A lack of patience in 1998 derailed Davis Love III's hopes of winning the green jacket that most experts believe will be his one day.
Love finished in the top 10 in the previous three Masters -- including a second place in 1995 -- but slipped to a tie for 33rd in 1998.
``I'm looking forward to this year,'' said Love, of Sea Island, Ga. ``I'm going to be more patient, taking my time and not be as intense or overanxious as I was last year.''
The Augusta National requires such precise iron shots to its bent grass greens that golfers can lose their patience when they catch a bad bounce.
``The course is testing your patience and testing the mental side of your game and your perseverance,'' Love said. ``You shouldn't win unless you're tougher than everybody else that week.
``You have to learn that it's not always going to be fair, and it's not always going to be easy. When you realize the challenge and overcome it, that's the difference. It's not just hitting golf shots. There's a lot more to it than that.''
Love wants to be more like Georgia Tech golfer Matt Kuchar in his approach to the Augusta National. Kuchar rolled with the punches that the course handed out, charming the galleries for the second straight year en route to a tie for 21st place.
``Bob Rotella (Love's sports psychologist) and I were talking last year at the Masters and saying we need to have as much fun as Matt because he's smiling all the way around the golf course,'' Love said.
It was soon after the 1998 Masters that Love experienced major back problems that he'll have to keep in check for the rest of his career.
Love fought through back pain to win the MCI Classic the week following the Masters. After a short break, he won his next start, the Chunichi Crowns event, in Japan.
``In Japan, I was lucky to finish that tournament,'' Love said. ``I probably shouldn't have gone. I was questionable the rest of the year. Flying out to the Open (in San Francisco in mid-June) messed it up again and I was struggling in the summer.''
The back problem, which is caused by a spot in a disk that could be herniated, limited his appearances. He played just 21 events, the fewest number in his 13-year career.
Still, the 1997 PGA Championship winner went over the $1 million mark in earnings for the fourth straigth year and finished 11th on the money list.
On the PGA Tour's Florida swing leading up to the Masters, Love pronounced his back fit.
``I'm staying with my back program and lost some weight,'' said Love, who finished third in the Bay Hill Invitational in mid-March. ``I'm in good shape now.''
Love does ``eight or nine'' back exercises, from range of motion, stretching and strengthening, each day.
In an ideal world, Love wouldn't play more than three events in a row to give his back the rest it needs.
``I always say that, then I break it,'' Love said.
He'll be playing five straight weeks -- from the Bay Hill Invitational in mid-March through the MCI Classic in mid-April -- this year.
``It's tough not to play,'' Love said.
In regard to his back, Love really has to watch himself when he's off the course. The back starts to stiffen up if he stays in the same position for more than an hour and a half.
``I'm trying to break up trips to the west coast or try to ride on a big plane where I can stretch out, whether it's commercial or private,'' Love said. ``I want to be on a plane where I can walk around and stretch. If I'm driving a car, I have to get out and walk around and stay loose every hour and a half. If I sit too long, I get up and my hip hurts.''
Chip shots: Davis Love
Love will turn 35 two days after the tournament ends. He was born two days after his father, the late Davis Love Jr., finished 32nd in the 1964 tournament.
Love tries new approach
