Weather Concerns Come to the Fore As Start of Masters Nears

The temperature was 40 degrees, and the wind was blowing in their faces at 25 mph. To their left, the flag on the ninth hole was stiff but still flapping. Could this be a warm-up for The Masters, which begins Thursday, or long-range preparation for the British Open in July?
The answer depends on who was fielding the question.
“It wasn't bad,” said Mickelson, a two-time Masters winner. “It was cold and windy, but it was fun.”
Tiger Woods, who didn't bother to practice in the conditions, said, “With these conditions, this looks more like a British Open press conference than a Masters press conference.”
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Since Augusta National was modified over a seven-year period from 1999 to 2006 with light rough and an additional 400 yards, a common complaint among players is that the course has changed for the worse.
It's too narrow; it's too long (7,435 yards, 10 fewer than last year); it's a near clone of the yearly U.S. Open venue, where par is a good score and the victor merely survives.
This is not what people like to see at The Masters, steeped in tradition and flush with memories, including the sounds of Arnold Palmer, Gary Player and Jack Nicklaus charging to victory on Sunday's back nine.
Woods is in the camp that says the character of the course, and the tournament, has been altered. Mickelson and defending champion Trevor Immelman say things have changed but that the glory days of Arnie, Jack and Gary can be revived.
All agree a key element is weather, which always has been a factor, but the course changes have magnified the effects of a rainy, windy, cold day.
“You could say a British Open would do that, but certainly not like this,” Woods said. “You can get any kind of wind around this place.”
The weather seems to come in cycles. In recent years it has been exceptionally windy and cold, if not for the whole tournament, then part of it.
In 2007, when Zach Johnson bested Woods and two other players by two strokes, conditions were sunny but unseasonably cold and windy. The final round was played in temperatures in the 40s and 50s with wind gusts up to 33 mph.
Woods shot par 72 in each of the last two rounds and never really made a move. Johnson rallied for a 69 in the final round to overcome a 76 in the third.
Last year, Immelman played the first three rounds in 11-under par, then hung on during a windy Sunday with a 75 to beat Woods by three strokes. Again, the best Woods could do was match par on Sunday.
Immelman said complaints about the changes are an overreaction, noting that a leader at 11 under in a major championship is a rare thing.
“When you get high winds, it's tough and intimidating out there,” he said. “On your second shots you really only have 3 or 4 yards to work with. When you get gusting, 30-mph wind with 60-feet high pine trees, that 4-yard gap shrinks. You obviously see higher scores.”
Immelman is describing exactly what Augusta National wanted to see when it went down the road of adding distance to the course to offset the modern golfer's advantage.
In the late 1990s, critics said the course was too short; golfers were playing the par-4s in a driver and a wedge, and the original challenges had been negated by better athletes playing with better equipment.
The added length, of course, was only one of the key changes. The rough, although light, is a factor because it narrows the fairways. And a few new trees have altered some angles and cut down some options, renewing the emphasis on accuracy, which was an intent of the changes.
Officials have made some adjustments in response. No. 1 is 10 yards shorter on the scorecard this year, which Woods says makes a big difference on the opening hole. Drives now can reach the crest of the hill and release toward the green rather than landing in the face of the hill and stopping. Officials can be more flexible with tee boxes on other holes.
Mickelson thinks this weekend could provide an accurate assessment of just where the players stand on the current version of Augusta National. The weather is expected to be warmer and less windy Thursday through Sunday.
“In that case,” Mickelson said, “the course will play much shorter than we saw in the last couple of years. We will see some low scores.”