Don't underestimate the magic of Tiger
Don't ever underestimate Tiger Woods. This is so obvious.
I can't believe it even needs to be said. But maybe it does: Do not underestimate Tiger Woods.
Tiger hasn't played in two months; he is coping with the death of his father Earl; his archrival, Phil Mickelson, has won two straight majors. Now Tiger is going into the first major in eight years in which he isn't the clear-cut favorite: the U.S. Open at Winged Foot.
The popular choice among experts, so-called experts and wannabe experts is Mickelson, and for good reason: Lefty has won two straight majors and three of nine. The popular choice among fans at Winged Foot will be Mickelson, too, also for good reason: When he walks down the fairway, Mickelson actually smiles and treats spectators like paying customers instead of nuisances.
Everything in that previous paragraph makes me think Tiger will win.
See, certain athletes are special. They play their best in the worst possible situations. I think Tiger Woods is one of those athletes.
It would be idiotic to suggest Tiger will quickly move on from Earl's death. The last few weeks will stay with Tiger for the rest of his life. But it would also be foolish to assume that Earl's death will negatively affect Tiger's golf this week.
If anything, I think Tiger will channel his emotions to help his game. Let's remember the dynamics of the Tiger-Earl relationship.
Earl literally trained Tiger from infancy to be a gold champion, and the emphasis was always on mental toughness. Playing through distractions. Unparalleled concentration. Tiger has undergone two major swing changes since winning his first major, and those changes have been dissected and analyzed more than the Valerie Plame leak investigation. But his ability to concentrate, instilled by his father, has remained constant. That's why Tiger is the only player in the world who can contend for major championships in the middle of a swing change.
Too often we talk about an athlete winning for somebody who has passed away or suffered a tragedy, as though performing well in a sporting event makes it all OK. But in this case, I think it's fair to say that Tiger can honor his father with a victory. In order to win, Tiger will need all the skills Earl helped him acquire.
Much has been made of Tiger chasing Jack Nicklaus' record of 18 majors. But this week, let's compare him to another best-ever athlete, his buddy Michael Jordan. Jordan's father, James, was killed in the summer of 1993. Jordan responded by taking up baseball, which his father always thought would be his best sport; but in his first full season back in the NBA, Jordan won the NBA title on Father's Day.
In his first tournament after his father's death, Tiger Woods can win the U.S. Open on Father's Day.
Tiger continues to get graded on a reverse curve — performances that would bring praise for almost any other golfer provoke discussions of what's wrong with Tiger. What's wrong with Tiger? Well, at the Masters he couldn't sink a putt in a funnel. He still finished tied for third, three shots behind Mickelson.
At the PGA, he finished tied for third, two shots behind Mickelson.
And before the PGA, he won two of the previous three majors.
If there is something wrong with Tiger, almost every other golfer on the PGA Tour would love a heavy dose of it.
But then, this is the same guy who was supposedly in a horrible slump in 2003, when he was named PGA Tour Player of the Year. I can't think of a single athlete in the history of American sports who was named best in his or her sport at the same time he or she was in a slump.
I find it amusing that anybody thinks Mickelson is the favorite because Tiger hasn't played in two months. On more than one occasion, Mickelson has won a tournament after a long layoff in which he didn't even pick up a club.
This is absolutely not a knock on Mickelson. He is a wonderful player.
But please, please don't underestimate Tiger Woods. The man has built a legend that only a few golfers can match. I suspect he is about to add to it.
Wie struggles with putting early
Michelle Wie was 1 under par through eight holes despite early putting problems Monday, trailed by a swelling gallery as she began her attempt to become the first woman to qualify for the U.S. Open.
The 16-year-old star from Hawaii clearly was the headline attraction of this 36-hole sectional qualifier at Canoe Brook Country Club.
She was followed by a crowd of about 2,000, typical for the final group in most LPGA tournaments. Most of the other 50 groups, many of which included the four dozen PGA Tour players in this sectional, were watched by just a handful of people.
Wearing a coral sweater and olive capri pants, Wie missed birdie putts of 9, 10 and 4 feet on the second, third and fourth holes early in her round. A tap-in birdie on No. 6, a par-5 at 485 yards, got her to 1 under.
