Long and short of it

AUGUSTA, Ga. – So this is what Hootie Johnson had in mind.

After Thursday’s first round of the 70th Masters, the leader at 5-under-par 67 is Vijay Singh, the 2000 champion, the world’s No. 2-ranked player and one of the game’s longer hitters.

One shot back, meanwhile, is Rocco Mediate, a short-hitting guy with a chronic bad back who played a limited schedule the past two years and has never finished better than a tie for 15th in the Masters.

OK, maybe it’s not EXACTLY what Johnson had in mind.

Still, on a day when sun-baked Augusta National played dry, fast and difficult for the first time in years – in other words, just as the lords of Augusta want it – the top of the leaderboard made Johnson look like a seer.

Johnson defended changes made to Augusta National Wednesday, insisting that despite adding 155 yards to six holes since 2005 (and 520 yards since 1998), the Alister Mackenzie layout is fair for both long hitters and short hitters alike.

Players did their best to prove his point.

Big hitters who benefited from wet conditions in recent years had to deal with tighter, harder fairways that added roll but sent errant shots into trouble. Accuracy was the watchword.

Singh, a vocal fan of the changes, was both long and strong, reeling off four birdies in five holes on Augusta’s back nine to make a late charge to the top.

“For the score, I played really good golf today,” Singh said. “I didn’t struggle with my game at all. I hit a lot of good iron shots (and) it wasn’t difficult for me to shoot 67. I left a lot of shots out there.”

His performance impressed no less than defending champ and four-time winner Tiger Woods, who was five shots back after an erratic even-par 72.

“Vijay is one of the best players in the world, and (a) Masters champion,” Woods said. “He knows how to play here.”

The surprising Mediate has battled recurring back problems since 2004.

“I haven’t played a lot of golf, and I’ve been hurt. I haven’t played well at all,” Mediate said.