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Golf
© St. Petersburg Times, published April 12, 2003
AUGUSTA, Ga. -- This is not what Jack Nicklaus had in mind when he signed up to play in his 43rd Masters: an 85, his worst round as a professional.
And that spans a long time: 41 years, 2,235 rounds, 594 tournaments, 145 major championships.
Nicklaus' previous worst was 83 during the first round of the 1981 British Open at Royal St. George's, and there were extenuating circumstances. Nicklaus' son, Steve, had been involved in an auto accident at home. The next day, Nicklaus bounced back with 66.
That wasn't happening here for the Golden Bear, winner of six Masters and 198 pro tournaments.
For Nicklaus, 63, a high score was not unexpected during the first round at wet Augusta National that played extremely long. Nicklaus made no excuses, however.
"The course was fine. The course wasn't much of a problem. I was," he said. "I missed on the short side (of the pin) all day. I had a lot of problems. I didn't play well."
Nicklaus made seven bogeys and three double bogeys and had no birdies. He had 44 on the front nine and needed 34 putts overall.
"A lot of guys played well out there," Nicklaus said. "I didn't play well. I got pretty close to what I deserved."
The start to Nicklaus' second round wasn't much better. He began on No.10 and made four straight bogeys, a birdie at the 14th and another at the 17th.
Nicklaus' score was not the worst. Tommy Aaron, who won the 1973 Masters, shot 92.
AMATEUR HOUR: Forgive Ricky Barnes if he was a bit in awe and given to stating the obvious.
"I think things went well," he said. "I'll take 69 every round and take my chances."
Since that would be 12 under par, he would take it and might very well win the tournament.
Barnes shot 3-under 69 in the first round, and the reigning U.S. Amateur champion was seven strokes better than two-time defending champion Tiger Woods.
"He made me feel relaxed," Barnes said. "He told me to enjoy myself and things will go my way."
Barnes, 22, is a senior at the University of Arizona. Earlier this year, he tied for 18th at the Chrysler Classic of Tucson. Last summer, he defeated Hunter Mahan 2 and 1 in the final of the U.S. Amateur. Mahan, who also qualified for the Masters because of that runner-up finish, shot 73.
WELCOME BACK: After missing the Masters last year for the first time since 1989, Clearwater's John Huston returned to a changed Augusta National.
"It's totally different," Huston said. "It's sloppy, wet. It's kind of gone the other way on me. I've gotten shorter, and this is very long. If the greens got hard, I don't think I could finish."
To give an idea of the length: Huston hit a good drive at the par-4 18th, which measures 465 yards. Into the wind, he had 228 yards and needed a 3-wood to get the ball on the front of the green.
Huston first played in the Masters in 1990 and finished third. In 12 appearances, he never missed the cut.
GOOD START: K.J. Choi, who won last fall's Tampa Bay Classic at Innisbrook, had an excellent start to his first Masters. In fact, it was the best start by a first-year player since 1953. Choi birdied the first three holes, matching the record set by Milon Marusic. Choi, however, could not sustain the success. He played the next 15 holes 7 over and shot 76.