New view of No. 13 is all wet
CBS added a robotic camera to its coverage of the Masters to give viewers an angle that would catch a picture of a ball going into the creek on the par-5, 13th hole.
But Tiger Woods gave them an angle Thursday afternoon that they didn’t expect to get. After reaching the green in two shots, Woods putted a ball off the green and into the creek on his third shot.
He declared the ball unplayable, took a drop on the green and two-putted for a 6.
There certainly will be other bogeys on 13 this weekend, but Woods’ might be the most memorable and unusual. The others will come when players gamble on the 510-yard hole, taking a risk by going for the green on the second shot. If they play it safe, choosing to lay up, they’ll have a sand wedge to the green.
In 1978, Tommy Nakajima made 13 on the hole, the highest score recorded there. In 1994, Jeff Maggert made double-eagle 2, the lowest score.
Faldo withdraws in pain
Nick Faldo felt the familiar twinge in his lower back, and hoped the pain would subside long enough to finish his round at the Masters.
When he snapped his second shot on the ninth hole, Faldo knew he was done.
“I can’t swing,” the three-time winner said after withdrawing midway through the ninth hole. “It’s horrible. This is the Masters. I don’t think I’ve walked off in 30 years.”
Faldo has been bothered by spasms in his lower back for the last 18 months. He’s been working with a physiotherapist to try to strengthen it, and was feeling good when he arrived. But even the short shots caused him pain, and he could feel his back spasm after his third shot on the second hole.
Puyallup amateur bogey-free
As some of the best golfers in the world bounced up and down the Masters leaderboard, Puyallup’s Ryan Moore stood still. That was a good thing, too.
Moore had opportunities to showcase his talent, but perhaps the most impressive aspect of his approach was his patience.
He never forced the issue. He made two classy up-and-downs to save par and was the only player to go bogey-free on the rainy first day at Augusta National.
“I’d have to say I was happy,” said Moore who, as the defending U.S. Amateur champion, was grouped with defending Masters champion Phil Mickelson and Stuart Appleby. Mickelson and Appleby stood at 2-under through 11 holes.
Nice souvenir
Stuart Wilson had to do some shopping when he arrived at Augusta National.
Amateurs aren’t allowed to carry bags with commercial logos on them at the Masters. It’s not usually much of an issue, since many amateurs are college students. But Wilson, winner of last year’s British Amateur, is 27 and works at the Auchterlonies Golf Shop in Dundee, Scotland.
“The rules are, you’re not allowed to use a bag with a logo on it, and I’ve never seen one without a logo on it except here,” Wilson said.
So he bought one at the Augusta National golf shop. The green nylon bag has the club logo on the back pocket, and Wilson said he paid about $170 for it.
“It’s a nice bag, though,” he said. “I’ll be using it again. Could probably have used a new bag, anyway.”