Woods Opens Defense of Masters Title
By PAUL NEWBERRY
AUGUSTA, Ga. – Tiger Woods began defense of his Masters title on an extra-large course that was makings things tough on him – and just about everyone else Thursday. Woods opened with three straight pars before making bogey at No. 4, a par-3 hole that underwent a dramatic makeover to 240 yards.
He wasn’t the only one struggling. Among the early players, defending U.S. Open champion Michael Campbell and Australia’s Rod Pampling were the only golfers to get as low as 2 under.
Woods already is just the third player to win at least four green jackets, tying him with Arnold Palmer and two behind Jack Nicklaus.
The world’s No. 1 player is an overwhelming favorite to win No. 5, especially with Augusta National stretched out to a staggering 7,445 yards – the second-longest test in major championship history.
Then again, Woods has other things on his mind. For the first time, he’s playing the Masters without his father.
Earl Woods is ravaged by cancer and too weak to travel, his condition so dire that his son flew across the country to California the day before The Players Championship to check on him. Woods returned to Sawgrass and tied for 22nd, hurting his chances with poor iron play and substandard putting.
"I know it’s difficult for him," said Ben Crenshaw, who won the 1995 Masters just days after the burying his mentor and friend, Harvey Penick. "I’m sure he’s thinking about it every second. But he’s got a job to do. Sometimes, you do things that you don’t think you’re capable of doing."
Even with his father ailing, Woods came into the Masters as a staggering 2-to-1 favorite. Phil Mickelson (8-1) was given the best chance of knocking him off, the oddsmakers clearly impressed by Lefty’s 13-stroke victory at the BellSouth Classic last weekend.
Earlier in the week, Woods spoke guardedly about his father’s health.
"I’ve been dealing with it for years, so nothing has changed," he said. "It is what it is, and you just deal with it. Everyone who has had a family member who lived that long, you’re going to deal with it sometime. Unfortunately, it’s our time now."
Crenshaw remembered the personal turmoil he was going through when he pulled off that improbable victory in 1995 – essentially the last hurrah for his highly successful career. He never won another tournament and, 11 years later, still isn’t sure how he pulled off that tear-jerking win.
"I was just trying to put one foot in front of the other when the week began," Crenshaw said. "I can’t explain what happened. My heart was so heavy. I don’t know how I did it."
The Masters is going through a definite youth movement as former champions such as 67-year-old Charles Coody fade away. The 1971 winner – one of just three over-60 golfers in the 90-player field – said this will be his final Masters.
It’s hard to envision 70-year-old Gary Player or 63-year-old Raymond Floyd hanging around much longer, either. Even Crenshaw, a two-time winner and still relatively young at 54, knows his days are numbered.
"It’s time for us to pull over in the slow lane," he quipped. "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. For the first time since 1954, the field didn’t include either Nicklaus or Palmer.
Palmer played for the final time in 2004 as he closed in on his 75th birthday. 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.
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."