Masters notebook: Tee times, TV coverage move up
Web posted
Sunday, April 11, 2004
CBS made the decision Saturday evening to move up today's start time by one hour. The network's final-round coverage of the Masters Tournament will now begin at 1:30 p.m.
The tee times also were moved up by one hour, with co-leaders Chris DiMarco (Stats | Bio) and Phil Mickelson (Stats | Bio) (Stats | Bio) in the final pairing scheduled to tee off at 2 p.m.
Augusta native Charles Howell will play with Mark O'Meara (Stats | Bio) at 12:40 p.m.
The first group of the day will be Jeff Sluman (Stats | Bio) and Chris Riley (Stats | Bio) at 10:30 a.m.
BUG OFF: Brad Faxon (Stats | Bio) shot 4-over-par 72 and got to make like a dressing-room curtain for his playing partner, Chris Riley (Stats | Bio) , Saturday.
The story begins at the fifth hole, where Riley had an insect problem.
''Chris had a bug in his shirt, so he had to untuck his shirt," Faxon said.
"And he was going to hit his tee shot with his shirt untucked.
Maybe there's an official rule calling for a penalty for each shot taken just after an insect flies out from under a golfer's shirt. Or maybe not.
"I told him he could not do that," Faxon said.
Actually he was just being considerate. After all, Riley did have to tuck his shirt back in after he extracted said insect.
"I made like a curtain. I'd never seen anything like that along a golf round .
MORE MONEY, NO PROBLEMS: This year's Masters' champion will receive $1,170,000 along with a green jacket and lifetime exemption. The total prize moneythis year will be $6.5 million. Last place money, minus ties, is $22,750.
Mike Weir (Stats | Bio) , last year's winner, received $1,080,000. The total purse is up considerably from last year's total of $5,881,800.
For comparison, the purse 10 years ago was less than $2 million. Jose Maria Olazabal (Stats | Bio) earned a winner's share of $360,000. The first Masters champion, Horton Smith, received $1,500 from a $5,000 pot in 1934.
QUICK HITS: When Olazabal was asked after his seven-bogey round if he could share a word or two with the media, the frustrated two-time champion turned and shared, "Get lost." Then he smiled, maybe looking like he was half-kidding and answered a couple of questions ... Mickelson made at least one member of his gallery happy with the following exchange. When a young boy asked his caddie for the ball from the round, Jim MacKay, Mickelson's caddie, said "You've got to ask Phil." The boy, wearing a Notre Dame baseball cap, was thrilled when the ball was tossed to him, shouting out, "Thanks, Phil. You rock," while Mickelson was preparing for his post-round television interview just after signing his scorecard. ... Stewart Cink (Stats | Bio) , DiMarco and Mickelson all had bogey-free rounds Saturday. Mickelson has not made a bogey over his past 32 holes.
BEST AND WORST: The tournament's toughest hole so far has proved to be No. 18. There have been 79 bogeys at the finishing hole. The average score through 54 holes has been 4.395. The first hole hasn't been much easier, with 74 bogeys and an average score of 4.382 to rank as the next-toughest hole.
The two par-5s on the back nine, Nos. 13 and 15, have yielded the most birdies this week. There have been 74 birdies at each hole. There have also been a tournament-high seven eagles at 15.
WITTENBERG'S EAGLE: Amateur Casey Wittenberg (Stats | Bio) 's eagle on No. 10 is only the sixth in Masters history on that hole, the last one being Jumbo Ozaki's in 1999. Wittenberg's eagle was the first one by an amateur on a non-par-5 hole since Danny Green eagled the ninth hole in the first round in 2000.
"It was unbelievable that it was on that hole and in this tournament," Wittenberg said.
After three rounds there have been 18 eagles, more than all four rounds in 2002 or 2003, and more than in four of the past six years.
FAMILY AFFAIR: Among the people following 2000 Masters champion Vijay Singh (Stats | Bio) during this year is a newcomer of sorts: his father. This is Mohan Singh's first trip to the United States. Joining him in the entourage was his daughter-in-law Ardena Seth and grandson Qass.
Singh said he's not sure his father will be able to attend future tournaments because of health problems that makes it difficult for him to walk 18 holes.
QUOTE OF THE DAY: Stuart Appleby (Stats | Bio) voiced this perspective on playing the Masters just after his Saturday round.
"This course is like an untrained dog," Appleby said. "You walk up to it and think it's so pretty and you are all friendly with it. The next minute it takes your arm off. That's what Augusta's like. You just got to try and befriend it, stay away from its bite and work with it."
Reach Jeff Sentell at (706) 823-3425 or jeff.sentell@augustachronicle.com.






