ROOKIES CONFIDENT, AT LEAST TILL FIRST SHOT
With a record 24 first-timers in this year’s Masters field, odds are better than they’ve ever been that a rookie could win for the first time since 1979.
Fuzzy Zoeller, then 27, was the last to do it. He won on the second hole of a playoff with Tom Watson and Ed Sneed. Of course, that also is the Masters in which Sneed agonizingly lost on the final three holes of regulation.
Not counting the first Masters (Horton Smith, 1934) Gene Sarazen is the only other rookie to win. His victory came in 1935, which is also when the previous record of 23 rookies was set.
Eighteen of this year’s rookies are pros, not amateurs. Nine earned their spot by winning a PGA Tour event to receive the automatic invitation, reflecting the wide-open feel of this year’s Masters.
“Whoever is playing the best golf is going to win,” said Patrick Reed, who won three tournaments in the past five months to earn his way into the field. “It doesn’t matter if you’ve played here once or if you’ve played here 50 times, when it comes down to it, it’s just going to be whoever is playing the best is going to walk away with the trophy.”
Most think experience is of great importance at Augusta National. Reed attended Augusta State (now Georgia Regents University) and played the course four times before this week. Same for the rookies in the field from the University of Georgia. Harris English and Chris Kirk both played the course four times as they made the Bulldogs’ annual pilgrimage down Magnolia Lane.
Former Georgia Tech standout Roberto Castro made it to his first Masters by qualifying for last year’s Tour Championship at East Lake. He, too, played the course as a collegian.
The more experience the better, veterans say.
“The players who have had multiple years playing here and know how to play certain holes, how to play certain pin placements, will have a distinct advantage,” three-time Masters champion Phil Mickelson said. “Players that don’t have to find the ball going into places they don’t want it to go and fighting it and feeling like it’s not fair and what have you. When you’re accustomed to it, you know what the ball’s going to do.”
— CHIP TOWERS
COMMEMORATIVE YEAR
It’s the 50th anniversary of Arnold Palmer’s final Masters victory, and Golf Channel will present a three-part story on Palmer’s life called “Arnie” beginning Sunday night after the Masters and continuing Monday and Tuesday. A look at the Masters winners in years ending in “4” over the past 60 years. If history holds, the winner in 2014 will either be a repeater or is likely to win more than once at Augusta National.
Year; Winner; Green jackets; Comment
1954; Sam Snead; 3; Topped Ben Hogan in playoff for final major win
1964; Arnold Palmer; 4; Seventh and final major win of his illustrious career
1974; Gary Player; 3; Second Masters and seventh of his nine majors
1984; Ben Crenshaw; 2; Not as memorable as his 1995 Augusta miracle
1994; Jose Maria Olazabal; 2; The major that Tom Lehman let get away
2004; Phil Mickelson; 3; Birdie on final hole claims first of his five majors
— RAY COX
PAR 3 WINNER UP TO CHALLENGE
Ryan Moore won the Par-3 Contest that precedes the Masters on Wednesday with a 6-under 21 on the nine-hole course.
Moore said he’s aware that no one who has won the Par-3 has gone on to win the Masters in the same year.
He embraced the challenge.
“I’m not afraid of it,” he said. “You never know, someone has got to break that curse at some point in time, so hopefully it’s me, if I end up winning. Who knows? I might go shoot 8 under or something, make a couple hole in ones. We’ll see.”
Kevin Stadler and Fuzzy Zoeller tied for second at 4 under.
Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player played it in par.
There were three hole-in-ones hit: Stewart Alexander and Mark O’Meara aced the 70-yard second hole, and Matt Jones aced the 90-yard third. There have now been 80 holes-in-one during the Par-3 Contest.
— DOUG ROBERSON
IMMOBILE TIGER WAITS
Masters chairman Billy Payne says Tiger Woods has to be immobilized for two weeks after his back surgery.
Woods is missing the Masters for the first time in his career after back surgery March 31 to relieve a pinched nerve.
He has been at every Champions Dinner since winning the first of his four green jackets in 1997. Payne was asked Wednesday if he had thought Woods might come to the dinner even though he’s not playing.
