The BulleTin • Tuesday, april 13, 2021 A7
GOLF
DEAR ABBY
Write to Dear Abby online at dearabby.com
or by mail at P.O. Box 69440, Los Angeles, CA 90069
Dear Abby: My tattoos are
destroying my marriage, and
I just don’t understand why.
I’m a 56-year-old elementary
art teacher and the father of
three grown children. Since
I was young, I have loved the
artistic expression of tattoos,
and I ALWAYS envisioned
having them, lots of them.
It had been about 10 years
since my last one, but I de-
cided to get another one. Tell-
ing my wife about wanting
another one was awful. My
wife of 28 years hates tattoos.
We have terrible arguments
every time I get one. I have
covered my entire upper
body. (Other than my hands,
none of them are visible
while I’m wearing my work
clothes.) I love them.
I just returned home with
roses tattooed on my hands,
and my wife is ready to leave
me. She says I have gone too
far with all my ink. I’m a re-
sponsible and respectful per-
son. I don’t drink, smoke,
gamble or have any destruc-
tive vices. I’m highly regarded
as a leader and role model at
my school.
Friends, colleagues — even
strangers — compliment me
on my tattoos. However, you
would think my tattoos and
I are the devil in my wife’s
eyes. Am I the problem, or
is her perception of tattoos
the issue? Please, any advice
would be greatly accepted. I
can’t understand her stance
on this.
— Art in Las Vegas
Dear Art: It is your body,
and you have the right to do
what you want with it. While
not everyone is a fan of body
art, I assume that you had tat-
toos before you and your wife
married. It is possible that
over the years, when you told
your wife you were getting
more, knowing her feelings
about it, it came across to her
as disrespectful of her feel-
ings. As you have acquired
more and more, it may have
felt to her like one insult piled
on another.
Having never spoken with
your wife, I can’t guess her
reason for talking about leav-
ing you, but it’s important
you ask why those roses were
the last straw. (Am I correct
in assuming there’s no place
else on your “canvas” that
hasn’t been illustrated?)
Dear Abby: My husband
and I have been married 20-
plus years. His mother has
never liked me. I have never
done anything to her or her
husband.
My father-in-law passed
away two years back, and
my mother-in-law is older.
If something happens to her,
how am I supposed to react?
I know I have to be there for
my husband. My husband
and I get along wonderfully,
but at the same time, I would
feel like a hypocrite if I went
to her funeral. We haven’t
spoken in over a year.
Other family members
have repeated things she
has said about me as well as
my family. I put up with her
behavior for years. I only
quit talking to her or going
around her a year ago.
— Hates Hypocrisy in Michigan
Dear Hates: Funerals are
for the living. Do not suc-
cumb to the temptation to
use your mother-in-law’s as a
platform to demonstrate your
dislike of her. Attend the fu-
neral and comfort your hus-
band, who likely will be hurt-
ing and need your support.
And when you do, ABOVE
ALL, refrain from humming,
“Ding, Dong, the Witch is
Dead.”
YOUR HOROSCOPE
By Madalyn Aslan
Stars show the kind of day you’ll have
DYNAMIC | POSITIVE | AVERAGE | SO-SO | DIFFICULT
HAPPY BIRTHDAY FOR TUESDAY, APRIL 13, 2021: Resource-
ful, dedicated and persuasive, your independent streak makes life interest-
ing. This year, you work on a team that encourages individual expression. A
secure income stream relieves anxiety and allows you to purchase extras like
gadgets and sports equipment. Mend fences with friends who have drifted
but who always have your back. If single, your perfect mate is someone you
know. If attached, book that romantic getaway. SCORPIO understands you
deeply.
ARIES (March 21-April 19)
Creative cooking is on the agenda. Exchange recipes with friends.
Ask elders in your family for dishes that warmed your heart growing up. Start
saving for an item that has special meaning but others might think is unnec-
essary. Tonight: Decorate the walls.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20)
Excitement about a future activity starts to gain steam. Visualize
what you want to achieve, and it will begin to unfold. Don’t let someone’s
doubts or negativity spoil your day. Keep looking at the glass as half full. To-
night: A learning experience.
Masters is a win for Hideki
Matsuyama, and for Japan
BY DOUG FERGUSON
AP Golf Writer
A
UGUSTA, Ga. — The
question became inevi-
table at some of the big-
ger golf tournaments, whether
it was for Jordan Spieth or Ti-
ger Woods. And it had noth-
ing to do with them.
