Big hitters have Masters advantage

Three issues were destined to dominate the final countdown to this year’s Masters – and they have.

One is controversial, one very sad and one a tactic that Colin Montgomerie says has caught everybody on the hop.

The controversy is whether Augusta National’s powers-that-be have handed too much of an advantage to the game’s biggest hitters. That they have literally gone too far this time.

Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer have already gone on record as saying they think the stretching of six holes was not the wisest move ever taken at this Mecca of golf, with Nicklaus even stating: “They have ruined it from a tournament standpoint.”

The two legends are not competitors this week, but last year’s Players Championship winner Fred Funk is and, as one of the shortest hitters, comments: “I am frustrated with where the game is going. They are eliminating the majority of the field.”

Even mild-mannered Luke Donald, third on his debut last year and a believer that his accuracy can overcome the odds against a non-bomber winning, has aired his view on the matter.

Donald believes it is close to the point where “it’s getting a little silly”. That with the greens the speed they are it is asking a lot even of the sport’s best players to handle a course that at 7,445 yards is the second longest ever used for a major.

Time – starting with the next four days – will tell, but one thing could prevent this being an humiliation of some famous names. The weather.

Seven of the last eight Masters have been rain-affected and players and spectators alike forced to slop around in mud.

With the sun shining so far this week the ball has been running and those extra yards have come in mighty handy to the short and straight amongst the 90-strong entry.

Tiger Woods, defending champion and with four wins in nine attempts since he turned professional, knows to limit his comments because “I want to be invited back”.

But he openly states that he saw no need to lengthen the par-three fourth - his playing partner Mark O'Meara hit a driver there into the wind on Monday and Woods used a five-wood himself – and that the seventh no longer has the same “risk-reward” element.

The 11th, now a par four of over 500 yards, is likely to claim the biggest number of victims, though.

It was ranked the hardest hole last year and now it is far tougher, with not only the tee back, but also trees added down the right and the fairway moved to make more of a dogleg.

Woods, of course, is involved in the second issue. The very sad one.

Ever since he skipped practice at the Players Championship to fly from Florida to California there has been speculation that he might miss this week because of his father’s cancer battle.

And even if he does play, how much it might affect his chances of winning again.

The health of Earl Woods remains a day-by-day concern, but the world number one is proud of how the 74-year-old he calls his best friend is fighting and aims to bring the same determination to his own bid for another green jacket.

“He’s a tremendous fighter and an unbelievable will,” said Woods. “Hopefully he’s passed a little bit of that on to me. That’s kind of how I play, I guess my competitiveness on the course.”

Last April his father was in Augusta, but not well enough to attend the tournament and Woods broke down at the presentation ceremony because they could not hug.

“At least he was able to travel. That’s no longer the case. But if anyone can fight and grind it out it would be him. He’s as tough as they come.

“It’s always been a very emotional week for us as a family because my first year as a professional (1997) actually he was dead and then somehow they revived him.”

Woods has not finished in the top 20 of his last two events and inevitably many wondered if his performance was affected by the situation off the course.

“As far as that being a distraction – no, I had plenty of time to focus on each and every shot. I just hit poor shots and I putted terrible.”

Phil Mickelson hit precious few of either last week in winning the BellSouth Classic by 13 and his decision to use two drivers there and at Augusta – one to draw the ball, the other to fade – has become the third issue of this week.

If the left-hander regains the title on Sunday it will be a genius decision and one which could well start a trend.

Actually, it is only five years since the leader of a major had two drivers in his bag.

Trouble is, Ian Woosnam was that player in the Open at Lytham and one of them was not meant to be there.

When it was discovered on the second tee of the final hole he was penalised two strokes for having 15 clubs and could never recover.

Woods was asked yesterday if he had tried it.

“No,” he said. “Well, one driver was in two pieces, but that’s about it.”

Last year Woods separated himself from the rest again with his victories in the Masters and the Open.

Mickelson then won the US PGA, though, and with his form last week a shoot-out between the two is very possible.

But if anyone is to muscle in on that – and muscle is a very useful thing to have this week – then inevitably Retief Goosen, Ernie Els and Vijay Singh are the three most likely.