votes we received on the poll below, that the most popular opinion — 22 percent — is that Tiger will never win another major. If that's the case, the PGA Tour is in for a rude awakening when it comes time to negotiate their TV rights at the end of this season.
A couple comments on the rest of the leaderboard.
Sergio Garcia could be an interesting boost if he finally gets it together and wins a major. The young guns Rory McIlroy and Rickie Fowler are always fun to watch. Would love to see a big win by a Japanese golfer (Hiroyuki Fujita, Ryo Ishikawa or Yuki Ikeda) given all their nation has gone through.
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3:32 p.m. ET: Some people are getting into the Masters tomorrow for around $400, which is a pretty amazing value. So does it have to do with corporate America staying away. Pat Ryan, co-owner of the Ticket Experience, says no way:
Robyn Beck | AFP | Getty Images
Phil Mickelson of the US lines up a putt on the second green on day one of the 2011 Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club April 7, 2011 in Augusta, Georgia.
"Relative to the crash, something that the Masters and Super Bowl ticket is most similar to is a high end brand like Louis Vuitton or Gucci or Brioni suits. The articles in 2009 showed that those brands weren't suffering at all. It was more like the middle tier brands like the Polo and the Tommy Hilfiger and the Brooks Brothers were getting hurt because people were spending a little bit more carefully. The absolute most premium brands weren't suffering and they won't suffer. I put the Masters in that category. The businesses that are doing well and came out of that turmoil, they are doing very well. And for those companies, they're spending more than ever before on events like this."
3:12 p.m. ET: Let's do a sponsors roll call of leader Rory McElroy, who shot a 65 today. He has Dubai-based Jumeirah Hotels & Resorts on his hat and shirt. Oakley glasses, pants and a logo on his shirt collar. He plays with Titleist balls and clubs and plays in Footjoy shoes. Finally, he has the logo of watchmaker Audemars Piguet on his right sleeve.
2:13 p.m. ETTiger Woodsis at +1 through 11 holes, eight strokes off the lead.
Woods hasn't won since he won the Australian Masters in November 2009.
So how much longer do we have to wait?
Will he turn it around soon?
Or is it possible he is forever changed?
I'm really surprised he hasn't won yet.
And frankly, I think Nike is too.
1:45 p.m. ET: I absolutely love the Rickie Fowler big Puma style.
Harry How | Getty Images
Rickie Fowler plays from a bunker on the second hole during the first round of the 2011 Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club on April 7, 2011.
Just so cool.
Puma is really suffering though.
They completely relied on the retro trend and I don't think they really anything in the sports fan's mind.
It kind of puts them in this no man's land that is not a good place to be in.
The company just named a new CEO to jumpstart the business. Let's see what they can do.
As for Fowler, he's +1 through 14 holes.
1:40 p.m. ET: Just spoke to the Marty Hanaka, CEO of Golfsmith .
Take a look at what we had to say about the golf retail business.
12:42 p.m. ET Just spoke to Adam Young, Bodog's head oddsmaker, here's what he said: "We opened Tiger at 10-1 and we closed this morning at 8-1. We basically couldn't stop people from taking him. I'm pretty amazed."
Young said that about 15 percent of all bets are on Tiger to win the Masters.
Other players that got a lot of action were favorite Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson and Bubba Watson. Young said the total action of the four-day tournament is about 35 percent of a single NFL game.
11:35 a.m. ET: As another earthquake hits Japan, all hearts are focused on the Japanese players. That's why I'm just loving that Hiroyuki Fujitaand Ryo Ishikawaare on the leaderboard at -2 and -1, respectively. The 19-year-old Ishikawa, who missed the cut in his only two Masters starts, has already pledged to donate all his 2011 prize moneyto the Japanese relief efforts.
That's an incredible gesture.
Andrew Redlington | Getty Images
Adam Scott of Australia and Nick Watney (R) walk with their caddies on the first hole during the first round of the 2011 Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club on April 7, 2011 in Augusta, Georgia.
11:00 a.m. ET: Fisher and Goosen still tied at the top, now at 4-under. The guys at Under Armour has to be happy with Fisher. The 30-year old from England is one of the few golfers they sponsor. The interlocking UA is on his right shirt sleeve and on his shirt back.
10:19 a.m. ET: The Masters ticket is always a tough one — we'll have a more detailed story on this later. But first, let's give you the average price being paid on StubHub over the next four days. Today's average is $1,083 per badge — the most expensive of any day right now. Friday is $1,038, Saturday is $960 and Sunday is $865. If Tiger Woods or Phil Mickelson is in the running that Sunday badge might be a huge value.
Don Emmert | AFP | Getty Images
Camilo Villegas of Colombia hits a fairway shot during the first round of the Masters golf tournament at Augusta National Golf Club on April 7, 2011 in Augusta, Georgia.
Why do tickets look cheap?
The secondary market is the main reason. StubHub spokesperson Joellen Ferrer said there's 10 times the amount of tickets on the secondary market than there were just three years ago.
9:59 a.m. ET: Kudos to the Web team athttp://www.masters.com. The site is incredible. I remember how user unfriendly it used to be. I absolutely love how they made the leaderboard look like it does on the course. Your leaders are Ross Fisher and Retief Goosen, who eagled the first hole. Love Goosen's Grey Goose sponsorship, but here's what you might not know, he also has his own wine.
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