A new viewing area on the hillside at No. 16 will allow for 2,000 more patrons near the famous par 3.(Photo: Getty Images)
A new viewing area on the hillside at No. 16 will allow for 2,000 more patrons near the famous par 3.(Photo: Getty Images)
Email me if you want on the Golf Ping List.
Visit PGA.com, an excellent site.
Good, now I can hit three wood.
First it’s too easy, then it’s too hard.
Personally, I don’t see why low scores are bad. Customers want to see some birdies and eagles.
PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. (AP) -- Jack Nicklaus might be playing at the Masters for the next decade or two -- in the Par 3 Tournament.
"I got into that a couple of years ago, and my son, Jack, said, 'Oh, dad, you're going to play in the Par 3. How about having Charlie caddie for you? It would be a big thrill,'" Nicklaus said.
Charlie is his grandson, and the Golden Bear is a big believer in equal opportunity.
"Once I had one grandchild (as a caddie), I have 19 more, and I'll have 20 more in another month," Nicklaus said.
Nicklaus stopped playing the Masters in 2005, another reason he can play in the Par 3. The six-time champion conceded to being superstitious, well aware that no one ever won the Masters after winning the Par 3 Tournament.
He also said it cut into his preparations.
"You play a practice round on Wednesday, preparing yourself for a golf tournament," he said. "And you go out and play on another golf course, another set of greens, and you're spending energy when you should be resting for the start of the tournament.
"Do you spend a lot of energy? No, you don't. Is it too much to ask the players to play? No, it's not too much. But in the days when I was competitive and felt like I had a chance, I had so much energy focused on wanting to win that golf tournament that it was a distraction for me and not something I wanted to do."
Jack Nicklaus celebrates with grandson Charlie after Charlie made a birdie putt on the ninth hole during the 2006 Par 3 Tournament at Augusta National.
They tweaked it? That tears it! I’m not playing!
Bottom line I guess is that there will be no more motivation for him............
I can understand that, with all your personal goals met in the profession you chose and quite likely the richest athlete ever to walk the planet, there's nothing left but to move on to other things..........
Thanks, ZE!
Myriad story lines have already materialized in advance of this week's upcoming Masters Tournament. Tiger Woods, the Augusta weather, course conditions -- win or lose, wet or dry, difficult or, well, really difficult, we'll be discussing each of these ad nauseam between now and when the final putt drops on Sunday evening.
Others will develop along the way -- an unfamiliar challenger to the green jacket, an unseen controversy lurking in the locker room.
With that in mind, the Weekly 18 examines the biggest questions entering the year's first major, beginning with the one guy everyone has his eye on.
1. One for the thumb?
From last year's pre-Masters edition of the Weekly 18:
"For those scoring at home, [Tiger Woods has] four Masters titles in 10 starts as a professional -- a .400 batting average that leaves him just two Augusta victories shy of Jack Nicklaus' career record."
After falling two strokes shy of Zach Johnson in '07, Woods is now 4-for-11 -- still batting a pretty respectable .364 amongst the azaleas, but far below the standard he's set for himself.
While Woods is the prohibitive favorite every single time he tees it up -- and even more so at the Masters -- recent history proves he's far from a sure thing. After beginning his pro career as a 50 percent winner (3-for-6) at Augusta National, the number has dropped to 20 percent (1-for-5) since 2003.
That said, everything certainly looks to be in place for Woods to score green jacket No. 5. The world's top-ranked golfer is playing what he calls the best golf of his career and he's already said winning all four majors is "easily within reason" this year.
Catching Jack may be only a matter of time, but it remains to be seen whether Woods can inch one step closer this week. At least one thing is certain: Victory or not, Tiger Woods will be the talk of the town come Sunday evening.
2. Still getting even?
Four years ago, Phil Mickelson buried that BPTHNWAM (lest ye forget, that's Best Player to Have Never Won a Major) label in the bottom of Augusta National's 18th hole, clinching his initial major victory. Two years later, he triumphed once again in impressive fashion. Based on that pattern, we can assume Lefty is a virtual Masters lock in even-numbered years, right?
