Players to Watch at the Masters

Big names should survive the hardships of Augusta

Click here for more on this story

Posted: Monday April 05, 1999 07:57 AM

Els is hoping to make the Masters his 29th victory overall, and his eighth on the PGA Tour. Jon Ferry/Allsport

By Benjamin Berman, CNNSI.com

  MASTERS CHAMPION: Ernie Els has a great shot to win the big one. He has all the tools and then some.

Only 29, Els has become the next generation's "Mr. Major."

Take the U.S. Open. His win in 1994 was his arrival to most American golf fans. He took the toughest road to win the major too -- Els won the title in a playoff over Loren Roberts and Colin Montgomerie on the 20th hole.

In 1997 he won the U.S. Open again, becoming the first international player since Alex Smith (1906, 1910) to win the Open more than once. Indeed, Els can win the big ones.

It doesn't matter which major championship either. In 1996 Els showed his "major" status at two different tournaments. He tied for fifth at the U.S. Open and tied for second at the British Open. At the 1995 PGA Championship at Riviera, Els equaled the 36-hole tournament record with 131 and set 54-hole record with 197. He went to finish tied for third.

Not enough? Els became the first player to shoot four rounds in the 60s at the British Open in 1993, and tied for sixth overall.

In 1999, Els has continued to shine. He is No. 5 in PGA Statistics, including No. 11 in scoring and No. 4 in eagles. No place like Augusta National to score a few of those.

Els' Masters Record
Year	Place	Score	Round				Money
			1	2	3	4
1998	T-16	287	75	70	70	72	$48,000
1997	T-17	288	73	70	71	74	$39,150
1996	T-12	287	71	71	72	73	$52,500
1995	CUT	147	72	75	0	0	$1,500
1994	T-8	286	74	67	74	71	$60,000

Els, who is also No. 5 in the World PGA Money List with $949,112 in nine events, won the first PGA event he played in this year -- the Nissan Open on February 21. The $504,000 first-place check was the biggest payday of his career. The title extended his streak of consecutive years with a victory to six. Two weeks later at the Doral-Ryder Open, he finished third.

In all, Els has 28 victories, seven on the PGA Tour and 22 International victories.

He also has an international victory in 1999, at the South African PGA Championship. Els, who also won that title in 1992 and 1995, finished at 273, four shots ahead of runner-up Richard Kaplan in the $655,000 tournament.

He's got the right game for Augusta. He's got the experience for Augusta. And he has had a strong 1999 heading to Augusta. Look for Ernie Els to have a big weekend at the Masters.

  SECOND PLACE: Obviously, David Duval should be at the top of the Masters leaderboard most of the week. Why not? The world's No. 1 golfer is making history virtually every time he grabs a club.

Duval's Masters Record
Year	Place	Score	Round				Money
			1	2	3	4
1998	T-2	280	71	68	74	67	$291,600
1997	CUT	150	78	72	0	0	$5,000
1996	T-18	290	73	72	69	76	$32,600

Over the last 34 tournaments nobody has been hotter on the PGA Tour than Duval. With 11 Tour wins over that stretch, Duval is the best player on the circuit.

And a major championship is all that's left for Duval to add to this unbelievable streak. Duval, who has never won a major, finished tied for second last year with Fred Couples behind Mark O'Meara. If not for O'Meara's huge birdie on the No. 18 to win the Masters, Duval may be returning champ.

His victory last week at the BellSouth Classic gave him four victories on the year -- the most going into the Masters since Johnny Miller had four in 1974. He earned $450,000 for the victory at Sugarloaf and broke his own single-season mark for earnings with $2,598,300 -- and it's only April.

Duval is No. 1 in overall PGA statistics, including tops in scoring, birdies and putting. And he's No. 2 in greens in regulation. After three years of remarkable success, Duval is getting use to star status on Tour.

"Anytime you win, it helps the next time, it builds your confidence," Duval said. "... the more you do the more often you will do it the same way in another event. Each time you win there is something different that you have done. You might have done something you might not have had to do in the past, put it in the library for the future."

At the PGA's first event of the year, the Mercedes Championship, Duval destroyed the field. His tourney-record 266 total was good for an astonishing 9-stroke victory. Two weeks later at the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic, Duval did the unthinkable. Trailing by seven strokes going into the final round, he fired a final-round 59 -- the first ever in the final round and only the third 59 in PGA history.