Wie was competing against 152 men for 18 spots available in the Open at Winged Foot in Mamaroneck, N.Y., in two weeks.
Rick Hartmann, a local pro from the Hamptons on Long Island, and David Gossett, a former PGA Tour pro who has slumped lately, played with Wie. Hartmann was at even par and Gossett was 1 over through eight holes.
They were the sideshow though.
"I came here to see if history would be made," spectator Mark Blye of Scarsdale, N.Y., said after Wie missed the short birdie attempt on the 156-yard, No. 4 hole.
Wie has never made the cut - top 70 and ties - on the PGA Tour. The closest she came was in 2004 at the Sony Open, when she missed by one shot after shooting 68 in the second round. The score remains the best by a woman in a PGA event.
Wie calmed her fans on the first hole by making a 12-footer for par and then nailed a 5-footer on the par-5 No. 8 after pushing two irons right.
When Wie started her round about 8:50 a.m., about 15 minutes late, there were about 200 to 300 people following her. By the time she reached No. 8, the ring of people around the green was three-to-four people deep with one-to-two deep group waiting on the next tee for her tee shot.
Wie was greeted with polite applause by a couple of hundred spectators as she arrived at the 501-yard, par-4 No. 1 hole on the South Course. She pulled her drive left into the wet rough, and the crowd went silent.
Wie chipped 80 yards short of the green and hit her third about 12 feet right of the hole. Her par-saver was right in the middle of the cup.
She removed her sweeter for the par-4, 394-yard second hole and drove down the middle. Her second hit was from 9 feet, but she pushed her putt right. It never touched the cup, drawing groans from the crowd.
Her 10-footer birdie attempt on par-4, No. 3 missed left. One fan implored Wie to start making some putts as she headed to No. 4. Her tee shot revved the crowd. The putt never fell, though.
Weekend rain made the greens receptive and boosted expectations for low scores on both the South and North courses. The South Course, where Wie played in the morning, is considered easier.
Wie spent the past four days at the club working on her game with her father, B.J., her mother, Bo, and caddie, Greg Johnston. Swing coach David Leadbetter also worked with her.
There is no doubt that Wie has the length and game to play with anyone. The question is, can she do it over 36 holes against a field that includes about four dozen PGA Tour players?
Mark O'Meara and Mark Brooks are winners of major titles and Vaughn Taylor is trying for a Ryder Cup berth.
"There is a lot of excitement and buzz here because of Michelle Wie and her situation," O'Meara said Sunday. "It's an amazing feat for the young lady."
Wie's career best on the PGA Tour is 2 under par, both times at Waialae Country Club in Hawaii. The cutoff for getting into the U.S. Open last year at the Canoe Brook qualifier was 3-under 139. Two years ago, the 22nd and final spot went to Scott Hend at 140.
Two inches of rain over the weekend left the 6,632-yard South Course and the 7,066-yard North Course wet.
"It will play easier because of the rain," Gossett said Sunday. "The greens will be more receptive."
Wie wins local U.S. Open qualifier
Michelle Wie has been competing against men since she was 12, and still feels slightly uneasy about it.
But Wie looked totally comfortable Monday when she moved a step closer in her long-shot bid to become the first female player to qualify for the U.S. Open, shooting an even-par 72 to win a local qualifier.
"Playing with the men, I'm not sure what's going to happen. It puts me in an almost uncomfortable place," she said. "That's what makes me a better player."
The USGA believes she is the first woman to get through local qualifying for the U.S. Open. Wie and two other players advanced to sectional play next month, with Wie saying she will play in the June 5 36-hole sectional at Canoe Brook in Summit, N.J.
"The possibility of playing at Winged Foot? It's the U.S. Open, the name speaks for itself," Wie said. "It's one of a kind."
After the sectional, Wie will play in the LPGA Championship in Havre de Grace, Md.
Playing on her home island of Oahu in front of about two dozen people, Wie was steady for most of her round on the breezy, oceanside Palmer Course at Turtle Bay Resort, but missed a couple of short putts. She had four birdies and four bogeys.
Joe Phengsavath of Honolulu was second with a 1-over 73. Fifteen-year-old Tadd Fujikawa, a high school freshman from Honolulu, holed a 60-foot birdie putt on the third playoff hole to earn the third spot.
