Golf

Leaders prove length isn't the only factor

Tiger Woods said it favored someone who hit the ball long and high. Ernie Els said the course was playing like 7,600 yards. Nick Price complained Augusta National was set up in such a way that only the longest of hitters could win. Two-time Masters champion Jose Maria Olazabal said if Masters founder Bobby Jones were alive, "he would not be happy."

So forgive us if we bought into the talk that only a big hitter, in the mold of Woods, Els, Phil Mickelson or Davis Love, could win the Masters.

It sure sounded good.

More than 300 yards has been added to the famous course in the past two years. Add in last week's soggy conditions, and hitting it a long way appeared even more imperative.

Then you look at the final standings. Mike Weir, the winner, was 100th in driving distance on the PGA Tour last year. Runner-up Len Mattiace was 130th. Mickelson finished third, but was followed by average-to-short hitters Jim Furyk (173rd) and Jeff Maggert (150th).

Big hitters Els and Vijay Singh tied for sixth, but they were followed by Mark O'Meara, Olazabal, David Toms and Scott Verplank -- not a long driver among them.

"With the amount of rough (at Augusta), it really puts a premium on being in the fairway," said Maggert, who shot a third-round 66. "I think it's still a golf management type of course. You don't have to hit it 300 yards to play well. You have to play smart. You have to give yourself opportunities."

Weir showed just how important a strong wedge game and putter can be at Augusta. Trailing by three strokes at the par-5 15th, he knocked a wedge from 92 yards to 4 feet and converted. He made testy par putts at the 17th and 18th holes, including a 6-footer at the last that he said "I wouldn't wish on anybody."

So much for the long ball.

CANADIAN CHAMP: Weir became the first Canadian to win a major championship -- the first Canadian man, that is. Sandra Post won the 1968 LPGA Championship.

PUTTING HELP: When he failed to post a top-10 last year, Weir got all kinds of advice, mainly through his Web site, www.mikeweir.com. "There was a lady from Toronto who was making me a wooden-shafted putter," Weir said. "She'd figured out what was going wrong with my putting and how she was going to help me." The letter of advice and putter never arrived, Weir said. "It might have been a hockey stick she was going to send me, for all I know," he said. "I'd love to see what she thinks now." Weir has improved his putting average from 121st to seventh.

AROUND GOLF: Despite a slip in the ratings from last year, when Woods won for the second straight time, Sunday's final round drew the third-most viewers in Masters history (34.5-million). ... Annika Sorenstam defends one of her 11 LPGA titles starting today at the Takefuji Classic, where she won't have much of an advantage. The tournament was played in Hawaii last year but has moved to Las Vegas. ... Mickelson's third straight third-place finish at the Masters was his 17th top-10 finish in a major championship, tying him for second with MacDonald Smith among players who never have won a major. Ed Dudley holds the record. He had 19 top-10s without winning a major, including seven at the Masters. Mickelson also has seven top-10s at the Masters.

LOCALLY: Local qualifying for the Buick Scramble National Championship is Tuesday at Feather Sound in Clearwater. Four-person teams with a certified USGA handicap are eligible for the competition, which concludes Oct.8-12 at the Grande Lakes Resort in Orlando, where Woods will present the winners with a trophy. Entry fee is $50 plus cart fees. For more information, call (727) 573-6677 or visit www.buickscramble.com. ... The Ninth Annual Innisbrook Two-Man Championship is May10-11 on the resort's Island and Copperhead courses. For more information, call (727) 942-3737. ... The UPN Ch.44 Mike Alstott Celebrity Golf Tournament is May12 at Bardmoor Golf Club in Largo. The four-person scramble is $600 per team. For more information, call (727) 392-1234, ext. 201.

-- Information from other news organizations was used in this report.

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