Bad weather follows golfers right to Augusta

By The Associated Press

Posted 10:40AM on Thursday 7th April 2005 ( 20 years ago )

Bad weather followed PGA Tour players right through the gates of Augusta National on Thursday when the first round of the Masters was delayed because of thunderstorms.It was the fourth consecutive week that players were kept off the course because of rain, dating to the Bay Hill Invitational. The Masters became the ninth out of 15 events on the PGA Tour schedule to be halted at some point because of weather _ from rain to wind to fog and even a brief snow flurry last week in Atlanta."This isn't part of the PGA Tour," Ted Purdy said Thursday morning as he heard rumbles of thunder on the horizon. "But we're bringing the weather with us."Then again, Augusta National has its own short history of bad weather. This is the fourth straight year the Masters has been suspended because of rain, including 2003, when it rained so much the tournament did not begin until Friday.The first starting time, originally set for 8:05 a.m. EDT, was pushed back nearly 4 1/2 hours. The golfers were scheduled to start off both the first and 10th tees _ a last-resort decision at tradition-rich Augusta National.With the first round unlikely to be completed Thursday, tournament officials announced a two-tee start on Friday as well, hoping to get the Masters back on schedule heading into the weekend.Because the weather got most of the attention, Retief Goosen was pushed even further out of focus.The quiet South African already gets left out of the mix when everyone talks about the Big Four, although anyone with a pair of U.S. Open victories has enough game to stay with Tiger Woods, Vijay Singh, Ernie Els and Phil Mickelson.The Big Four? Better make it at least five at the Masters."Inside, I'm confident," Goosen said. "I know I can do it and play well."He had a brilliant year in 2004, capturing his second Open title by making every putt in a duel with Mickelson at Shinnecock Hills, then knocking off Woods at the season-ending Tour Championship.Goosen isn't quite as excited about his game these days. While many players dropped out of the weather-plagued BellSouth Classic last weekend, he hung around because he wanted to work on his game in tournament conditions.Goosen needs to improve the consistency of his shots, and his club selection hasn't been so great, either."I felt like I needed the practice," he said. "I'm not playing as well as I would like to, but you never know. This week, hopefully, it all starts falling together."It's not as though Goosen is that far off. He finished third at the Match Play Championship, eighth at Doral, fourth at Bay Hill and tied for 12th at The Players Championship.Beyond the Big Four or Five, there's plenty of other guys who can win this week. How about Padraig Harrington? Or Sergio Garcia? Or all those Australians, eight strong?"Harrington is in form," Adam Scott said. "He probably feels like it's time to win a major. He's one guy to keep an eye on."And Scott, part of a record contingent from Down Under, likes his chances, too. Only 24, he's coming off an eighth-place showing in the Players and is hopeful of making a big splash at Augusta.Scott even broke out a pair of green pants for Wednesday's practice round, mindful that he could have a green jacket to go with them should he win Sunday."I've got high hopes," he said. "If I can put myself up there and have a chance on the weekend, you never know what might happen. Maybe I can make a few putts on the weekend."Scott should feel right at home, surrounded by all those fellow Aussies: Robert Allenby, Stuart Appleby, Mark Hensby, Peter Lonard, Nick O'Hern, Rodney Pampling and Craig Parry.They're driven to finish the job started by Greg Norman, whose tantalizing quest for the green jacket was always undone by some improbable event. A 4-iron into the gallery on the 18th hole in 1986. Larry Mize's chip-in from 140 feet in a playoff the following year. And the cruelest blow of all: a final-round meltdown in 1996, when the Shark squandered a six-stroke lead over Nick Faldo."An Australian is going to win here soon," Scott vowed. "Robert and Stuart have been coming here a couple of years. There's no doubt they have the game to win majors. Even the first-timers (Hensby and Pampling) are experienced players who have a chance."Of course, all eyes are on the guys who've won before _ especially Woods.When he knocked a ball into the woods at No. 11 during a practice round, a half-dozen grown men huddled around it, holding their cameras just inches away from the "TIGER" printed on top.But the three-time winner is hardly the only attraction at Augusta.Mickelson is the defending champion, finally shaking the label of best player never to win a major. Coming off a victory in the BellSouth Classic, he's eager to join Woods, Faldo and Jack Nicklaus as the only back-to-back Masters winners.Last year, Lefty birdied five of the last seven holes to capture his first major. "Being able to come through when I needed to gives me a little of extra confidence," he said.Singh is No. 1 in the world and seems to be around the top of the leaderboard no matter where he plays."Vijay is the one that is playing the best at the moment," Garcia said.No one is more due at Augusta than Els. A year ago, he lost to Mickelson by a stroke despite shooting a final-round 67. Several other times, the Big Easy has been in contention on Sunday, only to be doomed by various misfortunes."You need to get lucky here and there," Els said, "and hopefully it will happen this year."

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