AUGUSTA, Ga. (Sports Network) -- There's the Super Bowl in football, the World Series in baseball, the Stanley Cup in hockey, Wimbledon in tennis and the Kentucky Derby in horse racing, but there is nothing that quite compares to that little golf tournament the first weekend in April, the Masters.
Although the LPGA Tour had its first major last week and just two weeks ago the golfers competed at The Players Championship, the Masters shows them both what a major is all about.
As was the case in 2005, there are plenty of interesting scenarios waiting to play out this year. Will the best player in the world, Tiger Woods, capture his fifth Masters crown? Can Phil Mickelson, coming off a record-breaking performance at the BellSouth Classic last week, win his second Masters and a major title for the third consecutive year?
Will Ernie Els break into the Masters winners column after five top-six finishes in the last six years? Can world number two Vijay Singh, the 2000 champion, win his first tournament this year after finishing in the top-10 here the last four years? Will Retief Goosen, Jim Furyk or David Toms win their first Masters? Or, will Sergio Garcia, Luke Donald, Chris DiMarco or Adam Scott break through and win their first major championship?
The purse this week totals $7 million, with the winner pocketing $1.26 million. The runner-up will get $756,000, with the third-place finisher receiving $476,000.
As always, the tournament will be played at glorious Augusta National Golf Club, which was created in 1933 by Alister MacKenzie and Bobby Jones. Over the year, it has been refurbished by George Cobb, Joe Finger, Tom Fazio, Jack Nicklaus and Robert Trent Jones, and now plays to a par of 72 and a length of 7,445 yards.
Thirty-one of Tiger Woods' 42 rounds at Augusta National have been at par or better and 28 of 36 as a professional. In his four wins at the Masters, Woods is a combined 58-under-par and has won by a total of 17 strokes. Woods joined Arnold Palmer (4) and Jack Nicklaus (6) as the only players with four or more Masters titles.
Although Woods has dominated this event in recent years, international players have fared well at the Masters, winning 10 of 18 and 12 of the last 23. No player has ever won the Masters after winning the par-three tournament held on Wednesday prior to the Masters.
In 2005, Jerry Pate captured the Wednesday Par-3 Contest and did not play in the Masters. A total of 103 players have been invited to this year's event, with a total of 91 expected to compete. There are 16 first-time participants and five amateurs in this year's field.
In 2004, Phil Mickelson shed the title of "best player not to have won a major," when he birdied the final hole to defeat Ernie Els by one shot. With the win, Mickelson broke an 0-46 drought in golf's four most major tournaments. With his birdie at the last, Mickelson became just the fourth player in tournament history to birdie the 72nd hole for the championship. He joined Arnold Palmer (1960), Sandy Lyle (1988) and Mark O’Meara (1998) in that illustrious category.
In 2003, Mike Weir became the first left-hander and first Canadian to capture the coveted green jacket, as he defeated Len Mattiace in a playoff. In 2002, Tiger Woods joined Jack Nicklaus and Nick Faldo as the only back-to-back victors of the Masters. Nicklaus turned the trick in 1965-66 and Faldo accomplished the feat in 1989-90. Woods set a new Masters mark that year with 10 consecutive rounds under par, breaking the previous record of nine set by Arnold Palmer and Raymond Floyd. That streak ended in 2003 when he opened with a 4-over 76.
Only one player in the field with at least five starts has never missed the cut: Fred Couples (21). Tom Watson has made the cut 23 of the last 31 years. Gary Player owns the record for most consecutive cuts made at 23, followed by Couples and Watson at 22.
Trevor Immelman aced the 16th hole last year with a 7-iron from 177 yards. There have now been 18 holes-in-one at the Masters. There have been only four wire-to-wire winners of the Masters: Craig Wood (1941), Arnold Palmer (1960), Jack Nicklaus (1972) and Raymond Floyd (1976).
Jack Nicklaus holds the record for most eagles in the Masters with 24. Three players have won the Masters for their only top-10 finish in Augusta: George Archer, Sandy Lyle and Ian Woosnam. There have been only three players who have won in their first appearance at The Masters: Fuzzy Zoeller (1979), Gene Sarazen (1935) and Horton Smith (1934).
