licly apologized for his behavior—“if I
offended anybody”—and poor choice of
language in times of high stress.
“I certainly heard that people didn’t
like me kicking the club, but I didn’t like it
either,” he pointed out. “I hit it right in the
bunker, and it didn’t feel good on my toe.”
Still, despite his obvious struggles,
Woods remained defiant. Even with 36
holes to play, his contention was that
this Masters race was not yet run.
“I’ve been around the block for a num-
ber of years, and I understand how to be
patient,” he said. “I understand how to
grind it out. The tournament is not over.
Last year I [improved] seven shots in my
final round. So I can do this.”
It was an obviously hollow claim.
Woods clearly wasn’t happy, although
his subsequent body language sug-
gested he wouldn’t take all the blame
for such a poor performance on a
course where he has won four times
and finished in the top 10 the last
seven years.
On the range afterward with swing
coach Sean Foley, Woods, legs crossed
and leaning lightly on his club, could be
seen staring intently at the belabored and
animated instructor as Foley attempted
to come up with a move or a fix that
would get his pupil through at least the
next two days. Things did not appear to
be going well. Even from a distance, the
tension between the two was obvious.
As the swearing and the tantrums
show only too clearly, a similar unease
currently pervades every aspect of
Woods’ make up. He is a man at war
with his golf swing and himself, two
battles that, on this evidence, won’t be
over any time soon.
Couples looked sharp in a Masters green sweater en route to a 67 Friday; Laird waltzed through the second round in a speedy four hours.
Timeline By Ryan Herrington
7: 10 A.M.
One person’s cold front is another person’s hot seller?
With temperatures dipping into the 50s, the merchandise
shop breaks out a new product: Masters-logoed ski caps.
8: 58 A.M.
As a couple looks for a spot to put their folding chairs near
the 18th green a gallery guard offers some advice: Better
to be on higher ground five rows deep than lower in the
second row. The couple heeds the warning and repositions
their seats. “I’ve done this for a few years,” says the atten-
dant. “I’m as close to a trained professional as we’ve got.”
along Washington Road says one for Friday’s round is go-
ing for $600. Those willing to wait, however, might be in
for a bargain. “If I still have any by 4 o’clock, I usually drop
that right down to $50,” he said. “There are people who
will pay that just to walk the course and see a few shots.”
9:05 A. M.
The day’s second group, Chez Reavie and Martin Laird, a
two-ball after Mark O’Meara withdrew on Thursday, catch a
break when the group in front allows them to play through
the opening threesome. The duo pass Sean O’Hair, Scott
Verplank and Gonzalo Fernandez-Castaño on the fourth
green and zip around Augusta National in four hours, almost
an hour faster than the average.
11:07 A. M.
A man selling badges (and wishing not to be identified)
1: 41 P.M.
As Charlie Sisk stands behind the sixth green, his friend
Leighton Walker notices him awkwardly patting his left pant
leg. “Why do you keep doing that?” Walker asks. “Cell phone
withdrawal,” Sisk says. “Whenever I feel something against
my leg, I’m thinking my phone is in there and vibrating. I
reach for it and realize I don’t actually have it.”
2: 29 P. M.
Larry Mize makes an uneventful par on the 11th hole, a spot
where 25 years ago he made one of the most memorable
By Tim Rosaforte
Robert Mize is a chip off his own pop. The son of 1987 Masters champion Larry Mize got to play
his first round at Augusta National prior to the Masters. Mize, 19, plays on the Furman golf team,
chipped in twice, and got up and down from right of the 11th green where his father became famous
25 years ago. The silver anniversary of Mize’s historic hole-out against Greg Norman didn’t pass
without irony. During the second round, Mize missed the green to the right, in almost the same spot
when he chipped-in from 100 feet. “That spot doesn’t really exist any more,” Mize said after missing
the cut. “They’ve made the green bigger of course, and if you were to go to the same spot, it’s actually on the upslope of the 12th tee. It doesn’t look like you could re-create the same shot.”
