By Rich Copley
Staff Writer
Augusta Chronicle

White golf balls distract Duffy Waldorf.

With a colorful array of golf balls, Waldorf shot his way onto the leader board at the Masters Tournament on Saturday with a 3-under-par 69, tying David Duval for the day's best round. The balls, designed primarily by his wife Vicky, had a recurring theme: green jackets.

``This week I've been kind of motivating,'' Vicky Waldorf says. ``Usually I put down whatever comes to mind. I'll try to give him pointers if I see something on the course that might help him.''

The Waldorf tradition of drawing on golf balls started in 1992. The family was traveling when the oldest child, Tyler Lane, now 5, got hold of one of daddy's Titleists and ``turned it all sorts of colors - primarily purple,'' Vicki Waldorf recalls.

It seemed like a good idea, and Vicky became the family golf ball drawer - though the children do help. Usually, when the balls are done, they're put back in the box and sent off to the course.

When he first sees them Waldorf ``usually smiles and then he thinks about it,'' says his caddy, Tony Terry. ``It helps him a lot.''

Something helped Waldorf on Saturday.

While most players struggled through gusting winds and maddening pin positions, Waldorf's round moved him into a tie for fourth place.

``To me, today seemed like an easier day,'' Waldorf said. ``I think without the sun it seemed like some of the greens were not quite as fast or hard.''

The key was an eagle on the eighth hole to go to 2-under par and he followed with a birdie on No. 9. Through the back nine he bounced between 2- and 4-under before ending the day with a birdie on the 18th.

Pretty good for a guy who had knee surgery for a torn cartilage just two months ago.

Still, he's nine strokes behind Greg Norman, the tournament leader at 13-under par.

``I really haven't thought about the lead or who's in front,'' Waldorf said. ``I mean, this golf course is a beast. It's just, I'm trying to see if I can beat it one more day.''

He'll tee off at 2:40 p.m., today in the second-to-last group with Phil Mickelson. If anyone cares to take a close gander at his hat, they'll likely see signatures of many of Waldorf's friends from his home of Newhall, Calif.

It seems those Waldorfs write on everything.

He traditionally wears hats that are signed by various friends. Saturday's hat included the autograph of Davis Love III, his playing partner, and the phrase ``Gunga La Gunga,'' from the movie Caddyshack, which was penned by a trainer in the Centinela Hospital trailer.

His bag is loaded with signatures, phrases and drawings, including a hamburger and a colorful cap. Waldorf doesn't currently have a bag contract and says he's not expecting one because, ``I think I'm scaring them away.''