Groundskeeping the Masters
Posted: Saturday March 13, 1999 09:04 AM
At the Masters, it's a game of less than inches. When Augusta National officials announced that the course's secondary cut -- which grows on the edges of the ultra wide fairways -- will be allowed to grow from 5/8 of an inch in height to an inch and 3/8th, the hairsplitting sounded like a Dilbert memo.
But the fact is, the longer growth will reduce the spin on iron shots, and on Augusta's ultra firm greens, a player needs all the spin he can muster to stop the ball next to tight pins. The bottom line is that combined narrowing of fairways on several others holes, it will be more important than ever for Masters contenders to drive their ball in the fairway, where the grass, by the way, will be 3/8th of an inch in height.
Big change for Woods' camp
Tiger Woods' new caddy, Steve Williams, will cut a much different figure than the teddy bearish Mike "Fluff" Cowan. Williams is a strapping 6-2 with the quietly intense demeanor of a villian in a Steven Segal flick. A 36-year old New Zealander, Williams is a former pro golfer and avid dirt track race driver whose previous jobs have been long term gigs with Greg Norman and Raymond Floyd.
Williams is used to high visibility situations, and possesses both the body language and the personality to discourage the more exuberant members of the biggest galleries in golf from doing anything to distract his player.
Chuasiriporn finally going pro
Jenny Chuasiriporn, who narrowly lost last year's dramatic U.S. Women's Open to Se Ri Pak, will turn pro in time for this year's championship. The 21-year-old Duke senior had to pass up $157,000 in second place money last year in order to maintain her amateur status. Chuasiriporn, who was also runnerup in the U.S. Women's Amateur, is planning to attend the LPGA Q school later this year. She will play as an amateur in the next major, the upcoming Nabisco Dinah Shore.
Sports Illustrated senior writer Jaime Diaz covers the golf beat and appears regularly on CNN/Sports Illustrated and CNN's Pro Golf Weekly.
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