Tiger Takes the Lead at Augusta

Tiger Woods continued his birdie streak and Chris DiMarco falls back in dramatic fashion. We have a new leader at Augusta, and his name is Tiger Woods!

Tiger WoodsOnly two hours ago, Chris DiMarco held a four-stroke lead over Tiger Woods. Play ended yesterday with DiMarco at -13 and Tiger Woods at -9. Oh how a lead can change at Augusta!

In the span of two hours this morning, Chris DiMarco double-bogeyed the tenth, bogeyed the 14th, bogeyed the 15th, and bogeyed the 17th to fall to -8. Tiger Woods continued the birdie streak he began on 7, 8, and 9 right on through 10, 11, 12, and 13 to get to -13 before bogeying 14 and 15. He parred in and finished the third round at -11 after a firing tournament-low 66 and then a new tournament low (with Trevor Immelman) 65. Tiger is now three strokes clear of Chris DiMarco, whose third-round 74 matches Woods’ first round score.

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DiMarco Leads, Tiger Lurks, and 27 to Go at Augusta

Tiger Woods made a charge, firing nines of 33, 33, and 31, to get within four shots of Chris DiMarco heading into the final 27 holes at the 69th Masters.

Chris Dimarco Masters LeanChris 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.

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Friday At Augusta Brings More Rain

The second round at Augusta was suspended just about as fast as players could finish their first round.

Donald, DiMarco, HowellWhen 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.

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Pimento Cheese Sandwich Recipe

Here’s a copycat recipe for Augusta National’s famed pimento-cheese sandwich to enjoy while watching the Masters.

PimentoIf you’re like me, you’ve got to have some food to eat while you’re watching sports. For instance, if I’m watching the Super Bowl, you can be sure there’s a plate of chicken wings in front of me with a tall glass of beer. Same for baseball. I’ll have hot dogs and peanuts with more beer (Mom, if you’re reading this, I’m not an alcoholic).

The Masters is no different for me, except I drink good beer (I mean, c’mon, golf is a game of sophistication!). I always make pimento cheese sandwhiches and Arnold Palmers to drink while I’m watching the final round on Sunday. It helps me get into the tournament a little more. For those who aren’t in the know, Augusta National is infamous for keeping its recipe for pimento cheese sandwiches a secret. In April 2003, Golf Digest ran a small blurb detailing what Gourmet Magazine food editor Ruth Cousineau cooked up for their “own, improved version” of the pimento cheese sandwhich. It’s the recipe I follow and enjoy, so I thought I’d share it with you.

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Thursday at The Masters

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.

Chris Dimarco MastersChris 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.

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Masters Suffers Rain Delay(s)

The Masters won’t kick off at 8am. In fact, it won’t even kick off at 10:30am. Instead, officials are now hoping for a 1:00, two-tee start to the 69th Masters.

Masters LogoGo 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.

First Time Major Winners

This debut column talks about guys who have a great shot at winning their first major in 2005.

Thrash TalkI am very proud to present the first edition of “Thrash Talk,” my new weekly column about anything PGA Tour. I will be talking about a lot of different topics, and my opinions aren’t always going to be the same as the general public. Feel free to contact me – whether you agree or disagree – and maybe I’ll mention your name in next week’s piece. Without further ado, here goes everything!

The Masters is right around the corner, and it is once again shaping up to be a great golf tournament. We all know the “Big Four” are all playing great golf right now. We also know there is a great chance that at least one of them will win a major this year, if not a couple more. They are the players everyone will be keeping an eye on, so I will try my best not to mention them too many times this week. Everyone knows they will be in contention all year long.

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Meet the ‘Pink Panther,’ Paula Creamer

In her bid to grab the Louise Suggs Rolex Rookie of the Year Award, rookie Paula Creamer is also on track to make the US Solheim Cup Team. With only four events played so far this season, Creamer has almost double the points of her nearest competitors. What about golf? It’s just fun!

creamer.jpgPaula Creamer is just like any typical teenager. She loves the color pink (and was nicknamed the “Pink Panther” by Casey Wittenberg). She’s addicted to shopping, fashion, and the latest trends. But ask Paula what her biggest accomplishment is to date and she will tell you, “Getting my LPGA Tour card.”

Creamer has been playing golf for as long as she can remember. Since the tender age of ten, young Creamer has been working hard to achieve her goals, with her parents supporting her achievements. She has won a total of 11 American Junior Golf Association tournaments (named 2003 AJGA Player of the Year), was a semifinalist at both the 2003 and 2004 U.S. Women’s Amateur Championships and has even represented the United States at the 2002-2003 PING Junior Solheim Cup.

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Masters Tee Times

The tee times have been made, and the pairings have been set. Find out when your favorite player tees it up in the opening round of this year’s Masters.

Masters LogoThe 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.

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