Augusta Diary: Maybe Jody Fanagan can prove to be Padraig Harrington's lucky charm after all.
In their amateur days, the pair played Walker Cup together - which included a win over Tiger Woods in the 1995 match in Royal Porthcawl - but, on Wednesday, Fanagan settled into the new role as "caddie" for his friend in the traditional eve-of-tournament Par 3 contest.
They didn't win, which could actually be a good thing.
You see, there are many who believe that the winner of the Par 3 contest is jinxed. And, in 2003 and again in 2004, Harrington won the darn contest. Although Harrington has observed it's "baloney" to believe in such a curse, maybe it is just as well that he doesn't head into the tournament proper with another Par 3 success.
One thing is for sure, the winner of this year's Par 3 competition can't win the Masters. Jerry Pate was playing in the contest as an "honorary invitee" and proceeded to win, but he is not in the field for the Masters.
Tiger Woods wasn't taking any chances about being hit by the jinx: he simply decided not to play, a decision that didn't go down too well with spectators.
So, the curse continues . . . for another year at least.
Bjorn tips Garcia to go the distance
Thomas Bjorn is playing here, but the Great Dane - who served as a lieutenant to Bernhard Langer in last year's Ryder Cup at Oakland Hills - has opted for Sergio Garcia to break the European drought in the majors that stretches back to Paul Lawrie's win in the British Open in 1999.
"I think the maturity he has shown over the past 12 months has been incredible, and I think he is about ready to right now to go out and do what's expected of him - to win big golf tournaments. I think he's about as ready as it comes," said Bjorn of the Spaniard, whose best finish in a major came in the 1999 US PGA at Medinah, where he finished as runner-up, a shot behind Tiger Woods.
Garcia's best placing in the Masters was last year, when he closed with a tournament low 66 in the final round to secure fourth place. "I feel like I do have a chance, but I have to gain that bit of consistency with my putter. I feel comfortable on this course . . . I think that it's just a matter of getting my short game into shape."
Americans in the minority at Augusta
Changing times, indeed. Where once America dominated the field for the Masters, this year's event sees them in the minority for the first time. Since qualifications to get into the Masters field were changed in 1999, the number of active (not including those who play on the seniors tour) American professionals competing in the major has decreased by nearly 20 per cent.
There are 37 active US Tour-playing Americans competing in this year's tournament, compared with 42 international players in the same category. Even if you count in the amateurs, Americans are outnumbered by 43-40. Only when you add in former champions like Charles Coody, Tommy Aaron and Jack Nicklaus do the Americans take the lead at 49-44 (with Gary Player the one bringing up the international numbers).
"For some reason, either we're getting a little thinner on the American side, or the game as just picked up tremendously internationally," said Nicklaus. "I'd basically say it has picked up internationally . . . the game has changed tremendously through Europe and Asia. You've got players from every place in the world now that are playing golf and playing tournament golf. International players have gotten so much stronger and so much better."
The qualifying criteria for the Masters was changed to give a greater emphasis on the official world rankings and the position on the US Tour money list. However, with more non-Americans than ever playing on the PGA Tour (of the 42 international players in the field, 29 play actively in America), the home-based players appear to be losing out.
Non-American Participation
*Source: Augusta National Golf Club
US Foreign
Year Pros Am Pros Am
2005 37 3 42 1
2004 41 3 39 2
2003 42 4 37 1
2002 41 4 34 1
2001 42 4 36 1
2000 47 3 31 3
1999 55 4 26 2
Left handers bid for the bragging rights
Will the trend of left-hander golfers winning the Masters continue? Mike Weir started the sequence in 2003 and Phil Mickelson continued it a year ago. This year's tournament has four left-handed golfers in the field - Weir, Mickelson, Steve Flesch and Nick O'Hern - and, it is reckoned, they benefit from the fact that six of the holes at Augusta National are dogleg lefts, including four of the par fives. "I'd sure like it to be me again as the third lefty winning it in a row," quipped Weir.
