Augusta has USGA-type look
By Michael Mayo
GolfWeb contributor
AUGUSTA, Ga. -- Rough. Marathon rounds. Weather delays. Darkness.
Players showed up expecting the Masters and got the U.S. Open instead.
With tough pin positions and inconsistent conditions, the Masters became more of a mental battle than ever on Thursday.
"There's a lot of decisions out there and a lot of mental strain," Montgomerie said after a 2-under 70, one shot off the early lead. "As soon as you relax, you drop a shot. It's a very difficult challenge."
Some, like Masters rookie Brandel Chamblee and veterans Davis Love and Scott McCarron, were up to it. They shot 69 to share the early lead.
Nick Price, who shares the Augusta National course record (63) but has never finished better than fifth in 13 Masters appearances, also is 3-under. But he will play the 18th hole on Friday morning, one of 12 who failed to finish because of darkness.
Play was delayed 95 minutes in the late afternoon because of lightning and thunderstorms. The tournament resumed at 6:39 p.m., but was halted by darkness just before 8 p.m.
Seven players were one shot off the early lead, including Montgomerie, Janzen, Sluman, Justin Leonard, 1994 winner José Maria Olazábal and defending champion Mark O'Meara.
O'Meara made a birdie putt at the 18th hole with darkness falling, just after the final siren sounded.
Nine golfers are two shots behind, including Greg Norman, Ernie Els, Ian Woosnam, 52-year-old Jumbo Ozaki and David Duval, the world's hottest player. Duval also must return to play the 18th hole before his second round starts. He birdied the 17th hole to cap an eventful day. He shot 33 on the front before going bogey-bogey-bogey at 12, 13 and 14.
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| It's been almost a year since Love has won.(Allsport) |
"We were out there a long time," Duval said, after finding the clubhouse without a flashlight. "If you want to win this event, you better find a way to deal with it."
Tiger Woods, the world No. 2 and Duval's partner in pre-tournament hype, heads a group at even par. He bounced back from a bit of early diversity, an 8 at the par-5 8th. Woods then reeled off three consecutive birdies at 12-14, the holes Duval later bogeyed.
"I just had to hang in there," Woods said. "I knew I had a lot of holes left, and I knew guys weren't going to go real low."
Despite several course changes, including the lengthening of holes and the addition of light rough, scoring was nearly a full stroke easier than last year's opening round, when blustery winds blew.
With warm, humid conditions that gave way to rain and the greens playing relatively soft for Augusta, the scoring average was 74.5, down from 75.4 on Thursday last year.
"It played hard," said John Daly, who also shot even par. "We saw a lot of Sunday pins out there today."
The 15th hole played much harder than usual. The par-5 has traditionally been Augusta's easiest hole, but with new trees planted on the right and a pin tucked way left on a very firm green Thursday, it was the fourth-hardest hole.
There were 13 double-bogeys and worse on Thursday. Phil Mickelson (74) saw a decent round go under when he took a 7. Shigeki Maruyama and J.P. Hayes took 8s.
Chamblee, trying to become the first rookie winner since Fuzzy Zoeller in 1979, had a debut to remember.
He qualified by winning last year's Greater Vancouver Open, and the 36-year-old from St. Louis feels like he knows the course after watching it so much on television. He eagled the 13th hole en route to his 69.
This was a lot better than his first ever round of golf, at age seven. That was so unpleasant he didn't pick up a club again until he was 12. This time he'll come back the next day.
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| A win at the Masters would mean a lot to Chamblee. (AP) |
"I didn't really know how I was going to handle the first day," Chamblee said. "I was hoping to try to stay loose and relaxed and hit the shots I've been hitting. And I did."
So did McCarron, who finished 10th in his Masters debut three years ago.
"For some reason, I get here and start relaxing and feeling comfortable," McCarron said. "I drive the ball farther and feel more powerful. It's kind of a mystical place for me."
Augusta has always held a special place in Love's heart. He was born the day after his father finished 31st in the 1964 Masters. Love finished second to Ben Crenshaw in the 1995 Masters.
"The only way I could feel good about finishing second was that he won," Love said. "I was happy to be part of such a great tournament. I'll always remember the score I shot and the circumstances Ben won under."
Love broke through for his first major in the 1997 PGA Championship, then had a "disappointing" performance in the majors last year. But he came into this week No. 3 in the world rankings after a string of top-10 finishes.
"I'm the quietest No. 3 there's ever been," Love said. "I haven't won since Hilton Head last year and I've just been quietly hanging in there...This was a good start. But there's a long, long way to go."
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