Monday, October 7, 2013

Potter wins Par 3 Contest, edging Kuchar


Potter wins Par 3 Contest, edging Kuchar











PGA.COM April 10, 2013 9:02 PM

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Ted Potter got a crystal vase for ihs victory in the Par 3 Contest.(Getty Images )


By Paul Newberry, Associated Press


AUGUSTA, Ga. -- Ted Potter Jr. won the Par 3 Contest at Augusta National, the light-hearted precursor to the first major of the year.

Potter won on the second playoff hole Wednesday, making a birdie at No. 9 to beat Matt Kuchar. Phil Mickelson was eliminated on the first extra hole. Ernie Els and Nick Watneyalso shot 23, but they had already left the course and didn't take part in the playoff.

Lee Westwood's mum walked away from the ninth hole, waving her hand in front of her face on a balmy spring day.

"I feel sorry for the caddies," Trish Westwood said with a flushed smile.

At least she wasn't wearing white coveralls and hauling around heavy bags as the mercury climbed into the mid-80s Wednesday. Still, there was nowhere else she wanted to be.

Such is the appeal of the Par 3 Contest, one of those Masters traditions like no other.

Everyone from mothers to small children -- some barely old enough to walk -- take on caddying duties. The greats of the game, long past their prime, thrill the patrons with a few more swings. Technically, they're keeping score, but everyone knows it's all for fun. No need to get worked up about these nine holes. That's for Thursday, after everyone moves over to "the big course."

"It's a good way to unwind before the stress of the tournament starts," Brandt Snedeker said after finishing up. "This is a great way to relax and spend time with your family."

This picturesque spot -- nine exquisite little holes tucked into the northeast edge of Augusta National Golf Club -- provides another of those quirky trademarks that sets the first major of the year apart from the next three.

Where else can you see a threesome that includes Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer and Gary Player? Where else can you see former top-ranked tennis player Caroline Wozniacki on the bag for her boyfriend, Rory McIlroy? Where else can you find 91-year-old Jack Fleck, who won the 1955 U.S. Open in one of golf's greatest upsets, taking a few whacks?

"It's fun down here," Fred Couples said. "It's a good little spot."

Especially when Nicklaus, Palmer and Player -- with 34 major championships among them -- stroll around the "little course" for an hour or so, providing a running commentary on the deteriorating state of their once-mighty games.

After the 83-year-old Palmer sliced one into the water, he joked, "That was my last ball."

"I can loan you one," the 73-year-old Nicklaus quipped, as he hunched over to tee up his ball.

"Is my credit good?" Palmer asked.

"Good with me," Nicklaus said.

The Par 3 Contest was first played at Augusta National in 1960, on a course designed by architect George Cobb and club founder Clifford Roberts. There are nine holes covering a tidy 1,060 yards, ranging from the 70-yard second to the 140-yard sixth. As Palmer can attest, there are two bodies of water that can come into play, DeSoto Springs Pond and Ike's Pond -- named after former president and club member Dwight Eisenhower.

No one has ever won the Par 3 Contest and gone on to win the Masters, which doesn't bode well for Potter.

Fred Couples was asked about the Par 3 jinx. He just shrugged it off.

"I wouldn't mind winning this once. But I've never been close," he said.

Augusta National awards a prize to the winner, as well as those finishing closest to each hole. Or for going in the hole.

Like 61-year-old Ben Crenshaw, who aced the 115-yard seventh -- holding out his arms, grinning from ear to ear, and soaking in the applause.

Watney broke into a much more demonstrative celebration when he made a hole-in-one at the 135-yard ninth, running around the tee box chest-bumping with his playing partners and the caddies.

"I'm not sure what that was," Watney said. "I'm sure we looked like fools, but it was fun."

He feigned a leap into the pond, but thought better of it.

"I guess I chickened out," Watney said sheepishly.

Wozniacki, on the other hand, didn't come close to a hole-in-one when McIlroy handed her a club at the ninth.

She wound up, took a mighty swing -- and sent the ball dribbling into the water, just a few yards away.

For those with families, the Par 3 Contest provides a chance to spend the day with their children -- young and grown-up.

"It's really cool," said three-time Masters champion Nick Faldo. "Fortunately, my big kids wanted to caddie. Georgia, my daughter, is 20 and she hasn't been back to Augusta in moons. She booked the bag, which is really nice.

"I'm living on memories here," he added.

And, really, that's what the Par 3 Contest is all about.

Luke Donald will always remember when he turned the putter over to his 3-year-old daughter, Elle, as is the custom on the final hole.

