Resistant to major change for most of its 65-year history, the Masters Tournament has a new way of looking at things both on and off the course in 1999.
Wide-ranging alterations to the Augusta National Golf Club will greet an expanded list of Masters competitors for the Masters, scheduled for April 8-11.
During the summer of 1998, golf course architect Tom Fazio of Jupiter, Fla., oversaw changes to five holes at the famed course, adding 60 yards to the layout, which will play to 6,985 yards.
The changes, which were implemented to make the course play tougher, especially on two par 5s (Nos. 2 and 15), will no doubt have the desired effect. Some pundits have called the work an effort to ``Tiger-proof'' the course. Of course, Tiger Woods overpowered the course en route to a tournament record 18-under-par 270 score in 1997.
Fans also will notice a cosmetic change at the course. A huge brick wall was built behind what is now the lengthened second tee. The wall blocks any view of the club's maintenance buildings.
The number of competitors, which numbered 88 for the 1998 Masters, should be in the mid-to-high 90s this year. The reason? On Nov. 23, 1998, first-year Augusta National Chairman William ``Hootie'' Johnson announced that the World Golf Rankings will be used as a qualifier for the first time.
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Among the changes, the green on the par-4 11th hole will be raised by approximately 2 feet and the adjacent pond by 1 foot.Chronicle Staff Photo
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The top 50 players in the rankings at the end of the 1998 were invited. Also, any nonqualified player who moves into the top 50 as of March 8, a month before the Masters, will receive an invitation.
Ten golfers earned Masters invitations for being in the top 50 at the end of 1998. They are Jumbo Ozaki, Greg Norman, Brian Watts, Brandt Jobe, Carlos Franco, Brad Faxon, Thomas Bjorn, Shigeki Maruyama, Loren Roberts and Bill Glasson.
For the 1999 Masters, there will be 16 ways a golfer can get in the Masters. As in the past, the Masters Tournament committee will invite international players who have not otherwise qualified.
Changes are made yearly to the Augusta National, but they are usually of the minor variety. Never in the history of the course have there been as many major ones as will greet the 1999 Masters field.
Since the changes were unveiled in mid-October when the club opened for the 1998-99 season, the curious have come calling. Among the pros who have played the course in the fall and winter are two-time U.S. Open champion Ernie Els and British Amateur champion Sergio Garcia of Spain. LPGA Hall of Famer Nancy Lopez has played the course, along with her husband Ray Knight. Even actor Clint Eastwood has checked out the changes.
The Changes Explained
Here is a list of the changes to the Augusta National and why each altered hole will play more difficult.
No. 2 (par 5):
Ernie Els talks about the change to No. 2
The change: The second hole was lengthened 25 yards. The championship tee
was moved back into woods near a service road. The
fairway bunker was shifted to the right, creating a wider landing
area. The hole will play 575 yards from the new
tee.
The effect: Because of the added yardage,
golfers won't be able to cut the corner on the
dogleg left hole as easily. In fact, they'll be
hitting out of something like a chute. In addition
to that, the added yardage will bring the fairway
bunker back in play, especially with its new
location. Tiger Woods won't be hitting 7-irons
into the green for his second shot here anymore.
No. 11 (par 4):
Jay Haas talks about the change to No. 11
The change: The green has been raised
approximately 2 feet and the pond a foot. The two
bunkers on the right side of the green were
replaced by a new bunker just right of the green
center. Also, Rae's Creek, which fronts the 12th
green, was widened by one-half to accommodate flood
control and the front left of the green was expanded slightly.
The yardage on the hole remains 455
yards.
The effect: This hole already gives up
birdies grudgingly and now it's going to play even
harder. There is a direct connection between why
the bunker was moved forward and the green raised.
It is to discourage golfers from bailing out to
the right, especially if the pin is in the back.
For those who do bail out,
the pitch shot will be more difficult because the
newly raised green still slopes toward the water
on the left side of the green. Though the Augusta
National did not note this new feature when it
announced the changes, the area behind the green
has been altered. Any shot over the green will now
roll down a steep slope into Rae's Creek.
No. 15 (par 5):
The change: Large mounds in the landing
area of the fairway were reduced approximately
80-85 percent and 20 pine trees approximately 35 feet hight were planted on
the right side. On the left side, a group of about six trees were added behind the existing large trees.
Also, a large mound on the right
of green was removed and replaced by six pine
trees.
The effect: When the changes were
announced, this was the one people thought would
be most dramatic. On paper, it is. When seen in
person, it isn't. There are still some mounds that
the golfers can slingshot their drives off and get
an extra 40 yards of roll. The main reason it will play harder
is because the newly planted trees will catch
wayward drives and force the golfer to lay up to
the water-guarded green instead of going for it in
two shots. The new trees on the left will make it tougher for golfers to go
for the green in two shots. Also, the trees planted to the right of
the green will make it tougher for golfers to get
up-and-down for birdies and pars. Tiger Woods will
still be able to hit a 9-iron into this green.
No. 17 (par 4):
Bernhard Langer talks about the change to No. 17
The change: The tee on the 17th hole was moved back 25 yards and the new
pine clusters right of the 15th fairway will also
come into play right of the 17th fairway in the
landing area. The hole will play 425 yards.
The effect: Of all the holes that were
altered, this is the one that will surprise the
Masters competitors the most. It's much tougher from 425 yards as
opposed to its old yardage of 400 yards. Not only
that, but the tee has been moved slightly to the
left, making it more of a dogleg.
For the medium
to short hitting pros, they're now going to have
to worry about clearing the famous Eisenhower
pine tree in the left-center of the fairway. If they
bail out to the right, now they have to contend
with the pine trees that have been planted to the right on the adjacent 15th hole. The
added difficulty of this hole will added even more
drama to Masters finishes.
Ironically, while the
championship tee was moved back, the members' tee
was moved forward from its old spot. Even Ike, who
wanted the big pine tree cut down because he kept
hitting it, could clear it with regularity now. The way to play the hole from the new tee is to hit a draw to the right of the Eisenhower pine.
Augusta National becomes tougher test
