Tiger Woods smiles as he prepares for his tee shot on the 15th hole during a practice round for the 2005 Masters tournament at Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, yesterday. The tournament begins today. Woods is a three-time champion of the tournament. - REUTERS
AUGUSTA, Georgia (AP):
TIGER WOODS is still the main attraction at the Masters. But he no longer is the main event.
Phil Mickelson is the defending champion when the 69th Masters begins today, and many believe he is primed to join Woods, Nick Faldo and Jack Nicklaus as the only consecutive winners of a green jacket.
His victory Monday in the BellSouth Classic was his third of the year. And his confidence soars even higher just driving down Magnolia Lane, walking upstairs to the champions lockerroom, being on a golf course where a year ago he 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 bit of extra confidence," Mickelson said.
VIJAY IS BEST PLAYER
Vijay Singh is No. 1 in the world, and has been for all but two weeks in March. And while his only victory this year came in the second week of the season, he is the only player who 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," Sergio Garcia said.
Ernie Els is seeking redemption at Augusta National. Retief Goosen is seeking recognition. Those two South Africans, along with Mickelson and Singh, all have won majors in the nearly three years since Woods last captured a coveted Grand Slam event.
"If you look at guys who are at the top in the world ranking, and the guys who have won major championships, you know they can handle the heat," Woods said. "You know they're not going to make a mistake."
He hasn't had this much competition since winning the first of his eight majors at Augusta National in 1997.
WEATHER INTERRUPTION
On perhaps the most famous stage in golf, the latest battle begins to unfold today with a Masters that is being billed more as a free-for-all than a heavyweight prize fight.
And while top players are
getting most of the attention, another familiar theme threatened to intervene.
A line of violent thunderstorms began working its way toward Augusta National even as the undercard the Par 3 Tournament was being held yesterday.
Weather already has interrupted play in eight of 14 tournaments, and one forecast said the course could get as much as 2 1/2 centimetres (1 inch) of rain about the time the Masters gets under way.