After a victory at The Players Championship at Sawgrass two weeks ago and then BellSouth last weekend, a win at Augusta would make Duval the first golfer to win three-straight PGA tournaments since 1997 -- Duval did it then too. Nick Price was the only other golfer to win three in a row in the '90s (1993).

  THIRD PLACE: Davis Love III is the PGA Tour's "Mr. Consistency." Whether he has a driver in his hand or a long iron, a sand wedge or a putter, Love is going to fare well.

Statistically, there isn't a more consistent golfer on Tour.

Love's Masters Record
Year	Place	Score	Round				Money
			1	2	3	4
1998	33	294	74	75	67	78	$18,112
1997	T-7	286	72	71	72	71	$78,570
1996	T-7	285	72	71	74	68	$77,933
1995	2	275	69	69	71	66	$237,600
1994	CUT	154	76	78	0	0	$1,500
1993	T-54	298	73	72	76	77	$3,900
1992	T-25	284	68	72	72	72	$11,467
1991	T-42	289	72	71	74	72	$4,875
1988	CUT	152	73	79	0	0	$1,500

Last week at the BellSouth he fired three-straight 69s before shooting 68 on Sunday to finish at 13-under par, good for a seventh-place tie. But scoring in the 60s in nothing new for Love, especially in 1999. He is No. 2 in scoring behind Duval with an average just above 69.

Love has 13 PGA wins since he turned professional in 1985, including the PGA Championship in 1997. The No. 3 player in the world, Love hasn't showed signs of weakening in '99.

Scary enough, he may be better than ever. Although he has yet to win this year, Love has seven top-ten finishes in nine events. No time to win like the present, ehh?

  FOURTH PLACE: Tiger Woods may not be getting the headlines these days with Duval's unbelievable streak, but there's plenty of time left for Woods to take the headlines back. He's only 23 years old.

Woods' Masters Record
Year	Place	Score	Round				Money
			1	2	3	4
1998	T-8	285	71	72	72	70	$89,600
1997	1	270	70	66	65	69	$486,600
1996	CUT	150	75	75	0	0	AMATEUR
1995	T-41	293	72	72	77	72	AMATEUR

And when it comes to the Masters, be afraid of Woods. Be very afraid. At the 1997 Masters -- in his first appearance in a major championship as a pro -- Woods torched the field, winning by a tournament-record 12 strokes and setting a new Masters mark with an 18-under-par 207. He also became the youngest winner at 21 years, 3 months and 14 days.

Like Duval and Love, Woods is a player to watch every week whose name should be seen plenty on the leaderboard throughout the weekend. Sure he's young, but experience is on his side.

Woods has eight PGA titles since he turned pro late in 1996 and has a prolific resume.

In 1997 he was even better, and his myth grew to an unheard-of roar. He did it all in '97, setting a new mark for earnings with $2,066,833 and easily the PGA Player of the Year honors.

Woods also took over the No. 1 spot in the Official Golf Rankings in mid-June of 1997, becoming the youngest ever to be on top and held the it until Duval won at Sawgrass.

Woods who won the Buick Invitational earlier this year, has been on and off the leaderboard of virtually every event he's played in this year.

He has made the cut in all eight events he has been in and is No. 3 in earnings ($1,262,955) behind Duval and $1 million World Match Play-winner Jeff Maggert.

Look out, Augusta National may have tried to Tiger-proof the course, but if he shows up with his top game, the course will be at his mercy.

  FIFTH PLACE: Look for Phil Mickelson to be conservative at Augusta and let his finesse shots get it done for him. Quietly one of the best's drivers on Tour -- No. 7 in total driving -- Mickelson has a good game for the National. He is the surprise of the players to watch. He has had a rough year -- for Phil anyway. Currently No. 10 in PGA statistics, Mickelson has been inconsistent.

Mickelson's Masters Record
Year	Place	Score	Round				Money
			1	2	3	4
1998	T-12	286	74	69	69	74	$64,800
1997	CUT	150	76	74	0	0	$5,000
1996	3	282	65	73	72	72	$170,000
1995	T-7	280	66	71	70	73	$70,950
1994	INJ/WD	0	0	0	0	0	$0
1993	T-34	291	72	71	75	73	$8,975
1991	T-45	290	69	73	74	74	AMATEUR

He has made seven of eight cuts in 1999, but has just one top-ten finish in stroke-play events. Still, this is the same player who has the current PGA streak of consecutive years with at least one win (6), after Greg Norman failed to win a tournament last year.

Moreover, he has 12 titles in seven years as a pro (and one as an Amateur in 1991), putting him in elite company. In 1998 he became the youngest player since Jack Nicklaus to win more than 10 times on the PGA Tour.

