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Augusta 1, Field 0

Davis Love avoids bogey to top a tight pack, but the tougher course is the leader after the opening round.

By BOB HARIG, Times Staff Writer
© St. Petersburg Times
published April 12, 2002

AUGUSTA, Ga. -- The titanium shafts and juiced-up balls were out in full force, so it wasn't as if the first round of the Masters was played with hickory sticks and gutta percha. But Thursday's action set a distinct tone: It's a different game at Augusta National.

On an overcast day with cool temperatures and moist greens that made for perfect scoring, the best players in the world didn't exactly light up the scoreboard.

So far the golf course is winning, just as Masters officials intended.

Davis Love, at 37 still considered among the game's longest hitters, negotiated the newly-configured 7,270-yard layout without a bogey, shooting 5-under-par 67 to take a one-shot lead over big-bombers Sergio Garcia and Angel Cabrera.

At 69, Phil Mickelson, Retief Goosen and Padraig Harrington were the only others to shoot in the 60s and were two behind. In all, there were 21 players within four shots of Love. Fourteen players shot in the 60s in last year's opening round compared with six on Thursday.

"That's how the course is set up now," said Jesper Parnevik, who shot 70 and was in an 11-way tie for seventh with defending champion Tiger Woods. "A lot of guys are going to play a little bit safer, and they are just going to bunch up the field a little bit more than in the past. To see a guy shoot 63 or 64 ... that's going to be tougher to do now."

Augusta National took its toll on Arnold Palmer, 72, the four-time champion who shot 89 and said he will play his last Masters round today.

Bulldozers have made the course into a bully, adding 285 yards since Woods won last year at 272, 16 under par.

Of nine holes that were lengthened -- Nos. 1, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 13, 14 and 18 -- only the first, 10th and 11th had a lower scoring average Thursday than in the first round of the past five tournaments. Only the 10th played easier than last year.

And the best players rose to the challenge. Ten of the top 12 in the World Ranking were within three shots of the lead.

"The whole test always used to be on the greens and around the greens," said Ernie Els, who shot 70. "Now it's everywhere. You have to be accurate off the tee. You have got to place it. You have really got to play well to break 70 now."

That Love played well came as a bit of a surprise, although not to him. The 14-time PGA Tour winner, who captured the 1997 PGA Championship for his only major title, had missed his past two cuts and missed five cuts in eight full-field events this year. Last week at the BellSouth Classic he made 11 birdies in two days but missed the cut by three. Love has five top-10s at the Masters in the past seven years, including second in 1995 and '99, and he said his golf has been better than it looked.

"I'm not shocked at the way I played; I'm shocked at the way I've played the last four weeks," he said. "Because I've really been swinging much better.

"It was nice to catch it on a calm day and a damp day. I know that the pace of the greens will pick up and the fine edge will pick up. It will get tougher."

Love made birdies at the second, third and ninth holes to shoot a front-nine 33. He hit his tee shot into the woods at the par-5 13th but played safely out and made par. At the par-4 14th he hit 6-iron to within a foot for an easy birdie and two-putted the par-5 15th for another birdie.

"I promised myself this week that no matter where I hit it, I was going to try to hit the next one better and be patient with myself and enjoy playing the game," Love said. "I don't think I've enjoyed playing. I've been pushing too hard and trying to make things happen, rather than just enjoy playing."

Woods started out like he would continue his pace from last year, when he captured his fourth straight major championship and won his second green jacket. He birdied three holes in a row starting at the third, then struggled with his driver. After dropping to par he birdied the 15th and 17th holes for 70.

"I just kind of grinded my way around the golf course, made a couple of mistakes here and there and stayed very patient," Woods said. "I didn't hit the best shots, but I just hung in there."

Harrington, a European Ryder Cup team player from Ireland, shot 31 on the front side and moved to 6 under par through 12 holes. He found the water at the par-5 13th, the trees at the 14th and missed the green at the 18th to shoot 69.

Mickelson's round could have been better, as he missed short putts at the 12th and 16th holes. He declined comment afterward.

"I think the harder the course, the better you have to play, and the better player is going to come out on top," Garcia said. "Just look at the scores. This field is unbelievable, and it shows. The course is playing tough."

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