Payne said Woods’ agent, Mark Steinberg, told him that Woods has to be “very still” for at least a couple of weeks.
Woods has said he will not be able to return to golf until sometime this summer.
There were 30 Masters champions at the Tuesday night dinner.
— ASSOCIATED PRESS
THURSDAY, FRIDAY TEE TIMES, GROUPS
7:45 a.m.; 10:52 a.m.: Stewart Cink, Tim Clark
7:56 a.m.; 11:03 a.m.: Ian Woosnam, John Huh, Kevin Stadler
8:07 a.m.; 11:14 a.m.: Ben Crenshaw, Yong-Eun Yang, Jonas Blixt
8:18 a.m.; 11:25 a.m.: Mark O'Meara, Steven Bowditch, Jordan Niebrugge
8:29 a.m.; 11:36 a.m.: John Senden, Boo Weekley, David Lynn
8:40 a.m.; 11:47 a.m.: Craig Stadler, Scott Stallings, Martin Kaymer
8:51 a.m.; 12:09 p.m.: Tom Watson, Billy Horschel, Brendon de Jonge
9:02 a.m.; 12:20 p.m.: Mike Weir, Matt Every, Roberto Castro
9:13 a.m.; 12:31 p.m.: Angel Cabrera, Gary Woodland, Ian Poulter
9:24 a.m.; 12:42 p.m.: Fred Couples, Webb Simpson, Chang-woo Lee
9:35 a.m.; 12:53 p.m.: Graeme McDowell, Rickie Fowler, Jimmy Walker
9:57 a.m.; 1:04 p.m.: Zach Johnson, K.J. Choi, Steve Stricker
10:08 a.m.; 1:15 p.m.: Miguel Angel Jimenez, Bill Haas, Matteo Manassero
10:19 a.m.; 1:26 p.m.: Hideki Matsuyama, Brandt Snedeker, Jamie Donaldson
10:30 a.m.; 1:37 p.m.: Charl Schwartzel, Jim Furyk, Thorbjorn Olesen
10:41 a.m.; 1:48 p.m.: Adam Scott, Jason Dufner, Matthew Fitzpatrick-a
10:52 a.m.; 1:59 p.m.: Jordan Spieth, Patrick Reed, Rory McIlroy
11:03 a.m.; 7:45 a.m.: Kevin Streelman, D.A. Points
11:14 a.m.; 7:56 a.m.: Larry Mize, Branden Grace, Michael McCoy
11:25 a.m.; 8:07 a.m.: Sandy Lyle, Matt Jones, Ken Duke
11:36 a.m.; 8:18 a.m.: Jose Maria Olazabal, Lucas Glover, Garrick Porteous-a
11:47 a.m.; 8:29 a.m.: Nick Watney, Stephen Gallacher, Darren Clarke
12:09 p.m.; 8:40 a.m.: Vijay Singh, Thomas Bjorn, Ryan Moore
12:20 p.m.; 8:51 a.m.: Matt Kuchar, Louis Oosthuizen, Thongchai Jaidee
12:31 p.m.; 9:02 a.m.: Trevor Immelman, Graham DeLaet, Oliver Goss-a
12:42 p.m.; 9:13 a.m.: Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano, Derek Ernst, Sang-moon Bae
12:53 p.m.; 9:24 a.m.: Bernhard Langer, Francesco Molinari, Chris Kirk
1:04 p.m.; 9:35 a.m.: Jason Day, Dustin Johnson, Henrik Stenson
1:15 p.m.; 9:57 a.m.: Bubba Watson, Luke Donald, Sergio Garcia
1:26 p.m.; 10:08 a.m.: Joost Luiten, Marc Leishman, Hunter Mahan
1:37 p.m.; 10:19 a.m.: Keegan Bradley, Victor Dubuisson, Peter Hanson
1:48 p.m.; 10:30 a.m.: Phil Mickelson, Ernie Els, Justin Rose
1:59 p.m.; 10:41 a.m.: Harris English, Lee Westwood, Russell Henley
Note: "a" denotes amateur
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