Old Guys Day at the Masters

Mike Dudurich

Posted 2009-04-10

MASTERS WRAPUP THURSDAY: It seems that every year the first day of play in the Masters features a theme of some sort. Remember the year that Tiger Woods shot 40 on his first nine holes? That was an “Oh no” theme day.

Thursday’s first round had a definite theme: Let’s hear it for the old guys day. Jim Furyk shoots 66. Larry Mize 67. Kenny Perry 68. Even Greg Norman shot a 70 in his personal house of horrors.

Hey, even XX-year-old Gary Player, competing for the last time in the Masters, put up a 78. He cruised through Amen Corner – Nos. 11, 12 and 13 – in even par and could have easily been a couple under.

So what does all of that tell us as we try to get a grip on what we watched under a perfect blue Georgia sky?

Well, for starters, the course was setup about as easily as possible today. It was also soft early in the day after some cold, rainy weather earlier in the week. There was very little breeze Thursday, something that had become a very annoying part of the last few years of the Masters.

Combine that with some of the easiest pin positions the boys will see this week and it was apparent the old course was there for the taking. Two years ago, only nine players were under par after the first round. Last year, the number was 18. Thursday was a record-setting day with 39 players breaking par, breaking the previous record of 35 set in 1992.

“I would say it always seems, there are guys out there who shot 1- or 2-over, and had a frustrating day and could not get the ball to go in the hole and probably felt like they fought it uphill all day,” Furyk said. “And then you get it going, start hitting some good shots, putts are going in, you shoot a good number and it all seems like things are more accessible.”

It certainly seemed that way for Chad Campbell, who’s not as old as those mentioned above, but he’s no rookie, either. Campbell started his Masters by making five straight birdies, the best start in the history of the tournament. He followed that with six straight pars. The 31 he shot on the front nine equaled the best-ever opening nine in Masters history.

Another improbable birdie run ensued – 12, 13, 14, 15 –and the Texas native started thinking about shooting the lowest round ever in a major championship, 62.

Bad idea.

He made par on 16 and bogeyed 17 and 18 to stumble in with a 65 and a one-shot lead. ”I'm definitely happy with the round I played," he said, "but I'm a little upset with the way I finished."

Furyk’s finish is what had him leading for a good portion of the day. He birdied four of the last five holes.

But as with every major championship, the other theme of the day was: Where’s Tiger?

The world’s No. 1 player is always a factor in majors, even when he’s not at the top of the board. One those rare occasions when’s he not contending, his competitors are always making sure of where he is anyway.

It seems to me that Woods would definitely be in that group of those frustrated as sat down to dinner Thursday night. He didn’t make a birdie until he lasered an approach shot to within a few feet on No. 9. He made the turn at even par and put together a hat trick of birdies at 13, 14 and 15 and appeared to be in a position to put a boatload of pressure on the leaders with his early tee time Friday.

But after a perfect drive on 18, Woods uncharacteristically blew his approach shot over the green and then even more uncharacteristically ran his chip shot 50 feet past the cup and made bogey.

Such are the vagaries of Augusta National . It can be had on certain occasions, but it can also reach up and take a bite out of even the best player in the world.

If history is followed, things will get back to normal today and there will be some sanity returned to the scoreboard. Furyk still has the game to be competitive as does Kenny Perry. Chad Campbell, when at the top of his game, is very good as well.

The chances are much better that you’ll see Padraig Harrington and Tiger Woods up near the top of the board than Larry Mize and Greg Norman. Call the theme for Friday: The Masters as it should be.

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