Among the small gallery walking with Seve Ballesteros' group Friday morning, you could hear the whispers of uncertainty.
Is Seve's tee shot going into the right trees? Or the left trees? Are we in danger standing right here, or should we keep moving a bit further away?
Ballesteros celebrated the 20-year anniversary of his first Masters victory by dubiously visiting many of the Augusta National forests, shooting consecutive 9-over par 81s to post the worst two-day score of the 95-player field.
And it comes as no surprise, not to him and not to his followers. The gallant 42-year-old champion, winner in 1980 and '83 and the originator of European dominance here, combines a lack of recent competition with a regression of skill.
``My motivation is small, my confidence is small,'' said Ballesteros, who said he's played five rounds of golf in five months. ``There is not one thing that is wrong. There is a lot of things wrong.''
Start first with his driving. His vision might permanently be blurred by Augusta pines, as he was trying to find ways to punch out of them all day Friday. Yet he remains Spanish, and the Spanish have patented the art of recovery.
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Seve Ballesteros, winner of the 1980 and 1883 Mastgers tournaments, watches his shot from the No. 4 tee on Friday.
Sports Photo Ron Cockerille 4/07/00 Disk 156Ron Cockerille/Chronicle Staff
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At No. 14, he was dead right, punched out and made par. At No. 15, dead left, punched out, wedged up and made par. At No. 17, dead right, punched out and made par. At No. 18, he hooked way left, landed in the valley, and made par.
``I'm not in a bad mood, it's just that I'm not playing well,'' Ballesteros said. ``Everything in this game is against me right now.''
Against him Friday was the par-5 13th, where Ballesteros hit two sand wedges into the green-guarding tributary. His ensuing quadruple-bogey 9 was Ballesteros' second 9 in two days. He dunked two wedges in the green-guarding pond at No. 15 on Thursday.
``Two holes have been disasters, so the way I play is not a reflection of my scores,'' Ballesteros said. ``I don't know what I can do.''
Ballesteros last broke par at Augusta National in 1995.
``I just have to forget about today and get ready for next week,'' he said.
The first Ballesteros Cup, a Ryder Cup-style event pitting Great Britain against continental Europe, will be held next week in Sunningdale, England.
A disastrous anniversary for Seve
