Fans, sunshine key to Augusta playoff changes

By

Posted 5:33AM on Thursday, April 8, 2004

AUGUSTA - Hoping to finish under more daylight and reward persevering fans, Augusta National officials will switch the rotation on their playoff holes beginning this year. The sudden-death format will remain in place. But instead of starting on the 10th hole and continuing through the back nine, a playoff will start on No. 18, switch to No. 10 and rotate back and forth until a winner is determined. ``It's primarily in consideration of all our patrons that are on the 18th hole,'' Augusta National chairman Hootie Johnson said. A long-standing tradition at the Masters is for fans to line up at 7 a.m. on Sundays and race walk, with stadium seats in tow, to the 18th green to claim a prime spot for watching the finish. When a playoff occurs, however, all those fans are out of luck, because the action moves to the 10th. None of the six playoffs in tournament history has gone more than two holes. Last year, Mike Weir defeated Len Mattiace in a playoff on No. 10. Another reason for the move was to increase the chances of throwing more daylight on the finish. The 10th green sits in a deep valley and is often obscured by the many shadows cast by big trees that line the hole. No. 18 is on top of a hill, clearly in the sun and away from the trees. Johnson said there was no push to move from sudden death to the 18-hole playoff used at the U.S. Open, or the four-hole playoff used by the British Open and the three holes used at the PGA Championship. ``We just like sudden death,'' Johnson said. ``Daylight could be a factor. But we think sudden death really suits us best.'' Padraig Harrington summed up the thoughts of many players about the changes, when he said, ``No. 18 is probably a pretty good hole to play it on. I'd like to have a chance to try it out myself.'' PAR-3 ``WINNER'': After winning the par-3 contest in a three-hole playoff, Padraig Harrington took the positive approach. Harrington, who defeated Eduardo Romero, knows nobody has gone on to win the Masters after winning the par-3 tournament. ``I'm glad to make a speech today,'' he said upon accepting the trophy. ``If you don't win the par-3 competition, you can't make two speeches this week.'' Harrington comes into the week playing well. He finished fourth last week at the BellSouth Classic and second the week before at The Players Championship. Harrington was also a winner of the par-3 last year. He shared the title with David Toms after the event was shortened because of rain. Tiger Woods also finished in a tie for first at 4-under par, but he didn't compete in the playoff because he had to leave the course to attend a prior engagement. Four players made holes-in-one over the nine-hole course: Mike Weir on No. 2, Phillip Price on No. 7 and Woods and Jay Haas, each on No. 9. A REAL TEST: Some players bemoan the fact that Augusta National is not the same course it was when Sam Snead, Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus and Nick Faldo won green jackets. Club chairman Hootie Johnson was quick to point out that today's players weren't using the same clubs, either. Persimmons wood has given way to titanium. Wound balls have been replaced by four-layer balls. ``If they played the same equipment, we'd be glad to put the course back the way it was,'' Johnson said. Jay Haas understands those points. Haas first played in the Masters as a 22-year-old in 1976. With the recent changes 300 additional yards on the course, modern equipment in the bag he is making the same club selections now as he was then. ``On No. 11, I hit a good drive and a 5-iron. That's what I used to do,'' he said. ``To me it's very similar. I don't agree with people saying the change was for the worse. It's keeping up with the times.'' YOUR TURN: Fred Funk lagged his 40-foot putt up to about 6 feet on No. 10 during a practice round Wednesday, then missed that putt. He heard some murmurs from the gallery, and called one of the fans out to do better. John Southerland of Savannah, Ga., obliged. From a spot slightly closer than Funk's 6-footer, Southerland made the putt.