Wie opened with a birdie, sinking a 15-foot putt, but three-putted the 543-yard third to give back a stroke. She then birdied Nos. 7, 9 and 14, but followed each of them up with a bogey.
"I made the birdies where I should have," she said. "I made a lot of stupid mistakes, though."
Wie made the turn at 1-under 35 after holing a 20-foot, slightly downhill putt that hung on the lip and dropped. Her father jumped, shot his fist in the air and screamed, "Yes! Whoo!" as the small gallery cheered.
On par-4 14th, Wie drove 290 yards, easily clearing the right-side marsh and then stuck her approach shot for a tap-in birdie. On the next hole, she hit a line drive off the tee into the short bunker. She blasted out of the sand to 3-feet, but missed for bogey.
She saved par on par-4 No. 17 with a spectacular second shot out of the woods, using a 9-iron.
"It was tricky because the hill was pretty high and the tree was pretty low," Wie said. "It's not like I can bounce it up the hill because there's roots everywhere."
She then stuck her approach 5-feet from the cup.
"I really grinded when I needed to," Wie said.
Wie has had previous success at Turtle Bay. She finished second in the LPGA Tour's SBS Open last year. She failed to advance with a 4-over 76 in the U.S. Open qualifier last year.
Wie said her play was a present to her mother, Bo, who celebrated her birthday Monday.
But it was the 16-year-old star who was receiving gifts. Wie received another exemption to the U.S. Women's Open on Monday and also accepted her first exemption to a European tour men's event, the Omega European Masters Sept. 7-10 in Switzerland.
The European invitation gives Wie a global schedule of 14 tournaments against men and women.
"Me and my dad were kind of joking that we're basically playing on all tours this year," she said. "I played the Japan Tour, Korean Tour, LPGA Tour, PGA Tour, Asian Tour and now the European Tour. I think it's awesome. It's always what I wanted to do."
She also said playing in both the men's and women's U.S. Open would be "remarkable."
USGA women's tournament chairman Marcia Luigs said the exemptions are given to players who would be eligible to play in a tournament if not for some external reason.
"If she had been on the LPGA Tour, she would have been exempt," Luigs said. "Even though she is a professional and has won enough money to have an exemption, it's not on the LPGA money list."
Although Wie is not an LPGA Tour member, she would have ranked 12th on the official money list last year and would be within the top 35 in 2006 - and eligible for the tournament at the Newport Country Club - after just two events this year.
But it's the men she enjoys playing against because it motivates her to work out and prepare for the longer courses.
"Playing with the men, I get to learn so much more and when I do actually make the cut and do well, it feels really good," she said.
Wie has competed eight times against the men on five tours, making the cut for the first time May 5 in the SK Telecom Open in South Korea.
She wasn't the only female in the field of 40 on Monday, however. Fifteen-year-old Carmen Bandea of Atlanta shot an 80.
For Wie, it's back to Punahou School where she closes out her memorable junior year, where she turned pro, finished third in the Fields Open and tied for third in the Kraft Nabisco Championship, both times missing a playoff by one shot.
"Now I'm going to back to school. I'm back down to earth," she said.
This Week in Golf - May 4-May 7
PGA TOUR - WACHOVIA CHAMPIONSHIP, QUAIL HOLLOW COUNTRY CLUB, CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA - Battling through his longest victory drought in four years, defending champion Vijay Singh will be looking to return to the winner's circle this week at the Wachovia Championship.
Last year, Singh got up and down for par on the fourth playoff hole to edge Jim Furyk and Sergio Garcia for this title. But Singh enters this year's event without a win in his last 18 starts -- the longest winless streak for the Fijian since he also went 18 starts without a victory in 2002.
Singh will have to rise above a stellar field to get back on the winning track. The world No. 4 will be joined by fellow top-five golfers Phil Mickelson, Retief Goosen and Ernie Els -- all of whom have victories somewhere in the world this season.
World No. 1 Tiger Woods is taking time off to be with his ailing father, Earl, and will miss his fourth straight event since playing in The Masters.