She whacked the ball hard -- a little too hard -- and sent it zipping past the cup. She rolled in the next one, however, then sprinted off the course with her parents in pursuit.

"She hit it a little hard, but she made the comeback," her dad said. "I like the aggressive stroke."

Palmer was too aggressive on the final hole, striking the ball with that low, whipping swing that served him so well in his day. He was trying to take aim at the flag tucked in the front of the green. Instead, he came up short, the ball rolling down the bank and into Ike's Pond.

Nicklaus and Player got safely across the water, playing to the back of the green, then all three of the legends strolled slowly around the pond, accompanied by the roars of an appreciative crowd.

Palmer didn't quite make it the green. He plopped down in a marshal's seat off the side, signing a few autographs but looking downright pooped.

"I think I'm done playing," he said, managing a weak smile.

Until next year, that is.

The 2013 Masters under way at Augusta National


The 2013 Masters under way at Augusta National











PGA.COM April 11, 2013 12:08 PM

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Most consider four-time Masters champion Tiger Woods the favorite to win the green jacket this week.(Getty …


By PAUL NEWBERRY, AP National Writer


AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) -- Sixteen players have won major championships since Tiger Woods got his last one.

Yet he's the one everyone is chasing.

Woods teed off Thursday morning at the Masters as the overwhelming favorite to win his fifth green jacket. He has already won three times this year and reclaimed the No. 1 spot in the world rankings.

"I feel comfortable with every aspect of my game," Woods said. "I feel that I've improved and I've gotten more consistent, and I think the wins show that."

Playing in a group with Luke Donald and Scott Piercy on an overcast day at Augusta National, Woods parred the first three holes. Britain's David Lynn was the early leader at 4 under through 12 holes, one stroke ahead of Jim Furyk.

About three hours before Woods teed off, the tournament began with ceremonial shots from three of golf's greatest players -- 83-year-old Arnold Palmer, 77-year-old Gary Player and 73-year-old Jack Nicklaus.

Palmer was clearly pleased with his effort, which settled right in the middle of the fairway. He pumped his right fist as the crowd roared.

"The only nerves are to make sure you make contact," Nicklaus quipped. "It doesn't make a diddly-darn where it goes."

Sandy Lyle, John Peterson and amateur Nathan Smith followed the former champions to the tee, beginning their rounds under gray skies after three warm, sunny days of practice. There was a good chance of rain by late afternoon.

Woods hasn't won a major since 2008, and he has gone eight long years since his last victory at Augusta.

Clearly, the aura of invincibility is no longer there.

Woods is eager to regain it.

"Obviously, Tiger is Tiger," Piercy said. "He's always going to be that target. He knows it, and that's how he wants it. But there's a lot of people getting closer. And the golfing gods, or whatever you want to call them, have a lot to do with winning. A bounce here, a bounce there. A lip in, a lip out."

Angel Cabrera got one of those bounces off a pine tree and back into the 18th fairway in 2009 that helped him save par and win a playoff on the next hole. Sure, he was a former U.S. Open champion, but the big Argentine was No. 69 in the world that year, the lowest-ranked player to win the Masters.

The hole got in the way twice for Charl Schwartzel in 2011, once on a chip across the first green that fell for birdie, another a shot from the third fairway that dropped for eagle. He finished with four straight birdies to win.

Zach Johnson was just a normal guy from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, who would not seem to fit the profile of a Masters champion. He wasn't very long, didn't hit the ball very high and didn't go for the green in two on any of the par 5s. He won by two shots in 2007.

"The favorite is all media-driven, all public-driven," Johnson said. "There are no surprises out there. There's probably 70 or 80 guys that you would not be surprised one bit if any of them won."

Three-time Masters champion Nick Faldo didn't name them all, but his list kept growing when he talked about 20 players who could win the Masters, all from what he referred to as the second tier and described as "pretty darn good."

Justin Rose, Ian Poulter and Luke Donald. Brandt Snedeker and Bill Haas. Louis Oosthuizen and Schwartzel.

Not to mention three-time winner Phil Mickelson, defending champ Bubba Watson and former world No. 1 Rory McIlroy.

"Yes, Tiger is the favorite," Faldo said. "He's strong. He's determined. We will see. But he's going to be chased by a lot of really good players."

©2013 by STATS LLC and Associated Press.

Jack Nicklaus: Never had a sit-down Masters talk with Tiger Woods


Jack Nicklaus: Never had a sit-down Masters talk with Tiger Woods











PGA.COM April 11, 2013 12:51 PM

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Unlike his close relationship with former rival Arnold Palmer (left), Jack Nicklaus said he and Tiger …


By DOUG FERGUSON, AP Golf Writer


AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) -- Jack Nicklaus has shared his secrets and strategy about Augusta National with anyone who wanted to learn from a six-time Masters champion, a list that includes Rory McIlroy, Luke Donald and Nicolas Colsaerts. But not Tiger Woods.