Japanese reporters, having
quietly rehearsed the words in
English, wanted to know what
the best players thought of
Hideki Matsuyama.
This wasn’t about validation.
Everyone knew he could play.
Matsuyama was still in col-
lege when he won his first pro-
fessional event. He made the
cut at the Masters as a 19-year-
old amateur. He won the Ja-
pan Golf Tour money title as a
rookie. When he played in the
Presidents Cup at age 21, he
had more wins that year than
anyone on his team.
This was about acceptance.
The ultimate validation
came on a Sunday at the Mas-
ters that neither Matsuyama
nor his golf-crazed nation will
ever forget.
Matsuyama had a four-shot
lead that was whittled to one
when he walked off the first
green. His six-shot lead in the
middle of Amen Corner was
down to two shots when he
stepped onto the 16th tee. But
he held steady to the end, lead-
ing to a monumental occasion
in fabled Butler Cabin.
That’s when Fred Ridley, the
Masters chairman, turned to
defending champion Dustin
Johnson and said, “We’d be
honored if you’d place the
green jacket on our new-
est champion, Hideki Mat-
suyama.”
“I’m really happy,” Mat-
suyama said, significant be-
cause they were the only words
he spoke without his inter-
preter.
All of Japan had reason to
celebrate.
The week at Augusta Na-
tional began with 17-year-old
Tsubasa Kajitani winning the
Augusta National Women’s
Amateur. Nine days later, Ja-
pan had its first male win-
ner of a major championship,
which feels certain to have a
lasting effect.
Adam Scott can attest to
that.
One of his endorsement
contracts take him to the Ja-
pan Open, and he has seen the
popularity of the game and the
passion for its stars. He played
alongside Matsuyama and
Ryo Ishikawa, the first Japa-
David J. Phillip/AP
Hideki Matsuyama, of Japan, hugs his caddie Shota Hayafuji after winning the Masters golf tournament on
Sunday in Augusta, Georgia.
nese star of this generation.
Scott had not felt that ignored
since he played with Woods
and Phil Mickelson in the U.S.
Open at Torrey Pines.
“He’s a bit like a Tiger
Woods to the rest of the
world,” he said of Matsuyama,
who went on to win that week.
Now picture Matsuyama in
a green jacket.
“I can’t imagine what it’s
going to be like,” Matsuyama
said, this time through his in-
terpreter. “But what a thrill
and honor it will be for me to
take the green jacket back to
Japan. And I’m really looking
forward to it.”
Now try to picture the re-
ception at Kasamigaseki
Country Club, the site of
the Olympics in about three
months. They have been de-
layed a year because of the
COVID-19 pandemic, and as-
suming the games go on, the
timing couldn’t be better for
golf.
A private club that only re-
cently allowed female mem-
bers — that should sound
familiar — Kasamigaseki is
where Matsuyama walloped
the field by five shots to win
the Asia-Pacific Amateur in
2011. The tournament was
the brainchild of Billy Payne,
the former Augusta National
chairman who wanted the
green jacket to inspire greater
growth in Asia.
Matsuyama earned his first
trip to the Masters by winning,
and he made his first trip to
Butler Cabin as the low am-
ateur.
His next trip to Butler Cabin
was Sunday after his one-shot
victory in the Masters. He no
longer was a teenager with po-
tential. A nation was watching.
“It’s thrilling to think that
there are a lot of youngsters in
Japan watching today,” he said.
“Hopefully in five, 10 years,
when they get a little older,
hopefully some of them will be
competing on the world stage.”
Jumbo Ozaki remains an
iconic figure in Japanese golf, a
winner of more than 100 tour-
naments, though he rarely left
home. He was inducted into
the World Golf Hall of Fame
in 2011, the year Matsuyama
first played in the Masters.
Isao Aoki was the closest
Japan had come to winning a
major. He was tied with Jack
Nicklaus going into the final
round of the U.S. Open at Bal-
tusrol in 1980, and wound up
two shots behind golf’s great-
est champion.
“I’ve been blessed to spend a
lot of time in Japan,” Nicklaus
posted on Twitter. “I know
they love the game of golf.
They’re also very proud peo-
ple and they’re even prouder
today! I competed against the
great Isao Aoki, and know how
revered he was and is. Hideki
will also now forever be a hero
to his country.”
Nicklaus already had a soft
spot for Matsuyama. His first
PGA Tour victory was in 2014
at the Memorial, the tourna-
ment Nicklaus runs at Muir-
field Village in Ohio.