Also scheduled to be in the field at Quail Hollow Country Club are each of the winner's from the PGA Tour's last three events since Mickelson went back-to- back at the BellSouth Classic and The Masters: Verizon Heritage winner Aaron Baddeley, Houston Open winner Stuart Appleby and Chris Couch, last week's surprise winner at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans.
In the three-year history of the Wachovia Championship, a winner has twice been determined by extra holes. Before Singh edged Furyk and Garcia in last year's star-studded playoff, Joey Sindelar needed two extra holes to beat Arron Oberholser in 2004. In the first year of this tournament, David Toms won by two shots over Singh, Robert Gamez and Brent Geiberger in 2003.
The total purse for this event is $5.6 million, with a winner's share just above $1 million. And for the third straight year, the Wachovia Championship will be donating a hefty $1 million to its primary charitable beneficiary, Teach For America.
To see if Singh can get rolling again, tune in to the USA Network for coverage of the first two rounds, and switch to CBS for coverage of the weekend.
Next week, the PGA Tour returns to Texas for the second time in two weeks for the Byron Nelson Championship, where Ted Purdy edged 2005 Rookie of the Year Sean O'Hair by a stroke last year.
LPGA TOUR - FRANKLIN AMERICAN MORTGAGE CHAMPIONSHIP, VANDERBILT LEGENDS CLUB (IRON HILL COURSE), FRANKLIN, TENNESSEE - Golf writers everywhere surely lamented the long ledes required for their story on the final day of this event last year, when Stacy Prammanasudh pulled away to win the Franklin American Mortgage Championship at Vanderbilt Legends Club of Tennessee.
Prammanasudh beat Lorena Ochoa by three shots last year for her first victory on the LPGA Tour -- one year after Ochoa also made this her maiden win in the first year of the event in 2004.
Top players Annika Sorenstam, Michelle Wie and Paula Creamer will all be absent from the field this week. But Ochoa, who has been red-hot, will be on hand, as will Kraft Nabisco champion Karrie Webb and fellow top-30 money winners Natalie Gulbis, Cristie Kerr, Laura Diaz, Grace Park and Wendy Ward.
Also teeing off this week will be two players participating on sponsor's exemptions: Nashville native Sarah Jacobs Graham, a three-time All-SEC player at Vanderbilt University, and Futures Tour player Danah Ford, an Indianapolis native who was a two-time Indiana State Amateur champion and Indiana Female Player of the Year in 2001 and 2004.
One reason some of the top players may have decided to take the week off, the total purse for this event is just $1.1 million with a winner's share of $165,000.
ESPN2 will have coverage of the final three rounds of this 72-hole event. Next week, the LPGA Tour will head to Virginia for the Michelob Ultra Open, where Kerr won last year.
EUROPEAN TOUR - TELECOM ITALIA OPEN, CASTELLO DI TOLCINASCO GOLF & COUNTRY CLUB, MILAN, ITALY - This event was first played in 1925, but didn't become part of the European Tour's international schedule until almost 50 years later in 1972.
Last year, Steve Webster became the 62nd champion of this event (it wasn't held for several periods from the 1930s-40s and 1960s-70s) when he posted a four-under 68 in the final round to beat Anders Hansen, Bradley Dredge and Richard Finch by three shots for his long-awaited first European Tour victory.
Webster will be on hand to defend his title, but if history is any marker it won't be an easy task.
Since 1925, only two players have won two consecutive Italia Opens: Auguste Boyer, who claimed half of his Italia Open titles in back-to-back years from 1930; and Flory van Donk, who has the unique distinction of having won two straight Italia Opens nine years apart -- in 1938 and 1947, the first year the event was held again following World War II.
One player who has had considerable success at this event will not be on hand this year: Ian Poulter, the 2000 and 2002 winner who holds several tournament scoring records, is taking the week off.
The field will also be lacking each of the last three European Tour winners, including Niclas Fasth, who claimed victory in a playoff over the weekend at the Andalucia Open.
The Golf Channel will feature three hours of coverage on each of the four days this week, beginning its program at 9:30 a.m. (et) on Thursday and Friday, and 90 minutes earlier at 8 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday.
Next week is the British Masters, which was won Thomas Bjorn last year.
