ESPN.com - Golf Online - Masters 2000 - Sutton tries to change luck at Augusta

Associated Press
Thursday, April 6

AUGUSTA, Ga. -- Hal Sutton is looking at the bright side. His best performance in The Masters came in 1983, right after he won The Players Championship.


	Hal Sutton has made the cut at Augusta just twice in 13 tries.

He arrived at Augusta National one week after beating Tiger Woods on the TPC at Sawgrass, his confidence as high as ever and his game in the best shape it has ever been.

The downside?

No one has ever won The Players Championship and The Masters in the same year. That's double trouble for Sutton, who hasn't even made the cut at Augusta since 1985.

"I'm expecting more out of myself this week than I have ever performed -- but that's not a lot," Sutton said with a laugh. "I'm expecting to play well. My game is at a level I can expect that out of myself."

Next comes the hard part -- proving it.

Sutton blames his problems on being too aggressive. Early in his career, he played with such reckless abandon that he often wound up on the wrong side of the hole, and Augusta can be the most unforgiving course in the world.

"In my early years, my short game wasn't up to the standard it needed to be to perform well here," he said. "The last few years, my short was better but I attacked the pins too hard. I need to be more patient with my irons."

Sutton can understand why no one has even added a green jacket so shortly after winning The Players Championship, a grinding week on a difficult course.

He returned home to Louisiana and found 33 messages on his answering machine. He also found himself out of gas.

"It does take a lot out of you, especially leading it wire-to-wire, and going a fifth day on top of it," he said. "I don't mind telling you I was tired last week and did very little practicing. Plus, it was raining the whole time, so that gave me a built-in excuse.

"That doesn't mean I can't win here."


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