ESPN.com - Golf Online - Masters 2000 - Woods isn't only story at Augusta

By Tom O'Toole
Scripps Howard News Service
Thursday, April 6

AUGUSTA, Ga. -- In these days of Tiger-mania, it may sound odd, but other plots are developing at Augusta National.


	Tiger Woods finished eighth in 1998 and 18th last year.

When the first Masters of the new century opens Thursday morning -- with ageless wonders Byron Nelson (88) and Sam Snead (87) acting as honorary starters -- the international field of 95 will contend with narrower fairways, brisk early temperatures (it was around 40 on Wednesday morning) and the specter of players like David Duval and Greg Norman, who have never won here but suddenly are emerging as sentimental favorites.

There will be challenges from Spain's Jose Maria Olazabal, the defending champ, and 20-year-old Sergio Garcia, the next Spanish superstar.

There will be a well-watched legends pairing when Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player tee off together Thursday and Friday. That's 13 Masters titles in one group.

There will be a spotlight on Hal Sutton, who stared down Woods two weeks ago to win the rain-delayed Players Championship. Even John Daly is a story here. He's among four golfers with at least five starts who have never missed the cut (Daly seven, Fred Couples15, John Huston 10 and Lee Janzen eight).

But most of all, there will be the aforementioned Woods. There's simply no escaping the aura he casts on this course and golf in general.

"I think right now people think any event he plays in is Tiger's event to win," said Duval.

Tiger battling history

The Masters is not always kind to favorites. Call it the Kentucky Derby of golf.

Not since Fred Couples in 1992 has the No. 1 player gone to Augusta National for the first major championship of the year and exchanged great play for a green jacket.

Tiger Woods is in position to change that.

The 64th Masters begins Thursday with a field of six amateurs, 10 former champions old enough for the Senior Tour, 78 regular tour players and one Tiger.

No, this is not Woods' tournament to lose, but it's understandable why he is perhaps the most prohibitive favorite at Augusta National since Jack Nicklaus in the 1970s.

Woods comes into The Masters having won 10 times on the PGA Tour since last year, which equals the number of tour victories by the next 15 players below him in the World Rankings. In his last 11 tournaments, he was either won or finished second 10 times.

The last favorite to win the Kentucky Derby was Spectacular Bid in 1979.

-- Associated Press

And with good reason. He's 24, owns 18 tour titles, had a recent streak of six tournament victories and romped to the 1997 Masters championship. He also has won 10 times since Duval last did.

"I have been targeting this," said Woods, the youngest-ever Masters champ. "My game's been getting better week by week. I'm excited about some of the shots I'm hitting and the control I have."

Some golfers refuse to concede anything. Sutton proclaimed during The Players Championship that Woods "is not bigger than the game." Norman professed amazement this week that pros would even let it enter their minds that they were playing for second.

"I don't think you have to focus on one guy," Garcia said.

The proper approach seems to be worry about your own game, not Woods'.

"Tiger's playing well. Well, he's probably playing great rather than well," Garcia added. "But I don't know if he's going to win. Nobody knows ... Some guys have beat him, and we realize he's beatable.

"He's not going to play great all the time, so you have your chances. What you can't do is just to say, OK, he's the best player in the world and I have no chance of beating him. I think you have your chances."

If Woods truly does have control, those chances could be few. Six holes have narrower fairways this year -- Nos. 1, 2, 3, 9, 10 and 11 -- which led to some grumbling from past winners like Nicklaus. Holes 9 and 10 have been narrowed by 10 yards each.

Augusta National has continued a recent trend of allowing the rough -- called "second cut" here -- to grow, not to U.S. Open depths but enough to affect shots.

Tournament officials say the length of modern-day golfers forced adjustments.

"We had to require more accuracy off the tee," said Augusta National chairman Hootie Johnson.

The 6,985-yard layout, not the toughest test in golf, will play longer this year. Scores could go up, particularly given the famously fast greens.

Experience, as usual, will determine the winner. A first-timer has not won here since Fuzzy Zoeller in 1979.

Then there's Norman. After a surprising third-place finish last year, he's making his 20th appearance. And after memorable collapses and a myriad of bad breaks, Norman has found a faithful following of players and fans who would love to see him win just once.

"I think Greg Norman wants to win this golf tournament as much as he wants to take his next breath," said Palmer. "And that may be part of the problem."


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