Maybe not, but he does have some positive vibes going into next week. "I've had a good couple of weeks of practice," Mickelson said before the Houston Open on Wednesday. "Last week, I guess, and was at Augusta and had a good couple of practice sessions. Expect to play well."
3. Time for a youth movement?
What do Adam Scott, Justin Rose and Sergio Garcia each have in common? They're all under 30, among the world's top 15 golfers and have never won a major. Experience plays a major factor at Augusta, and though these guys are young, each has captured a top-10 here in the past.
Any -- or all -- of them could be hanging around the leaderboard come Sunday, but do they have what it takes to become the first twentysomething major champ since Geoff Ogilvy in 2006? That remains to be seen.
4. Big Easy ... finally?
File this under the category of "Just when you least expect it": There have been so many times when Ernie Els entered the year's first major as a popular pick to win … and so many times he has come up just short. From 2000 to 2004, he finished between second and sixth place each time.
This season, the Big Easy already has a win at the Honda Classic but also has struggled at times and had to withdraw from this past week's Houston Open due to an illness. The result? Though Els may be on the short list of players who can win this week, he hardly heads the list of favorites. It's been said for years that his 6-foot-3, 210-pound frame is built to wear a green jacket; could it finally happen this week?
5. Mother, may I?
What does Mother Nature have in store for Augusta this week? Well, if those little vertical dotted lines emerging from the clouds in the weather forecast graphic are accurate, we're in for a wet Masters. That means we'll see a course playing every bit the 7,445 yards it says on the scorecard, leaving big bombers licking their lips in anticipation.
6. What will be the phrase that pays?
Last year's terminology of the tournament was "fast and firm," as cool climes and gusting winds caused the course to play like something we usually see at the British Open. If the rain does indeed reign this week, expect to hear the emergence of "long and strong" to describe not only how Augusta National is playing, but the big-hitting players who will invariably find themselves in contention.
7. Par for the course?
Last year's winning score of 1-over-par 289 was tied for the highest final total in Masters history. So it stands to reason that a course that will potentially play much longer will yield an even higher number, right?
Wrong. With added length from the rain comes softer greens, so expect to see a rise in players' greens in regulation stats. Sure, the course's state-of-the-art SubAir system will keep 'em from firing at the flagstick too often, but expect to see more darts landing pin-high.
8. How low can they go?
The best-ever single-round score at the Masters? A 9-under 63, shot by Nick Price in 1986 and equaled by Greg Norman 10 years later. Last year, Padraig Harrington and Paul Casey came closest to matching this feat, but they were still five strokes off the pace, firing matching 68s in the second round. Can someone get red-hot this time around? Past history indicates that, well, they may not want to. After all, neither Price nor Norman went on to win the green jacket.
9. Back-to-back Zach attacks?
The defending champ recently told us the secret to succeeding at Augusta National. "Hitting it fewer times than everyone else," said the wannabe jokester. Gee, thanks for the news flash, Zach. So, can he do it again one year later? An encore presentation seems unlikely, but don't expect Johnson to vary from his strategy of laying up on each of the par-5 holes and relying on his wedge game to make red numbers.
10. Could an unknown emerge?
Rich Beem, Shaun Micheel, Ben Curtis and Todd Hamilton have each captured major championships this decade, despite owning previous low profiles. Last year, Johnson became the unlikeliest Masters champ since Larry Mize in 1987 (or Sandy Lyle in '88, if you consider the fact that no Brit had ever won before). Granted, the Masters' limited field doesn't leave much room for any sleepers even getting through the front gates, but someone unfamiliar to the casual fan will find himself in the mix. The trick is figuring out who.
11. Europe, who's up?
Ireland's Padraig Harrington broke a string of 31 straight major championships without a victory for Europe when he claimed the Claret Jug at Carnoustie last year. So, will the blokes from the other side of the pond have to wait another eight years before finding their next major winner? Don't count on it.