Only two players in the history of the Masters have birdied the final two holes for the win: Arnold Palmer (1960) and Mark O'Meara (1998). The Masters is the only PGA Tour major played on the same course each year. Stephen Ames will try to join Tiger Woods as the only players to win The Players Championship and the Masters in the same season. Woods accomplished the feat in 2001.
Last year, Tiger Woods birdied the first hole of a playoff to defeat Chris DiMarco and win the Masters for the fourth time in his career. It was the first major championship for Woods since the 2002 U.S. Open at Bethpage.
Woods was looking up at DiMarco early on the final day as the third round still had to be completed. Woods birdied four straight from the 10th to tie a Masters record with seven consecutive birdies going back to Saturday evening, when round three was suspended due to darkness. He suffered a couple of bogeys coming in, but his third-round 65 was good for a three-shot lead with one round to play.
Woods, who has never lost a major when he has had at least a share of the lead heading into the final round, made his way to the first tee Sunday afternoon and powered a tee shot down the middle of the fairway. He then played his approach to six feet and ran home the putt for a birdie to reach 12-under and stretch his advantage to four strokes over DiMarco.
Woods hit his second shot at the fifth to the back of the green within 20 feet of the hole. DiMarco followed and rolled his second off the back edge of the putting surface. Woods ran his birdie try by the hole, leaving himself with a difficult par putt, and DiMarco just missed his birdie putt from off the green. Woods missed to the right for his first bogey of the day and DiMarco tapped in to get within three of the lead.
DiMarco had to replace his damaged driver before he played the ninth, but that didn't stop him from picking up another birdie to reach 10-under. Woods, meanwhile, dropped his second within seven feet and sank the putt to keep his lead at three. At the 10th, DiMarco hit a bad second shot and Woods muscled his approach over the green. Woods hit a poor chip while DiMarco's third stopped within six feet of the hole. Woods two-putted for bogey and DiMarco made his par to close the gap to two.
DiMarco's approach to the 14th rolled within two feet of the hole for a tap-in birdie to get within one of the lead. Woods answered at the par-5 15th and reached the green in two, but DiMarco persisted and spun his third shot back to five feet. Woods two-putted for birdie and DiMarco sank his birdie putt as the battle carried on to the par-3 16th.
DiMarco reached the green while Woods missed the putting surface to the left. Woods then pitched his second above the hole and waited as his ball rolled down the slope, stayed on the edge of the cup for a second, and dropped for a birdie and one of the most memorable shots in Masters history. DiMarco missed his birdie try and found himself two shots off the pace.
Woods hit a horrible drive at the par-4 17th. He lifted his second shot over a row of trees, but his ball stopped short of the green. DiMarco found the putting surface with his second and Woods' chip shot was also short of the green. Woods then chipped his fourth to two feet and walked away with a bogey. DiMarco was given another chance to forge a tie, but he two-putted for par to remain one shot back.
What once looked to be a runaway victory for Woods was now a close battle that reached the 72nd hole. DiMarco hit a solid drive and Woods followed sending his tee shot into the second cut. DiMarco's second shot rolled off the front of the putting surface and the door opened wider for Woods. Woods was unlucky with his approach, however, and landed it in the right side bunker.
Woods played a brilliant shot from the sand that rolled within eight feet of the hole. DiMarco nearly holed his chip shot, but his ball hit the hole and carried five feet past the cup. Woods missed his par try, but made the bogey putt coming back. DiMarco had five feet left to force a playoff and he did just that by converting the putt.
The duo returned to the 18th tee to begin the extra session and Woods hit a solid drive down the fairway. DiMarco followed and hit his second shot to the front of the green, but watched as his ball rolled off the front of the putting surface. Woods then played his approach above the hole and left himself with 14 feet for birdie. After DiMarco chipped his third shot within a foot of the hole and tapped in for par, Woods drained the winning putt in this epic duel and captured his fourth Masters title.
The PGA Tour moves to Hilton Head Island, S.C., next week for the Verizon Heritage, where Peter Lonard will defend his title.
Copyright 2006 Sports Network. All rights reserved.