CHAMPIONS TOUR - REGIONS CHARITY CLASSIC, ROBERT TRENT JONES TRAIL AT ROSS BRIDGE, BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA - The seniors will be happy not to see one face in the field this week at the Regions Charity Classic.
Jay Haas, winner of the last two Champions Tour events at the Legends of Golf and the FedEx Kinko's Classic, is playing on the PGA Tour this week and will not have a chance to make it three in a row.
Last year, D.A. Weibring won this event -- called the Bruno's Memorial Classic and held at Greystone Golf & Country Club in Hoover, Alabama -- by two shots over Tom Jenkins and Tom Kite after a bogey-free final round.
Weibring will be back looking to defend his title -- he would be the first ever to do so here -- but several other past champions will also be on hand, including Bruce Fleisher, the 2004 winner, who choked in the final round last weekend with a two-over 74 that allowed Haas to win the FedEx Kinko's Classic.
Other previous champions teeing off this weekend are Tom Jenkins, Hale Irwin, John Jacobs, Larry Nelson, Hubert Green, Jay Sigel, John Bland, Graham Marsh, Jim Dent and Bob Murphy.
The Golf Channel will feature 2 1/2 hours of coverage for each of the three rounds, beginning at 6 p.m. (et) on all three days. Next week, the Champions Tour heads to Florida for a new event, the Boeing Championship.
NATIONWIDE TOUR - VIRGINIA BEACH OPEN, THE TPC OF VIRGINIA BEACH, VIRGINIA BEACH, VIRGINIA - Last year at the Virginia Beach Open, Troy Matteson held on for a two-stroke victory over Chris Couch and his first Nationwide Tour title.
Couch, who claimed his first PGA Tour victory over the weekend at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, went on to win the following week last year at the Rheem Classic. He seems to peak at this time of year, so players in the field this week might be glad Couch is playing on the PGA Tour.
One player who will be in the field this week is Ken Duke, who held on for a victory last weekend at the BMW Charity Pro-Am, shooting a final-round 68 to edge Jess Daley by a shot.
There is no television coverage for this week's event, so your next chance to catch the Nationwide Tour on the tube will be at next week's Rheem Classic, which will be covered by The Golf Channel on all four days.
Tiger will take break to be with father
Tiger Woods will take time off from the U.S. PGA Tour while his father battles serious illness, the world No. 1 told a news conference Thursday.
Woods said it was possible he would not make an appearance in a golf tournament before the U.S. Open in June.
He did not give specific details of his planned break, except to say he would not start playing "for a while" and the failing health of his father, Earl Woods, would have a major influence on his future program.
"It's kind of up in the air with the situation back home, so I don't know what's going to happen," said Woods, who is in New Zealand to attend the wedding of his caddie Steve Williams. He is also due to drive in a charity motor race Monday on New Zealand's North Island.
"I'm taking time off. I'm here for this event and for Steve, and to enjoy time off and be with my father, so I won't play for a while," Woods said.
"My father is hanging in there, the guy is an absolute fighter and walking miracle."
Woods said he would definitely seek his 11th major title in the U.S. Open at Winged Foot, New York, from June 15 to 18.
New Zealand's Michael Campbell hold the Open title.
Mickelson looks to be real challenger to Woods
AFTER taking part in 46 majors and not winning any of them, Phil Mickelson's victory at the Masters on Sunday was his third success in the last nine and his second in a row after the PGA Championship at Baltusrol. It was enough to elevate him yesterday to the No 2 spot in the world rankings behind Tiger Woods and perhaps usher in an era reminiscent of the time when Tom Watson duelled with Jack Nicklaus.
Once in danger of remaining an unfulfilled golfer cursed by the tag of "best player without a major", Mickelson's triumph at the 2004 Masters eased the monkey off his back and helped create a more relaxed and confident champion who showed his true mettle on Sunday.
What was different about the left- hander when he won by two shots from Tim Clark after signing for 69 and the seven-under-par total of 281 was his mood of assured competence. The old Phil was always capable of making birdies and eagles, but you knew he was just as likely to cut his own throat with reckless bogeys and doubles.
Although still an exciting golfer to watch, Mickelson is now much less inclined to fall on his own sword. "When I look back on it," he said," I think what I'm most proud of is that I didn't let other people back in it. They had to come and chase me down and make birdies if they wanted to do it."
