Saturday, April 8, 2000
A major Masters only missing
a Tiger
By DOUG FERGUSON
AP Golf Writer
AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) - The view from the top
of the leaderboard was almost as daunting as what David Duval
saw in front of him Friday at the Masters.
Ahead of him on the 10th green was Jack
Nicklaus, a 60-year-old with a ceramic hip and six green jackets,
conjuring up more magic at Augusta National.
Chasing him were Ernie Els, a two-time U.S.
Open champion, and Vijay Singh, just two years removed from his
PGA Championship.
And then there was Phil Mickelson, desperate
to certify his career with his first major.
The one glaring exception - Tiger Woods.
The Masters got that major championship
feeling back, its leaderboard packed with winners of all the Grand
Slam events, including Nicklaus, who has won them again and again.
Duval took a big step toward his first by
blitzing the back nine for a 7-under 65, his best score ever in
a major, which gave him a one-stroke lead going into the weekend.
And what a weekend this could be.
"I devoted the last six months to this
week," Duval said. "I feel like it's all coming together."
While Woods failed to break 70 for the 10th
straight time at Augusta, an old rival with a new look is halfway
home to his first major. Sporting chic clothes on a sleek body,
Duval played the last seven holes in 6 under to finish at 138.
"We were trying to figure out how many
majors had been won between the group ahead of us," Duval
said, a number that reaches 34 with Arnold Palmer and Gary Player.
Right behind on a relatively calm, gorgeous
day was Els (66), Singh (67) and Mickelson, who had to settle
for a 68 after missing a 6-foot birdie putt on the 18th.
"The leaderboard is very strong, and
it's going to be difficult for players to separate themselves,"
Mickelson said.
Added Els: "There's probably no leader
at all until Sunday afternoon."
Tom Lehman, the 1996 British Open champion,
had another double bogey that cost him the lead, this one on the
par-5 15th. He still managed a 72 and was at 141, along with another
U.S. Open winner, Steve Jones.
"I made double without hitting a bad
shot, which can happen here," Lehman said.
Indeed, anything can happen at Augusta.
How else to explain Nicklaus, who still
has endless dreams of winning a seventh green jacket. His only
two bogeys were inches away from easy birdies, and he squandered
several birdie chances.
Still, Nicklaus had few complaints about
a 3-under 70 to finish at 144, six strokes out of the lead. He
became the oldest player to break par in the Masters since 62-year-old
Sam Snead had a 71 in 1975.
"Do I think I have a good shot at winning
the tournament? Probably not," Nicklaus said. "Does
that mean if I get down to the end I can't make something happen?
Absolutely, I've got to believe it."
Believe this - Woods, who at times has looked
close to unbeatable the past year, has some major work to do this
weekend.
The No. 1 player in the world and prohibitive
favorite to win his second Masters made bogey on two of the last
three holes. Woods three-putted from 50 feet on No. 16 and from
the fringe on the 18th for an even-par 72. He was at 147, nine
strokes behind on a day when the course played three strokes easier
than Thursday.
"I'm still in it," Woods insisted.
"But I've got to play two good, solid rounds over the weekend,
and then we'll see what happens."
Anything is possible because Woods has developed
almost as much mystique about him as Nicklaus. Having won six
straight PGA Tour events and 10 out of his last 17, Woods has
an intimidating presence on the course.
On Friday, Nicklaus took some of that back.
"How can you not consider him a serious
contender on this golf course?" said Loren Roberts, who had
a 69 to finish in the group at 142 that included two-time Masters
champion Bernhard Langer, former PGA champion Jeff Sluman and
Sergio Garcia.
Garcia made it a sprint to the finish. With
his tee shot on the par-3 16th hanging dangerously close to a
severe slope, he ran 150 yards to the green to mark his ball before
it rolled 30 feet down the hill.
Duval, meanwhile, sees the Masters as a
slow dance.
"I had no desire to be leading the
tournament," he said. "I've had one goal, and I've had
it for a long time. That's to be leading when we're done on Sunday."
Duval has known heartache the past two years,
a runner-up in 1998 when Mark O'Meara birdied the last two holes,
and a Sunday pretender a year ago when he blew up on the back
nine. Duval has been burning for another chance ever since the
Ryder Cup ended.
"This would be the fulfillment of a
dream," Duval said.
A 12-foot birdie on the 12th hole put him
under par for the first time in the tournament and lightened the
load of expectations he has placed on trimmed shoulders.
All of a sudden, every aspect of his game
is working in perfect harmony.
A 5-iron from 208 yards stopped 10 feet
below the hole on No. 15 for eagle. His wedge into the 17th nearly
hit the hole on its second stop, setting up a 4-foot birdie. He
polished off his 65 with a 12-foot birdie on the 18th.
Duval has not won in 53 weeks, but he admitted
he was more dialed in to his fitness craze - and the Masters -
to get too wrapped up in that.
"I was most concerned I peaked with
my golf and my strength," he said. "I wanted to be ready
when I got here."
Get ready for what shapes up to be a dynamic
weekend.
Mickelson, who has won twice in his last
six starts, had a share of the lead until he flubbed a chip on
the 16th for his only bogey of the day.
He and Duval share a dubious distinction
- the best Americans never to win a major. Perhaps that will change
Sunday.
"We've been saying that for a while
now, haven't we?" Els said. "Both of them are really
tough competitors. Some week, they'll get their major - hopefully,
not this week."
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