But the next European champ may not be a youngster like Garcia or Rose. If recent -- and not-so-recent -- history holds true, a thirtysomething veteran will be the next one to reach the record books. Lee Westwood, Paul Casey and, once again, Harrington all fit the bill.
12. Will the local guys make good?
It's been 21 years since an Augusta native won his hometown event, dating back to Mize's infamous 50-foot chip-in to defeat Norman in a playoff. Mize will be one of three locals in this year's field, along with Charles Howell III and Vaughn Taylor.
How much more does the tournament mean to a guy who grew up with it in his backyard? Just ask Howell: "Growing up as a kid, my motivating factor every April was the Masters -- and not just for me but for every junior golfer in Augusta. The Masters was what excited every junior golfer, every kid, to play. That said, to someone growing up in Augusta, the Masters takes on a little different meaning."
13. What's the power of 3?
Call it coincidence, call it circumstance, call it an accident waiting to happen. Whichever way you slice it, there's no good explanation for the fact that in 48 previous editions of the annual Par 3 Contest, no winner has ever repeated victory four days later on the big course. Not that players don't give it their best shot.
"I was kind of thinking, 'I have a better chance of winning the Par-3 than I do the tournament,'" said Johnson, who missed a final-hole chip that would have tied him with eventual champ Mark O'Meara last year. "You know, it's got to happen at some point."
14. Will amateur hour extend to the weekend?
No nonprofessional has made the Masters cut since Ryan Moore finished T-13 in 2005. This year's amateur class features a foursome that includes U.S. Mid-Amateur champ Trip Kuehne, British Amateur champ Drew Weaver and U.S. Amateur runner-up Michael Thompson. (Reigning U.S. Amateur and PubLinks champ Colt Knost relinquished his amateur status late last year, thereby forgoing his qualification for this tournament.)
The best bet to make some noise? Kuehne, 35, a lifetime am who says he will retire from competitive amateur golf after this week. There aren't many would-be pros who take such a route these days, but tourney founder Bobby Jones, who owned a similar career path, will be smiling down on Kuehne this week.
15. Will left be right?
Three of the past five green jackets have been presented to fellows who hit from the "other" side of the ball. Were those two wins by Mickelson and one by Mike Weir simply by coincidence? Or does Augusta National favor southpaws? If it's the latter, then that's good news for Nick O'Hern, Richard Green and Steve Flesch, who join the two past champions as the only lefties in this week's field.
16. Still nifty over 50?
Count on this: One former Masters champ over the age of 50 will make the cut this week. Too low? OK, more than one. Last year, Ben Crenshaw, Craig Stadler and Fuzzy Zoeller each stuck around for the weekend rounds. This year's best bets include baby boomers Bernhard Langer (three Champions Tour wins since hitting the Big 5-0 late last year) and Lyle (who made the cut as a spry 49-year-old in '07).
17. Do you believe in schadenfreude?
At some point, someone, somewhere, will have things go terribly wrong. There was Scott Hoch's choke from 18 inches away in '89, Chip Beck's layup in '93 and Norman's collapse in '96. You'll want to hang your head and cover your eyes … but, of course, you won't. Because you know that, well, sometimes it's just fun to watch guys lose.
18. Where's the drama, mama?
Maybe we just got a little too greedy, a little too expectant of the ultimate in entertainment value. In 2003, Weir defeated Len Mattiace in a playoff. The next year, Mickelson finally broke through for his first major by sinking a dramatic birdie putt on the final hole. And one year later, Tiger holed that all-timer on 16, then beat Chris DiMarco in extra holes.
Since then, the past two Masters have been determined by -- yawn -- two-stroke differentials. Hey, we just want to see a half-dozen of the world's top players all tied for the lead with a few holes to play come Sunday afternoon. Is that too much to ask?
Last year there was a webcam stream of Amen Corner on Thursday and Friday. Is there such a thing this year?
Duh, I was looking on the Augusta website, not the Masters website.
Hey Dixie, I'm a Troll in Michigan! Small world, eh?
If you have DirecTV you can pick and choose four different viewing angles this year too.
Please remove me from ping list. Thanks.
