By TOM HANSON
Friday, April 06, 2007
Augusta National may have finally tamed Tiger Woods. The dramatic changes made to the course before the 2002 event are finally showing their teeth.
Yes, Augusta National has once again brought the greatest golfers to their knees. The high scores have quieted the critics. But sadly they have also quieted the patrons.
Missing from the leaderboards after two rounds are an abundance of red numbers; only three players are under-par after two rounds. But also missing are the loud roars that have become as much of a Masters tradition as the crystal trophies and green jackets.
"They are losing a little bit," 1979 Masters champion Fuzzy Zoeller said. " I like to hear the roars. I remember sitting in the clubhouse and the ground would just rattle. You could hear people down in Amen Corner. It's like walking in a morgue down there now."
Speaking of the dead, what must Bobby Jones be thinking about the changes and the results?
They added 255 yards to nine holes in an effort to combat trampoline-faced drivers and juiced balls. Along the way, they threw away the magic that is Masters.
It's become a course that's almost unfair. It's become a course that no longer creates excitement.
Lee Westwood expressed his displeasure for the course. When asked if he liked Augusta National, he replied. "Not really. Not anymore."
Westwood doesn't think the course is unfair but he thinks it's not fair for everybody.
"It just asks too many questions that there is no answer to," he said. "When the course was shorter, more of us would have had an answer but now there are only six or seven people in the field who can win it. It's a bit of a shame because it used to be a shot-maker's course but now I don't think it is."
It's the shots that have made Augusta National and the Masters special.
The Masters is Gene Sarazen's double-eagle on No. 15 in 1935. The Masters is Jack Nicklaus rolling in a 40-foot putt for birdie on the 16th in 1975 on his way to beating Tom Weiskopf and Johnny Miller in a playoff. The Masters is Larry Mize's amazing chip on No. 11 to beat Greg Norman in a playoff 20 years ago. The Masters is Tiger Woods' teetering U-turn chip shot on the 16th hole that propelled him to the 2005 title.
The Masters is all of those loud roars associated with all of those great shots.
Now, the Masters is nothing but a meow. It's a yawn and a prayer.
Yes, it's a major _ a major pain in the neck.
"(With) the conditions coming up on the weekend, we're going to have to grind," Woods said.
Who wants to see grinding at the Masters?
The Masters is about great final day charges. The Masters is about surviving Amen Corner and then attacking the backside par 5s. The Masters is about the energy of massive crowds.
This week the switch has been turned off. And so might be the fans. What used to be the most exciting major championship in golf has become nothing but a bore.
Sure, Tiger Woods may be tamed. But so are the great, loud Masters crowds.
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