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Wednesday, April 10
Everyone still chasing Woods
By David Kraft
ESPN.com
AUGUSTA, Ga. -- A year ago, it was all Tiger all the time at The Masters. From his first nine-hole practice round Monday afternoon to a phone call from President George W. Bush in the twilight of Sunday, Tiger Woods was really all that mattered as he chased his fourth straight major.
|  | | There are plenty of challengers, but no one can look past Tiger Woods at The Masters. |
Make no mistake, Woods is much of what matters this year as well. Finding where Woods is on the revamped Augusta National course takes a keen ear as much as good eyes, as the roars follow him, echoing through the Georgia pines even during practice rounds.
But Woods isn't the whole story this year at The Masters. Phil Mickelson's quest for a first major matters even more than it has in the past. So do the bids of Ernie Els and David Duval for a first green jacket. John Daly's return from golf purgatory is front-page news. So is homegrown Charles Howell III's first visit to The Masters inside the ropes.
Sergio Garcia is intriguing. Greg Norman is outspoken, though 47 and likely never to win here. David Toms, the winner of the most recent major couldn't even garner an invitation to the pre-tournament media interview room sessions. Retief Goosen came but can still walk to the putting green virtually unnoticed.
And whole forests have been devoured to chronicle the changes to nine of the 18 holes at Augusta National, alterations that lengthened the course by 285 yards.
Indeed, the story lines at Augusta National are more diverse, the players in the drama more interesting than they have been recently. The course, which was soaked and softened by an overnight rain Tuesday, will be under the microscope.
That's a good thing -- for the tournament in particular and for golf in general.
"There is a greater atmosphere now, 20 years down the line than when I first came here," said Norman. "Seems like there's more attention put on The Masters now. Is that because of the changes? Is that because of technology? Is that because of Tiger Woods? Is that because of -- probably all of the above, to tell you the truth."
Make no mistake, however, Woods is the beginning of any conversation. He finished 16-under (272) last year, the fourth-lowest finishing score in Masters history (his 270 in 1997, when he won by 12 shots, is the lowest; Raymond Floyd in 1976 and Jack Nicklaus in 1965 both shot 271). He outdueled Mickelson and Duval on the back nine on Sunday, completing the Tiger Slam, where he owned the U.S. Open, British Open, PGA Championship and Masters trophies at the same time.
But Woods has been relatively mortal since. He's been in the news as much for a bet with his buddies to avoid red meat for seven weeks, and for his new relationship with Swedish model Elin Nordegren, as he has for his golf game.
On the course, he hasn't won a major title. He won three times since his historic triumph here last year -- at the Memorial and the NEC Invitational last year, and this year at Bay Hill in March. He tied for 14th at The Players Championship, his last event, then took two weeks off to attend a wedding and to prepare.
"I played well at Bay Hill. I played well at the TPC, but I was just a little bit off," Woods said. "Just kept working on the same things and I felt like the practice sessions I had at home were very, very positive."
Mickelson, who shot 70 in last year's final round to fall three shots short, has suffered from self-inflicted final-round wounds the last month. He shot 71 at Bay Hill, 76 at The Players Championship and 73 last week at BellSouth. He arrived tight-lipped and anxious to try to erase the albatross of never winning a major that's clearly weighing on him.
"I don't know how I would classify myself among being favored," Mickelson said. "I think the only thing I could really say is that, in the past, I've been in contention a number of years, and I've been playing well of late, and I feel like I should have a chance on Sunday. Past that, it's hard to tell."
Duval hasn't finished higher than a tie for 12th at the Mercedes in January. His last four tournaments: Missed cut, tied for 22nd, tied for 28th, tied for 34th.
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It would be awesome to be coming down the stretch with Tiger because that's what everybody wants. It would be great for media, it would be great for golf, it would be great for the fans. And I could learn something, too. ” |
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— John Daly |
But he's played well at Augusta National -- tied for second, tied for sixth, tied for third and second the last four years -- and he said he's expecting good things this week.
"I think the thing that benefits me the most is I know exactly what it feels like, and it's not just from one time -- it's from three, four, five times," he said. "I know how Sunday afternoon I'm going to react and how my body is going to react and what my emotions will be, and I think that can only help."
What does it feel like?
"You feel ecstatic and you feel sick at the same time," he said.
Daly is just glad to be back. He's eschewed the booze, the nicotine and the chocolate (only in moderation now) and is more than a curiosity factor.
"It would be awesome to be coming down the stretch with Tiger because that's what everybody wants," he said. "It would be great for media, it would be great for golf, it would be great for the fans. And I could learn something, too."
Duval will likely carry a 7-wood for the first time instead of a 2-iron. He says he hits it up to 250 yards. He won't be the only player adjusting to the new conditions -- depending on the wind and how hard Masters officials can get the course after the rain, players will see parts of the course they never have, thanks to Tom Fazio's renovations.
"There are going to be some shots that are going to be really different and really funky," Woods said. "A good shot used to be in there 10, 12 feet or less. Now, sometimes a good shot is going to be 20 or 30 feet. I hope some of the fans ... appreciate that, because that's going to be a lot different than what it used to be."
The adage that The Masters doesn't begin until the back nine on Sunday may be never truer than this year. The 10th hole is a 495-yard monster. The 11th is 490 yards and players will hit long irons in rather than pitching wedges. Amen Corner has added length at No. 13; the 17th turned into a nasty 425-yard nuisance in an earlier renovation.
And if the tournament comes down to the 18th hole on Sunday, look out. The hole is 60 yards longer, and rather than a sand wedge, players will be using anywhere from 5- to 8-iron into a rebuilt green. What used to be a birdie hole is now a white knuckler.
"If they're leading by one, they'll be damn glad to get a par," Augusta National chairman Hootie Johnson said. "And that's OK."
"If you had a one-shot lead, it's a little bit harder to protect," said Woods. "But if you're in the clubhouse and you're one back, you've got a little bit better feeling that you might bet into a playoff than you did before."
The last two Masters champions birdied No. 18 on the final day, though neither needed it to win. In 1998, Mark O'Meara birdied the last two holes -- and three of the last four -- to come back and win.
A birdie to win it this year? No matter who gets it, that would be a story worth telling.
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