What may be the key for Mickelson's success at Augusta is his confidence, which appears to be back. He fired a season-best 64 on Saturday at BellSouth.

  REPEAT?: Mark O'Meara has quite a task in front of him. Repeating is next to impossible at the Masters -- it has happened twice, Jack Nicklaus (1965-1966) and Nick Faldo (1989-1990).

O'Meara's Masters Record
Year	Place	Score	Round				Money
			1	2	3	4
1998	1	279	74	70	68	67	$576,000
1997	T-30	294	75	74	70	75	$17,145
1996	T-18	290	72	71	75	72	$32,600
1995	T-31	288	68	72	71	77	$13,325
1994	T-15	291	75	70	76	70	$34,000
1993	T-21	288	75	69	73	71	$17,000
1992	T-4	280	74	67	69	70	$66,000
1991	T-27	285	74	68	72	71	$10,200
1990	CUT	149	75	74	0	0	$1,500
1989	T-11	289	74	71	72	72	$25,567
1988	T-39	300	74	76	74	76	$4,400
1987	T-24	294	75	74	71	74	$7,900
1986	48	301	74	73	81	73	$2,300
1981	24	291	73	76	72	70	$7,280
1980	CUT	161	80	81	0	0	AMATEUR

Still, the PGA's 1998 Player of the Year picked up in '99 where left off the year before. He finished second at the first event, the Mercedes Championships, and if it wasn't for David Duval -- the PGA Tour's hottest player -- O'Meara may have walked home with another title.

He has made 7 of 8 cuts this year and has three top-ten finishes. In 21 rounds, O'Meara ranks 7th in scoring with an average of 69.86.

It was last year at Augusta that O'Meara went from the "best never to win a major" to simply, one of the best.

He captured the Masters in April, and then followed with a second major title at the British Open in July. At 41, O'Meara became the oldest player ever to win two majors in the same year. In all, O'Meara racked up $1,786,699 in PGA earnings in '98.

Stranger things have happened.

  LUCKY CHARM: Jim Furyk has the game for Augusta. He has the experience for Augusta. And now he has the caddie for Augusta.

Furyk's Masters Record
Year	Place	Score	Round				Money
			1	2	3	4
1998	4	281	76	70	67	68	$153,600
1997	T-28	293	74	75	72	72	$19,575
1996	T-29	294	75	70	78	71	$15,553

Golfweek Magazine reported on its web site that Mike "Fluff" Cowan will be on the bag for Furyk at the Masters.

Furyk, who finished third on the money list last year, fired caddie Steve DuPlantis after 4 1/2 years, and gave Cowan a call after the TPC.

Cowan carried the bag for Tiger Woods from the day he turned pro until the end of February. It has been said that Woods rose to No. 1 in the world so fast largely thanks to Cowan.

"I had a need, and there wasn't any finer man available," Furyk told Golfweek. "All the good caddies I know, they all have a great player's bag. I needed somebody, and he's the best available.

"I'd have been an idiot not to give Mike a call."

In 1999, Furyk has made all but on cut in eight events, including two top 10s. He is also one of the Tour's most accurate drivers, No. 10 on the circuit.

Furyk, who tied for fourth in the 1998 Masters, may just need that extra edge to win the big one -- and Fluff may be it.

  DARKHORSE: Watch out for Sergio Garcia. Who? Garcia could be this year's Matt Kuchar. That is if Kuchar himself doesn't dazzle again.

An amateur, Garcia was invited to the Masters by winning the 1998 British Amateur Championship. The 19-year-old Spainard has a good shot at the low amateur honor.

He has more than experience on the pro tours, he has experience winning on them. Garcia won a Spanish PGA event and has finished as high as third on the Nike Tour.

To be successful at the Masters golfers need to be long off the tee. Garcia has length in his game and a good head for the game -- which can never hurt.

Don't call it beginner's luck if Garcia's name hits the leaderboard in his first Masters.

 

Related information
Stories
David Duval's Bio Page Ernie Els' Bio Page Sergio Garcia's Bio Page Davis Love's Bio Page Mark O'Meara's Bio Page Tiger Woods' Bio Page Jim Furyk's Bio Page
Multimedia
Click here for the latest audio and video
Search our site	Watch CNNSI.com 24 hours a day
	Sports Illustrated and CNN have combined to form a 24 hour sports news and information channel. To receive CNNSI.com at your home call 1-888-53-CNNSI.