Category: PGA

Chris DiMarco fired a second straight 67 to finish off his second round in the morning, then came out firing in the afternoon with three birdies and no bogeys to get to -13. Tiger Woods, who finished off his morning with a tidy little 66, birdied five holes against no bogeys in the opening nine of the third round to get to -9.

Jack Nicklaus made news as well, noting that he would be playing in his last Masters. “I knew it was my last time walking up the fairway,” said Nicklaus. “Obviously, I had made up my mind. This is just too tough for me. I just can’t do this.” He tipped his hat to the gallery at the ninth – his last hole – and received a round of applause. This year marked the 45th Masters for the Golden Bear, winner of six. He finished at 153, +9 and five off the cut.

Continue reading “DiMarco Leads, Tiger Lurks, and 27 to Go at Augusta”

When play resumed Friday morning at The Masters, players hoped to finish their first and second rounds before going into the weekend. Play was suspended due to darkness Thursday evening, leaving 68 golfers still out on the course. The weather forecast once again called for rain showers on Friday, which is nothing new for the PGA Tour in 2005. The day started off positive, however, as everyone at least finished their opening round.

But once again, Mother Nature had the last laugh on this day. The players were called off the course at about 12:40 pm, and play was officially suspended for the day around 4 pm. The guys will be teeing off Saturday morning at 8:30 am, and they will once again be asked to get as much golf in as possible. The goal is to get The Masters back on track by getting in the second and third rounds tomorrow, leaving the final round for Sunday.

Continue reading “Friday At Augusta Brings More Rain”

Chris DiMarco started where he left off last year and Tiger Woods never really got started at all in the rain-shortened Thursday at Augusta.

DiMarco, who last year played in the final group alongside eventual winner Phil Mickelson, finished fourteen before play was suspended. His four-under-par total currently leads The Masters.

Tiger Woods found the water on the thirteenth… with his putter. His eagle putt was struck too firmly and rolled off the front of the green. He later birdied 15, but had an interesting front nine. Looking to make a move at +1, his approach to the first hit the flagstick and careened into a bunker. He failed to get up and down from a bad lie in the bunker and bogeyed. At the par-5 second, he chunked his driver 100 yards up the left-hand side of the hole, but somehow managed to save a par.

Continue reading “Thursday at The Masters”

Go figure: another tournament affected by Mother Nature.

The Masters, first delayed to 10:30, will now move to a two-tee start at 12:30pm. Gates will open at 11:30am, and television coverage is still expected from 4-7pm on USA Network.

With rain and thunderstorms forecast for the rest of the day, it’s likely the tournament may be further delayed. Fortunately, with only a 92-man field, it will be somewhat easier to make up rounds than it has been for standard PGA Tour events, which feature 130-man fields.

The last time a day of play at The Masters was completely rained out was in 2003. Mike Weir, the eventual winner, played 30 holes on Friday, 24 on Saturday, and 19 – including a single playoff hole – on Sunday.

Update: Tee times have once again been pushed back to 1:00pm.
Another Update: Make that 1:30pm.

The tee times have been made, and the groupings have been set. This year’s Masters tournament start at 8:06am on Thursday morning with Jonathan Kaye, David Howell, and Ted Purdy. The last group – John Daly, Shigeki Maruyama, and Jesper Parnevik – tees off at 1:55pm.

Ian Poulter will play with Craig Stadler and Joakkim Haeggman at 9:16. Padraig Harrington follows him at 9:27. Retief Goosen and Stewart Cink play alongside Tiger-slayer Nick O’Hern at 9:49. Nicklaus goes off at 10:11. Phil Mickelson, last year’s winner, plays with Ryan Moore at 10:38 and is followed immediately by Vijay Singh at 10:49.

Davis Love III, Luke Donald, and Charles Howell III go off in the 26th group at 1:00pm sharp. Tiger Woods will play with Darren Clarke and Carlos Franco, and will be followed by one of the most exciting threesomes on the grouping sheet: Ernie Els, David Toms, and Adam Scott kick off their 2005 Masters at 1:44.

Continue reading “Masters Tee Times”

For many people, the opening day of baseball season marks the beginning of spring. But for people who play golf, The Masters Tournament is the truest indication that even Old Man Winter is ready to trade his snow shovel for a sand wedge. As the world’s top golfers not named Annika spring into action at Augusta National, who will don the green jacket this year? Here’s your guide on what to expect from the 2005 Masters.

Continue reading “Masters Preview: Four-Shadowing the Winner”

Looking to place your bet at the Masters? Could you retire on a $50 bet if David Duval wins the Masters? Not quite&hellipp; but at 1000:1 odds, you could probably take a comfortable year of unpaid vacation from your vocation.

How does Ladbrokes see the tournament? Unfortunately, they see another win for Tiger Woods, who has the best odds at 5:1. Following closely behind are Phil Mickelson (7:1), Ernie Els (8:1), and Vijay Singh (9:1). Retief Goosen (16:1) and Adam Scott (25:1) may not feel they’re getting the respect they deserve, but Davis Love III (40:1) and Tom Lehman (100:1) may be wise to bet on themselves. Our best pick mirrors Ladbroke’s own: Stewart Cink, at 66:1, looks like the best chance for a quick score. A simple bet of $15,200 on Stewart Cink will net you a cool million. You can live off the interest for the rest of your life.

The longest odds? Amazingly, they’re not on David Duval. That honor goes to Ben Crenshaw and Raymond Floyd, at 5000:1.

Continue reading “Betting Odds for The Masters”

Jack Nicklaus reminisced about the Masters Tournament today in a ceremony held in his honor. He took the opportunity to make a startling announcement: he’ll be playing this year.

A month ago, following the tragic death of Jack’s grandson in a pool accident, Nicklaus announced that he would probably skip The Masters, saying that he’d rather spend time with his family in these trying times.

Of his change-of heart, Nicklaus said “It (Augusta National) is a place that’s meant a lot to me in my life. I’m coming up here to play and fulfill a request by Hootie (Johnson, chairman of Augusta National Golf Club) and a desire on my part. I feel like I can play so I’m going to play.” Nicklaus made the remarks at the Georgia Golf Hall of Fame Botanical Gardens, where he received a key to the city during ceremonies that also honored Lee Elder for breaking the color barrier in The Masters 30 years ago.

Continue reading “Jack to Play at The Masters”

The rain-shortened BellSouth Classic was only supposed to go 54 holes, but it took 58 for Phil Mickelson to come out on top. Phil birdied the fourth playoff hole to take victory away from the resurgent Rich Beem and José Maria Olazabal as well as Arjun Atwal and Brandt Jobe.

Scott McCarron, who held the second-round lead at -6, fell apart with a final-round 76. Arjun Atwal, who began the day at even par, took all of McCarron’s shots (and then some) on his way to a tournament-low 64. Finishing early, Atwal had to wait two hours to see if his final score of 8-under par would hold up. It did, but his bogey on the first playoff hole in the five-man sudden-death playoff – did not.

Continue reading “Mickelson Outlasts Four in a Bellsouth Playoff”