The Masters, Cigars And the Rites of Spring

One of the great stories this year at the Masters had little to do with Tiger or South African sensation Trevor Immelman. No, this story is about Miguel Angel Jimenez, who opened the Masters with a 77--practically taking himself out of contention on day one. Jimenez did pull himself together on Friday by and gutting out a 70 and miraculously making the cut.

After his round, Jimenez was spotted by my brother-in-law and sports writer John Nestor on the practice green puffing on a fine cigar (John took the photo of Jimenez). He looked relaxed and he focused on his par-saver distance—four to six feet. A great, blue plume of smoke hovered around him. You gotta love it.

Then, on Sunday, Jimenez shot the round of the day--a 4-under 68—and he earned a top-10 finish. It was an incredible comeback. As my brother-in-law put it: Few things calm the nerves as well as a fine cigar, even when you’re competing at Augusta National. What a great time of year. One event after the next beckons spring and all the great things that come with the warm weather and the anticipation that summer is just around the corner. Who doesn’t want to go out and play a round of golf after watching the Masters? And, along the way, enjoy your game with a few of your favorite smokes.

It’s the cigar lover’s rite of spring. It marks the time of year we can begin to comfortably enjoy a fine cigar at home on our patios, outside with friends and, of course, on the links. It’s a time we stock up on a few more smokes knowing we may need them at any time. It’s great to have a dinner party, finish up and offer a cigar and a glass of scotch to anyone who wants one.

It’s also a time many of us will condition or re-condition our humidors to ensure they’re ready for the changes in temperature and humidity. Once the humidor is in good shape, you can invest in a box of cigars and have them at the ready. And it’s not a bad time to invest in cigar gadgets. I get pretty excited this time of year when I visit the cigar shop and check out all the new cigar gear on the market—new lighters, cutters or even a travel humidor for the golf bag.

I recently went out for my first round of the year with some good friends. To be honest, I didn’t play great, though I had enough good shots to keep me coming back. When we made the turn, we spent a little extra time on the tee box, pulled out some Romeo y Julietas and lit up. The day was perfect, and the smokes fantastic. I was thinking about Jimenez, and how cigars helped him unwind after a day in the PGA. I felt relaxed, myself. And I couldn’t help but take in the moment and think with great anticipation about all the great games—and cigars--to come.

John von Brachel

4/22/08

1 COMMENTS

Posted by Chris Shamburg - May 2 2008 @ 10:42 PM
Re: The Masters, Cigars And the Rites of Spring I heard--through a respected journal or a know-it-all friend...forgot where--that the Native Americans considered smoking a cigar communicating with the gods...akin to a prayer. The greats like Jimenez know this too, I guess.

You must sign in to add comments.