AUGUSTA, Ga. — If you were underwhelmed by this year’s Masters, you are not alone.
If you found yourself feeling unfulfilled around the time Bubba Watson was tapping in his short par putt on the 72nd hole to win the Masters by three shots Sunday evening, you are not alone.
If you found yourself waking up Monday morning wondering if that golf tournament you watched over the weekend really was the Masters and not the Greenbriar Classic, you are not alone.
If you found yourself bummed out that Phil Mickelson missed the cut, you are not alone.
If you found yourself missing the superstar presence of Tiger Woods at this year’s Masters, you are not alone.
Here’s the deal, though: Get over it.
Those of you who do not think a major championship — or any other golf tournament — can be a thrilling sporting event without the presence of Woods and Mickelson need to re-grip your clubs.
You also better get used to it, because what we witnessed at Augusta National over the weekend was a glimpse into the future of golf — one without Woods and Mickelson dominating.
Whenever Woods and Mickelson fade into lesser relevance as their careers inch toward Champions Tour eligibility, it hardly means golf tournaments are going to become the boring schlock this Masters did.
This Masters was an anomaly. I’ve covered 21 of them for The Post and can count the ones after which I felt this underwhelmed on one hand — not including my thumb and index finger. Most years the Masters provides tremendous theater. This was a rare one that did not. It was a rare one in which the famous back-nine roars were dulled by lack of drama.
All credit to Watson, the quirky left-hander from Bagdad, Fla., whose popularity among the fans far outweighs his popularity among his PGA Tour peers, some of whom are put off by his aloof, prickly personality. Winning a second career green jacket — whether or not Woods and Mickelson were there to challenge him — is not to be taken lightly.
Watson is in elite company with that accomplishment.
And you have to figure Watson will eventually be joined in that club by Jordan Spieth, the 20-year-old star-in-the-making he outdueled in the final pairing Sunday.
Spieth, along with a deep pool of amazing talent that includes Rory McIlroy and many others, should give those worried about the game without Woods and Mickelson belief that it is — and will be — alive and well.
Never mind that this Masters was as exciting as a mid-week Mets-Rockies game.
Never mind that Woods probably won’t be playing again until later in the summer.
Get over it.
Stop obsessing over Woods and Mickelson and start focusing on the likes of Spieth, McIlroy, Jason Day, Adam Scott and — oh yes — Watson, to name only a few.
The game’s going to be OK and you’re still going to be interested if you’re a fan of golf. What if Spieth had won the Masters Sunday to become the youngest player ever to win the tournament? The buzz around the game would be palpable right now.
Woods and Mickelson have accounted for seven Masters victories in the last 17 years. One or both well might win another green jacket or two. But we’re moving toward a different generation in the game now.
Nick Faldo, the CBS announcer who has won three Masters, recounted this story about Woods at Augusta:
“I was on that range five, six, seven years ago, and when you walked on the range and you could literally feel the aura with him,” Faldo said. “Every face on that range turned to look to see Tiger walking on. That was the presence that he had.”
Faldo’s use of the past tense, it should be noted, was not unintentional.