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No. 5 shows its wily ways
Posted: Sunday April 13, 2003 11:50 PM
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David Toms kneels by the bunker at the fifth green to get a better look. Toms parred No. 5, but three bogeys on the back nine left him with 74 on Sunday. Chris Thelen/AugustaChronicle |
By Larry Williams
The Augusta Chronicle
With its added length and deep bunkers, the fifth hole was supposed to put golfers in deep trouble during the 67th Masters Tournament.
The only hole that was changed heading into this year's tournament, the 455-yard par-4 was given new teeth. Those teeth, however, weren't as sharp as some predicted.
The hole known as Magnolia finished as the sixth-toughest hole with a stroke average of 4.228 - slightly more than last year's 4.158 average.
Most golfers chose to take the two huge fairway bunkers out of play by using their 3-woods off the tee instead of their drivers. A 315-yard drive is required to carry the bunkers on the left side - a sharp contrast from the easy 225-yard carry needed in the past.
"You've got to shape your shots a bit more," said Sergio Garcia, who used 3-wood off the tee in all four rounds.
Golfers still found it difficult to hit the fairway on No. 5. On Sunday, exactly half of the drives went into the rough. That's largely the product of the shifting of the fairway and bunkers to the right, which intensified the hole's natural dogleg. The landing area, which used to be 60-65 yards wide, shrank to 25-30 yards.
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Davis Love III hits his ball out of the sand from the greenside bunker. The No. 5 hole proved to be a tougher challenge all around to many seasoned golfers Sunday Chris Thelen/AugustaChronicle |
No. 5 gave up one eagle, 20 birdies, 184 pars, 72 bogeys and six double bogeys.
"It's a tough hole now," said Justin Rose, a Masters rookie who never pulled out his driver on the fifth hole. "You don't want to go in those traps."
Reaching the green from the deepened bunkers was supposed to be impossible, but several players shot down that theory. Phil Mickelson's tee shot landed in the second bunker during the second round, but he got to 10 feet from 135 yards and made the putt for birdie.
In the third round, Darren Clarke blasted from the first bunker and flew the green. On Sunday, Mike Weir's shot from the first bunker fell a few feet short of the green, and he saved par.
The fifth hole was the seventh-most difficult last year. In 2001, it was easier than ever at 4.061. Historically, No. 5 ranks fourth with an average of 4.25.
No. 5 also surrendered its only eagle of this year's Masters on Sunday, when Rich Beem holed his second shot from 186 yards out with a 7-iron.
Charles Howell said the tee shot on No. 5 used to be the easiest on the course. Now, he said, it's the hardest. That didn't stop him from using driver each time, and he never found the bunkers in his second Masters appearance.
"It's definitely a different hole now," he said.
Copyright 2003 The Augusta Chronicle. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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