Nicklaus said he's never had a sit-down with the man who is trying to break his records.

In fact, he said they hardly talk at all.

"I never really had a conversation with Tiger that lasted more than a minute or two -- ever," Nicklaus said Thursday morning after hitting the ceremonial tee shot. "He stayed away from me from a conversation standpoint. Never had a conversation on the Masters in general. I've said, 'Hello, how are you doing? Nice playing this year. You've played very well.' End of conversation. People ask me, 'Has Tiger ever talk to you about his record?' Never one word."

Nicklaus said he was surprised Woods hasn't talked to him about the Masters, though he's not the least bit offended. Woods, after all, figured out the course quickly. He won the Masters three times in his first six years as a pro.

"He's got his own focus and what he does, and I respect that," Nicklaus said. "I respect when somebody is involved in their deal. They concentrate on what they do and not what you did. That's OK. It's not my position to go talk to him about it. I respect that. I wouldn't intrude on that."

Even so, it offered some rare insight into the relationship between Woods and Nicklaus, with whom he has been linked ever since Woods was a youngster and kept a timeline of the milestones Nicklaus achieved in his career.

They spent time together at the Presidents Cup during the four times Nicklaus was captain, and Nicklaus has sat at his side during the champion's interview the five times that Woods won the Memorial. Nicklaus even shared one story from the Presidents Cup when he noticed Woods and Mickelson spending time together. Nicklaus had ready plenty of stories about the tension between them.

"I said, 'You guys seem to get along.' And he said, 'Yeah, we get along fine.' I said, 'What all this about that other stuff?' He says, 'I don't know. Just press stuff.' So I said, 'You guys want to play together?' And he said, 'I'd rather not.'

"The point being, he's got a little bit of his number," Nicklaus said. "And he doesn't want anyone to get really close to him because he feels like he's got a little dominance over them. I understand that. You've got to respect that."

Nicklaus and Woods played together only once in the majors, the opening two rounds of the 2000 PGA Championship at Valhalla. They also were teammates in the old "Battle at Bighorn." Woods once told a story of asking Nicklaus about all the rivalries he faced during three decades, and how Nicklaus told him, "Just make sure you're always part of the conversation." Nicklaus said even that chat in South Africa didn't last very long.

"I get along fine with Tiger. I like Tiger. I don't have an issue with Tiger. There's always pleasantries and so forth," he said.

Woods moved from Orlando, Fla., to the West Palm Beach area last year after building a home along the ocean with his own miniature range. The speculation was which golf club Woods might join, and he settled on The Medalist. Several other pros are members at The Bear's Club, which Nicklaus built as his home course in Florida.

"I asked him when he came to Florida if we wanted to come to The Bear's Club," Nicklaus said. "He stayed away from it. He didn't want to intrude where I was. He never told me why, but other people told me, 'He says he didn't feel comfortable being there where I was because that was a record he was trying to break.' I said, 'I don't care about that. We'd like to have if you want to play and be part of it.' He comes out and plays quite often. I'd include him in everything

"But everybody has their own personality. That's not a fault. It's not a criticism. It just is what it is."

So what kind of golf talk is Woods missing out on?

Nicklaus spoke mainly about taking risks only when the percentages and the situation called for it, and realize that a shot into the middle of just about any green at Augusta National will leave a reasonable chance at birdie.

He still thinks about the 3-wood he hit into the water on the 15th hole that cost him in the final round of the 1971 Masters.

"One shot shouldn't be a shot that puts you out of the tournament," Nicklaus said. "I needed to make 4. I didn't need to make 3. I should have laid the ball up. Why put yourself out of the tournament on one shot? That's the thing I stress.

"I wouldn't take risks unless it was necessary to take risks," he said. "These guys that come to me and ask me about the tournament, basically what I tell them is there's a half-dozen shots on this golf course (where) you can put yourself out of the tournament."

He mentioned the tee shot on the par-5 second hole; the second shot into No. 11; the tee shot on the par-3 12th. The tee shot and the second shot on the par-3 13th; and the second shot on the par-5 15th.

"Think about what you're doing on them," Nicklaus said. "If you've got a 50-50 chance of doing it, certainly I wouldn't be doing it. If you've got a 90-10 chance, think real hard about it, and try to make sure you eliminate the 10. It's a golf course that when you make a mistake, it's really difficult to make up for it."

©2013 by STATS LLC and Associated Press.