“I just think you’ve just seen
the start of what’s going to be
truly one of your world’s great
players over the next 10 to 15
years,” Nicklaus said that day.
He already had more PGA
Tour victories than any Japa-
nese player and now is up to
six, to go along with nine other
wins worldwide. He wasn’t in-
terested in declaring he was
the best ever from Japan. He
is young and has too much re-
spect for those who came be-
fore him.
Still, Masters champion goes
a long way.
“However, I’m the first to
win a major,” he said. “And if
that’s the bar, then I’ve set it.”
obligation to stay at a school
as a coach does — coaches can
easily jump ship at the next
best opportunity.
I was always in favor of one
free transfer with no sitting out
a year to allow athletes an op-
portunity to not be punished
for realizing the situation they
thought was right for them at
16 or 17 years of age isn’t what
fits their needs and desires at
19 or 20.
In a perfect world I would
have loved to watch Goforth
and Samuel play at Oregon
State for the next three years.
With those two, coupled with
what the Beavers have com-
ing in the next few years, who
knows how good they could
have been?
But I would much rather
have both players find a place
that makes them the happiest
on and off the court.
The transfer portal appears
to be here to stay.
We might as well get used
to it.
“It’s thrilling to think that there are a lot of youngsters in
Japan watching today. Hopefully in five, 10 years, when they
get a little older, hopefully some of them will be competing on
the world stage.”
— Hideki Matsuyama, 2021 Masters winner
GEMINI (May 21-June 20)
Feeling under the weather could give you a late start. Pace yourself,
and if you must, postpone a meeting to a later date. You will gather momen-
tum as the day goes on. Tonight: Get hooked on a detective novel.
CANCER (June 21-July 22)
A friend from the past surprises you with an email. Think twice before
reviving a connection with someone whose life is different from your own.
Prepare a group presentation. Control your nerves, and you will do fine. To-
night: A lively family discussion.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22)
Get closure on a longstanding assignment. Devise a plan of action and
follow it through. Time your activities so you can take a power walk or run
during a break or at the day’s end. Tonight: Start a creative project.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22)
Explore your talent for teaching. Share your expertise or train some-
one in a skill you’ve mastered from experience. Cultivate patience with those
who learn slowly. Research reference material in the local library or on its
website. Tonight: Hot bubble bath.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22)
Talk to someone close about your deepest feelings and emotions. Be
earnest about insecurities, but equally honest about your generosity and loy-
alty. Create boundaries with people who take more than they give. Tonight:
Relax in front of the TV.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21)
Check your calendar. Mark down important birthdays, anniversaries
and other milestones you do not want to miss. Review papers you need to
sign and check the fine print. There could be words you missed the first time
around. Tonight: Donate books.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21)
Don’t take constructive criticism personally since it is not aimed
that way. Cheer up someone who is down in the dumps. You have a way of
making others laugh and the ability to switch their mood around. Tonight:
Romantic plans.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19)
Thinking about a romantic interest makes you grin and will brighten
an otherwise routine day. Follow where flashes of inspiration may lead. Write
them down so you don’t forget and can act on them later. Tonight: Listen to
a podcast.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18)
Collect family anecdotes and stories to pass on to children and
grandchildren. Contact a relative to verify different versions of the same
events. Memory can play tricks on you when you recall the past. Arrange a
visit. Tonight: Beautify your home.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20)
You could be goaded into a conversation on hotbed subjects. Do all
you can to avoid politics and religion. You hold strong opinions and could be
coaxed into a debate. Change the topic as quickly as you can. Tonight: Family
dinner.
Transfers
Continued from A5
There’s no doubt last season
had to be difficult on both as
they were not allowed to see
their families, attend classes or
do much of anything due to
precautions surrounding the
coronavirus.
Some have wondered if they
left because of the talent that is
coming in over the next cou-
ple seasons. Having watched
both play, I’m thinking that
fear of competing for playing
time would not be a concern.
Goforth showed signs of be-
ing one of the best players to
come through the program.
And Samuel more than held
her own when she got the op-
portunity.
Others have said playing
time is an issue, and that is cer-
tainly a valid reason for many
players. While you can argue
they should stick it out and be
loyal, remember that a college
career lasts just four seasons
(longer with a redshirt year)
and they will never get that
time back.
It’s certainly hard on fans
who want to get to know and
root for the players for four
seasons. I think we would all
love to see that happen. The
one-and-done rule in men’s
basketball has been as bad or
worse as far as that goes.
Others have said they have
a moral obligation to stay for
four years. To be honest, the
players have the same moral