Once the rains fell on Augusta National Golf Club for
yet another day, forcing the first round of the Masters to be postponed
until today, the buzz was just how much longer the already lengthy
course would play.
Not since 1939 has the opening round of the Masters been postponed,
but now tournament officials will attempt to at least get the 93-player
field through 27 holes and be back on schedule by end of business on
Saturday.
While length will be play a significant factor, the next two days
may just be all about physical and mental attrition.
"We're going to play about 15,000 yards and about 10,000 of it is
going to be wet," Rocco Mediate told the Associated Press. "Fitness
is a good thing."
There is nothing flat about the terrain at Augusta National, whose
18 holes measure 7,290 yards and today will be a long walk soiled and
soggy.
Playing a course that is lengthy - and some consider brutal - in
the best of conditions can be demoralizing enough. But wet and windy
conditions will make it play longer and more difficult to walk.
Keep an eye on players already nursing minor injuries - such as Scott
Hoch with a nagging hand, Ernie Els with a sore wrist, Vijay Singh
with a rib injury - as a spin here or a slip there could cause further
injury.
Also, do not underestimate what you cannot see as a player's mental
frame of mind may be the key. Sports psychologists will certainly earn
their pay this week.
Add in the possibility of nine to 18 more holes and the fact that
this is a major, one of just four that come along each year, and the
potential for a mental meltdown rises exponentially.
Any player who was bemoaning Augusta's new length from the outset
was only setting himself up for failure. Whining about the weather
and the conditions it has wrought will only create further negative
vibes. Combine that with the physical toll and the number of casualties
will be high.
Six-time champion Jack Nicklaus, 63, has a high-end goal of finishing
in the top 10 this week and on Thursday was putting his situation into
a proper and positive perspective.
"A day like [Thursday] is good for me from the standpoint of as cold
and wet as it is, the course is going to be doubly long, it's going
to be long [Friday], but it's only going to be one day of it," Nicklaus
said. "So that's good for me."
Nicklaus has the right frame of mind, as does former Masters champion
Fuzzy Zoeller.
"It's not that bad," said
Zoeller on the possibility of playing 36 holes.
Amateur Hunter Mahan is making his first appearance, but he may already
may have one step up on the rest of the field.
"I'm used to it," said
Mahan, who plays at Oklahoma State and routinely plays 36 holes in
college tournaments.
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