Now the owner of two Masters titles and a PGA Championship, Mickelson has climbed on to the same level as Ernie Els (two US Opens and an Open) and Vijay Singh (two PGAs and a Masters). On his current form - and over the last nine his winning percentage is actually greater than that of Woods - you wouldn't bet against the American keeping the streak going when the US Open is held at Winged Foot in June.
The other venues for this season's majors are Hoylake for the Open in July and Medinah for the PGA in August. If Mickelson won the next two, then he'd match Tiger's feat of holding all four majors at once. After the Tiger Slam, it would be the Phil Slam.
Even if he falls short of that goal, however, Mickelson has already proved he can stare down Woods in majors and come out on top. Woods blamed poor putting for his third-placed finish on Sunday and, certainly, 33 putts (including three three-putts) from the world's best putter was unexpectedly ordinary.
There's been a wish for a rivalry in golf to match Arnold Palmer v Nicklaus, or Watson v Nicklaus, for years. When Tiger slipped a green jacket on to his rival's shoulders at Sunday evening's award ceremony, there was at last a sense that the world's No 1 and 2 players were genuine opponents rather than a mismatch.
Sensibly, Mickelson doesn't want to get too far ahead of himself and yesterday was thrilled to reflect on a demanding last day at Augusta when he played 13 holes in the morning and 18 in the afternoon, and was four under par for all of them on a course with enough pitfalls to challenge any champion.
Asked to analyse the difference between what his first green jacket meant to him and this latest win, Mickelson recalled the overwhelming sense of relief that accompanied membership of the most elite group of men in golf - major championship winners.
"This time I felt a great feeling of accomplishment to be able to beat guys like Tiger, Retief Goosen, Ernie and Vijay," he said. "It was a long day, but a wonderful one. And I'll cherish that final round."
Until he carded a solitary bogey at the last when he knew the tournament was won, Mickelson's concentration level was exemplary. "It was an easy 69," observed playing partner Fred Couples. "He didn't struggle at all." Mickelson has always been blessed with the talent to challenge Woods; now, it seems, he also has more of the mental strength.
Although the pair are not close, it was a fine gesture from Mickelson at the closing ceremony to mention Tiger's ailing father, Earl. "I'd like to take one moment to ask if we could all say a little prayer tonight," he said. "Tiger's father is not feeling well and we all know how important parents are in our lives."
The victory was also a vindication of the left-hander's decision to include two drivers among his 14 allotted clubs, a Callaway Fusion FT3 with draw bias for length and a fade model of the same club with more loft and a shorter shaft for accuracy.
"It was a huge help," he said of the strategy which also blew away the competition at the BellSouth the week before. "I got 20, 25 yards more with the driver that draws."
In what was an outstanding final day, one of the most intriguing sub-plots was Couples' failed attempt to become the oldest Masters champion. Some 110 days older than Jack Nicklaus when he won 20 years ago, Couples came up just a little shy.
"I'm 46," acknowledged the former champion. "I don't really feel 46. I didn't hit the ball like I was 46. I putted like I was 66 . . . "
As to the performance of the Europeans, Jose Maria Olazabal's 66, the best round of the week, elevated the Spaniard from 26th spot after the third round to a share of third place. Moreover, his 5-wood from 246 yards on the par-5 15th which ended up a couple of feet from the hole for an eagle 3 was the shot of the tournament.
Little wonder this famously self- critical champion noted: "I feel at peace with myself around here."
Although he's not yet officially booked his place in the European side which faces America at the K Club in September, it's now unthinkable Ian Woosnam would take charge of a team without the man who won the Masters in 1994 and 1999 and produced the outstanding performance by a continental golfer at the 70th staging of the Masters. Seventh at the Players Championship, second at the BellSouth and third at Augusta, Olazabal must wonder if, at 40, a new golfing life has begun.
Great putters, incidentally, are always daunting opponents in match play and Woosnam will have noted that on greens which bamboozled Tiger, Olazabal needed just 26 putts on Sunday. His challenge was also a riposte to those who argued only the longest hitters could thrive at the new-look Augusta. Bearing in mind Tim Clark, a relatively short hitter from South Africa, was the runner-up, it seems solid putting and scorching approach shots can still get the job done at the Masters.
