Nine of Augusta’s holes have been stretched out and the famous par-72 layout now measures 7,270 yards after what is widely considered the biggest overhaul in the tournament’s 68-year history.
Initial reactions to the changes have been mixed. World number one Woods thinks the course could play a couple of shots harder than last year, twice British Open champion Greg Norman believes the changes are near-perfect and 2002 Masters winner Vijay Singh doubts if the shorter hitters will be able to reach the 18th green in two shots.
There is widespread agreement, though, that the Augusta of 2002 will require very close monitoring and the course, as initially envisaged by its creator Bobby Jones, will provide a challenging test of shot-making with each hole offering a delicate balance between risk and reward.
“It’s one heck of a test,” said the 26-year-old Woods, who is bidding to become the third back-to-back winner of the cherished green jacket after Jack Nicklaus in 1966 and Nick Faldo in 1990.
The full effects of the new-look extra-long Augusta National will be revealed, though, when the 66th edition of the U.S. Masters gets underway this Thursday.
FESTIVE MOOD: They line Washington Avenue waving fistfuls of hundred dollar bills. They approach you in restaurants and slip business cards in your hand.
They are camped under tents and umbrellas next to the Interstate off ramp that leads to Augusta National, their pleas for tickets stencilled on shirts, scribbled on cigarette packets and painted on billboards.
Men with canes and women with walkers chase cars, trucks, buses or anything else with a pair of tickets dangling from the window willing to pay what it takes for a glance down Magnolia Avenue.
Some shell out as much as $5,000 for a four-day badge that patrons obtain for $125.
Each year the Augusta National Golf Club distributes tickets to those on its patron’s list, which has been closed since 1972.—Reuters