Changes at Augusta would not necessarily slow
down Tiger Woods
By John Reger
Orange County Register
(KRT)
AUGUSTA, Ga. -- The cries of protest echoed through the Georgia
Pines of Augusta National Golf Club like one of Tiger Woods' thundering
tee shots.
"The course is too easy for Woods," critics shouted
after he won the 1997 Masters by 12 strokes. "Make it tougher."
Change at Augusta National comes slowly, and club officials
weren't about to drastically alter a golf course that is known
for its consistency.
Besides, according to PGA players, they shouldn't have to.
Many concede Woods' length off the tee is an advantage, but believe
his dominating performance was based more on his overall game
than how far he hits the ball.
One of those players is Coto de Caza's Paul Goydos. Goydos
played in the 1996 tournament and missed the cut. He did not qualify
for the Masters this year.
"Yes, he is incredibly long off the tee, but you still
have to hit the shots," Goydos said. "That's what is
good about the golf course. It separates the golfer who is playing
well and the one who isn't, real quick."
Paul Stankowski, who tied for fifth in last year's Masters,
said it was Woods' putting that was impressive.
"I don't think he had a three-putt the whole tournament,"
Stankowski said. "I played my butt off and I finished 15
strokes behind him."
Even Woods, who had a 1.63 putting average, discounts the notion
he was carried to victory by just his driver.
"If you want to track back, look at my iron game,"
Woods said in a recent conference call. "The important thing
was, I made putts, that was great, but if you look at my speed
control of my putts, it was perfect. I didn't leave a lot of 4-
and 5-footers."
Tom Kite, who finished second to Woods, agreed.
"Tiger Woods did not win this golf tournament last year
because he drove every par 4," Kite said. "He won because
he had no three-putts. He won because he never missed a putt inside
10 feet. That's why he won.
"Now, granted, if you have short irons in there, you have
a better chance on putting it in a position where you can do that,
but you can hit a wedge or 9-iron into some of these holes and
still have good putts."
But Ernie Els, winner of the U.S. Open last year, said Woods'
length is an incredible advantage, as evidenced by his 323-yard
driving average.
"The longer hitter definitely has an advantage around
Augusta National, especially on the par 5s," Els said. "On
par 4s, you still have to play for position off the tee and take
it from there.
"A guy like Tiger can play this golf course aggressively
all the time because he's hitting short irons into everything,
except maybe No.8, the par 5," Els said. "The rest of
the golf course, he's playing middle to short irons into every
hole. So he's in a different situation than myself and the rest
of the field."
Lee Westwood, a European player, is a long hitter and said
he has learned from Woods.
"I am hitting straight and long," said Westwood,
who qualified by winning last week's Freeport-McDermott Classic
in New Orleans. "That's important."
Arnold Palmer said not only Woods, but other players are dominating
courses.
"What are we going to do to slow that down a little bit?"
Palmer said at a news conference at the Bay Hill Invitational
earlier this year. "I don't mean Tiger Woods, I mean the
kind of scoring we're seeing at Augusta and at other golf courses.
I don't think there is much we can do about it."
That was the thinking at Augusta. Club officials made only
subtle changes to the golf course. The most noticeable was the
tee box on No.11.
A pine tree that guarded the right side of the fairway died
a couple of years ago, and club officials decided to move the
tee approximately 20 feet to the right.
Other changes included rebuilding three greens - 6, 8, and
14. The greens were rebuilt, according to a club spokesman, because
Bermuda grass had mixed into the bent grass greens.
Woods has done little to change his game, but said it has improved.
"I am playing much better now than I was at this time
last year," Woods said Tuesday after a practice round. "I'm
hitting the ball well. I'm putting well. I've putted well all
year. I'm ready."
NOTE: Three-time Masters champion Sam Snead, 85, was hospitalized,
missing the Masters champions dinner, after he reportedly suffered
a mini-stroke, The Augusta (Ga.) Chronicle reported. Snead was
listed in fair condition.
(c) 1998, The Orange County Register (Santa Ana, Calif.).
Visit the Register on the World Wide Web at http://www.ocregister.com/
Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Information Services.
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