Masters begins with old guard fading away
Charles Coody knew he was in trouble when he went searching for the 11th tee, backed up about 30 yards since last year and obscured by the towering pine trees at Augusta National.
"I was looking for the resuscitator," the 67-year-old Coody quipped, "after the walk I had just to get there."
While extreme, Coody's plight exemplifies the challenge facing the older generation at the super-sized home of the Masters, which begins Thursday with defending champion Tiger Woods - only 30 and with four green jackets already - as a heavy favorite.
The tournament, plagued by rain in recent years, began Thursday morning under blue skies and a brilliant sun. Rod Pampling, Lucas Glover, Ben Crane and Miguel Angel Jimenez had early birdies, as did a couple of aging former champions — Ben Crenshaw and 70-year-old Gary Player. Woods was scheduled to tee off at 10:23 a.m. ET.
While the inclusion of past champions has always been a revered tradition at a club that zealously guards its history, the 60- and 70-somethings — heck, even the 50-somethings - are being pushed aside by the ever-expanding course.
Coody says this will be his last Masters. It's hard to see Player or 63-year-old Raymond Floyd hanging around much longer. Even Crenshaw, still relatively young at 54, knows his days are numbered.
"It's time for us to pull over in the slow lane," quipped Crenshaw, a two-time winner. "If we don't pull over, they're going to run us over. I've already been run over many times."
Sixteen players were making their Masters debut Thursday, and another 16 had less than three years experience at Augusta National. Combined, these johnny-come-latelies account for more than a third of the 90-player field - undeniable signs of a youth movement at the venerable ol' course.
Augusta National greased the inevitable by expanding its layout to a staggering 7,445 yards, though a few in the old guard are doggedly hanging on.
"I continue to play because of the tradition," said Floyd, the '76 champion. "I'm not here to be competitive. I'm here to be part of the history. I would never go over and play a regular Tour event because I'm not competitive."
A few years ago, club chairman Hootie Johnson sent out those infamous letters to three former winners (Billy Casper, Doug Ford, Gay Brewer) asking them in not-so-tactful terms to give up their automatic spots in the field.
Even though Johnson hasn't used that tactic again, the message is clear: It's time to step aside if you're not showing at least a semblance of being competitive.
Arnold Palmer got the hint, playing for the final time in 2004 as he closed in on his 75th birthday. Jack Nicklaus was 65 when he followed suit after last year's Masters, saying he didn't want to play the tournament if he was only being viewed as a monument. This is the first time since 1954 that neither Palmer nor Nicklaus will play in the Masters.
With the ever-growing course - it's grown by 460 yards during the past five years - look for aging players to step aside a lot quicker than they did before.
"It's crossed my mind," said Crenshaw, who hasn't made the cut since 1997. "It won't be too much longer before I'm done."
There are only four 50-something golfers in the field, Crenshaw among them. By comparison, 22 players are 30 or younger, driving down the average age to 37.3 for this year's field.
So, in this era of youth being served, will someone ever be able to pull off another 1986? Let's ask Nicklaus, who was 46 when he became the oldest winner in Masters history two decades ago.
"He'd better be pretty long to start with," said Nicklaus, who put Tom Lehman and Fred Couples in that group.
The course conditions could push more people in the mix, especially veterans such as Bernhard Langer who know the place like their own backyard - even with all the changes.
"If the golf course is relatively fast," Nicklaus said, "it brings a lot more people into the game."
Arron Oberholser, making his Masters debut at 31, knows the value of experience at Augusta National. Pure power isn't enough.
"I have no expectations," he said. "I just want to have a good time and learn the golf course, because this won't be my only one."
In years to come, as golfers such as Oberholser becomes regulars, there aren't likely to be enough old-timers to put together fan-favorite pairings such as Nicklaus-Palmer-Player or Coody-Casper-Brewer. Even if there were, Augusta National seems to be moving away from the concept, splitting up the three over-60 golfers in this year's field.
Crenshaw is OK with that. He sees no need to have a bunch of old guys clogging up the course.
"A lot of us are perfectly happy with that," he said. "We've had our time. It's time to start watching these young guys."
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