For a golfer who struggled to place in his own club championship, Paul Azinger's mystic run through the 1998 Masters helped this one-time major winner regain a sense of belonging.
After stunning himself with a fifth-place finish a year ago -- his highest placing in a major since winning the 1993 PGA -- the affable Azinger had his best season since beating non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in his right shoulder blade six years ago.
``You bet I walked out of there feeling good about myself,'' said Azinger, whose best previous Masters finish was a tie for 14th in 1989. ``This place always seems to have some kind of ghost waiting around a pine tree for me. So here I was, minding my own business, and I have a chance to win. It was an adrenaline rush.''
And it showed in his later performances: his best U.S. Open showing in six years, a tie for 14th; his best PGA showing in six years, a tie for 13th; the most top-25s (11) and highest money ranking (50th) in, you guessed it, six years.
For a man with fickle confidence, Azinger needed the kick-start that his week at Augusta National provided.
Yet, proving how feeble the golf cord can be, Azinger's '98 joyride is now '99's off-road adventure.
``My confidence is just something that comes and goes, and for a golfer, that's probably not the best scenario,'' Azinger said. ``It's like riding a roller coaster with me. It hurts your pride to play bad. I don't want to be painfully average, which is what I've been.''
Entering the Masters, Azinger described his 1999 performances as ``stinky'' -- four missed cuts in his first eight events.
``I haven't played very good, and that's probably because I haven't putted very good,'' he said. ``I've putted brutal.''
Through mid-March, Azinger averaged more than 30 putts per round, ranking him 162nd in putting. The worst of it came during his second-round 80 at the Honda Classic last month. He missed a 6-footer for par on the sixth hole, then blew the tap-in. The ball spun off the lip and hit his shoe, costing him two more strokes.
``If that doesn't get you down, nothing will,'' he said.
Then again Azinger's confidence had sunk to new lows entering the '98 Masters. He had finished last at The Players Championship, missing the cut by 15 shots.
So the next week at New Orleans, he sought out former Augusta State golfer Taylor Smith for a putting lesson and finished in the top 20.
When he came to Augusta, Azinger sought out Phil Rodgers for some chipping counsel. The result was a new era of good feeling for a man who has never really felt the most stable here.
``I chipped unbelievable that week,'' he said. ``And I hit it better because I thought I could get the ball up-and-down, if that makes any sense. I'm really looking forward to coming back there because I earned my return.''
Azinger's Masters' spot came via his PGA Championship exemption, which expired last year. Being a part of the last year's top-24 earned another invitation.
``I needed to play well to come back,'' he said. ``Maybe that helped. I love Augusta, but sometimes I hate it because the difference in an inch can be 50 yards if you catch the wrong inch.
``Finishing fifth was definitely cool. But I left that weekend disappointed I didn't win. And that's a good feeling for me to have.''
Chip shots: Paul Azinger
Azinger complained to the PGA Tour this year that courses are set up to receive only high, soft shots.
'98 Masters lifted Azinger 
