AUGUSTA, Ga. >> On a day for mulligans from the tees, multiple shots from the fairways and plenty of practice putts on the fabulously fast greens, the 93 golfers in this year’s Masters field played a friendly for the final time.
Starting today, there won’t be any tips on how to hit an approach at the first, what to pull from the bag at the long par-3 fourth, or whether to go for it in two on the back-nine par 5s.
Three-time winner Phil Mickelson breathed a sigh of relief after four other golfers tied him for first at Wednesday’s par-3 contest that saw most of the patrons packed around the nine-hole course tucked away on the far left side of Bobby Jones’ famed green pasture.
No one who has finished first on Wednesday has gone on to win on Sunday. Maybe that’s why prohibitive favorite Tiger Woods refuses to take part in the light-hearted event that sees family members joining their husbands and fathers in the last moment of fun in the sun.
The weather on this day was picture-perfect as patrons took turns taking photographs of each other at the No. 1 tee, at Amen Corner and at the 16th hole to prove they were once here at an event bigger than the green jacket fitted for the eventual champion.
Most folks around here believe Woods will slip into the coveted coat for a fifth time on his way to a 15th major title that would leave him three shy of tying Jack Nicklaus’ mark. In Vegas, Woods is a 2-to-1 choice; almost unheard of in any golf tournament, much less a major event.
But when you try to imagine anyone else but Woods hoisting the trophy on Sunday, it’s hard to come up with another sure thing. Rory McIlroy is the second choice at 6-1, but hasn’t played as well lately. Mickelson is the third pick at 9-1, but it’s hard to imagine defending champion Bubba Watson putting the magic jacket on anyone else but Woods.
Tiger refuses to accept it from Watson just yet; preferring to get off to a good start today and then taking it one round at a time. Like last year, Woods is coming off a win at Bay Hill, but wants to avoid his disappointing performance here, tying McIlroy and two others for 40th place.
Watson hasn’t exactly been lighting it up since winning his first major, but did have the shot of the day on Wednesday with a hole-in-one during his practice round at the par-3 16th. Watson began his campaign on Maui battling a bad case of the flu and has managed only two top 10s in six events this season.
His miraculous victory here in 2012 was his last. He is 0-for-17 since and would like nothing better than to end that drought this weekend. At 20-1, that would seem unlikely. Only Woods, Jack Nicklaus and Nick Faldo have successfully defended at Augusta.
Dark-horse candidates range from Brandt Snedeker — still fighting to regain his early-season form due to an untimely rib injury — to Georgia’s favorite son, Matt Kuchar. But since neither has won a major, it’s hard to imagine either would start a trend this weekend.
Speaking of trends: No one from Australia has ever won here — just ask Greg Norman. And the last European was Spain’s Jose Maria Olazabal in 1999. Even Woods is mired in two droughts. He hasn’t won a green jacket since 2005 or a major since 2008, producing a lot of intrigue over the next four days.
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Reach Paul Arnett at parnett@staradvertiser.com or 529-4786.
