Woods, Els rivalry just part of Masters drama
By RON SIRAK / AP Golf Writer
AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) -- The green jacket of the Masters champion
hangs in Tiger Woods' closet. The winner's trophy sits in his
living room. The closet, presumably, has space for many more coats
and the living room undoubtedly can hold more hardware.
Still, storage space could become a problem for Woods.
Virtually everyone assumes he will win at Augusta National
Golf Club many more times. And when play begins Thursday for the
62nd Masters it will truly be the beginning of Year II of the
Tiger Woods Era.
But it may also be the beginning of something else. It may
be the beginning of an intensely competitive period in the major
championships.
If last year was the appetizer, then bring on the full course.
If last year -- with Woods, now 22, Ernie Els, 28, Justin Leonard,
25, and Davis Love III, 33, winning major championships -- was
the warmup let's see the top banana. Bring in the main act.
The only thing that was missing last year was a good, old fashion
shootout among the young guns down the stretch on Sunday.
"We haven't really played well together in a major championship,"
Els said Tuesday, speaking of his rivalry with Woods. "Maybe
this is the start of it."
Woods is ranked No. 1 in the world and Els is No. 2, though
they are virtually deadlocked.
"But we're two of 20 really good young players out there,"
Els said. "So we'll just see how we go."
There was Walter Hagen, Bobby Jones and Gene Sarazen in the
1920s followed by Sam Snead, Byron Nelson and Ben Hogan from the
1930s into the '50s.
Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer and Gary Player carried golf to
unprecedented popularity in the 1960s.
It is a sport that needs rivalries and right now it appears
to be on the verge of some wonderful ones.
Woods and Els are joined by Leonard, Phil Mickelson, Jim Furyk,
David Duval and Lee Westwood as great players, the oldest of which
is 28. None of them would be a surprise winner this week.
"Right now there is a very large group of very good young
players that are taking it to the hoop every week," said
Tom Kite, the 48-year-old who was the almost forgotten runnerup
to Woods in last year's Masters. "It's fun to watch."
Asked what it would take to stop the young stallions from going
to the hoop, Kite said: "You don't have to be 7-foot-1, but
you do have to make a few 20-footers."
Kite, Tom Watson, Nick Faldo, Nick Price and Greg Norman are
among those in the over-40 crowd who still have the talent and
the belief in themselves to contend with the youngsters here this
week.
"We're not dead and buried yet," Faldo said.
Still, this year's tournament clearly revolves around Woods.
There is a feeling that he could run away with it again.
Asked if he could better last year's record score, Woods said:
"Who knows? Anything is possible."
But there is also the feeling that others will sprint with
Woods if he tries to break from the pack.
"Will he be in contention?" Els said. "Definitely,
even if he doesn't play well. The golf course just suits him that
well."
"But I don't believe it's Tiger Woods against the field,"
Els said. "I think it's Tiger against the Augusta National
golf course and it's for the rest of the field to do the same."
Woods, who shot a 59 on his home course at Isleworth near Orlando,
Fla., the week before last year's Masters, practiced at home again
this year but with not nearly that gaudy of a number.
"Maybe after 15 holes," Woods said when asked if
he had a 59.
What Woods did do was spend some time studying film of his
victory at Augusta to try to figure out "what made me hit
the ball the way I did."
For a young man who was raised to be the greatest golfer ever,
Woods has reacted to his Masters victory in a surprisingly low-key
way.
Though as a champion he is now a member, Woods did not return
to play Augusta National until Monday.
The green jacket hangs in his closet and the young man who
fell asleep in that coat after last year's victory almost never
takes it out.
Asked if he shows it to friends, he said: "Only if they
ask."
"But I do have the champion's trophy in the middle of
my living room," he said.
It could be that Woods is low key because that Masters victory
was only a step on what he views as a very long road -- accumulating
more major titles than the 20 won by Jack Nicklaus.
And it could be that Woods is so low key because he knows that
he will be trying to rack up those wins against perhaps the deepest
pool of talent the game has ever had.
It could be that Woods is so low key because he senses -- as
most here do -- that this is the most eagerly anticipated major
championship in quite some time, in part because of Woods and
in part because of those who will challenge him.
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