Augusta, Ga. – For all the chatter about the “new” Augusta National, the opening round of the Masters surprisingly, refreshingly – even touchingly – proved to be an ode to the past.
After years of being marred by inclement weather, Thursday provided delightful conditions, which in turn made the course play dry, fast and, to the relief of many, accessible.
“The golf course was there for the taking,” David Toms said. “It probably played as short as it’s going to play all week.”
The man who took the greatest advantage was Vijay Singh. The champion here in 2000, Singh’s 2006 season has been marked by an odd malady for a player known for his work ethic and fluid swing – inconsistent ball striking. That wasn’t an issue Thursday; Singh fashioned a 5-under-par 67, just one of three sub-70 rounds on the day.
One shot behind Singh was a player not heard from much of late, Rocco Mediate. Mediate, who suffers from chronic back problems, was last a winner on the PGA Tour almost four years ago. Entering the Masters, he had missed the cut in four of six events this year, with a top finish of a tie for 48th in the other two.
“I was very excited to play this week because I knew I was striking the ball better and my body is feeling a lot better,” he said. “It’s fun to play with some semblance of a clue on what was going on with my golf swing.”
At 54, Ben Crenshaw has become much more renowned for his golf architecture than his golf swing.
His last victory, either on the PGA Tour or that mulligan for the game’s seniors, the Champions Tour, came in the 1995 Masters. Thursday however, Crenshaw was one of the big stories, going around the beefed-up, 7,445-yard course in 1-under 71, tied for eighth.
“I felt that I had to have a few miracles happen out here – there were a few out there,” he said of his round.
Moments later, Crenshaw was asked if it was possible for a man on the backside of his career to come up with the biggest miracle of all – a victory.
“It’s doubtful. I wish it was different, but it’s doubtful,” he said. “I’ve had my time here.”
After that dramatic win in 1995, coming just days after the death of his friend and mentor, Harvey Penick, Crenshaw – who also won the tournament in 1984 – was comforted on the 18th green by his longtime caddie here, Carl Jackson. Five years later, it would be Crenshaw providing the helping hand to Jackson, imploring him to see a doctor for treatment of his colon cancer.
“I really thought I was going to die,” Jackson said. “There was a lady doctor who said she had a new treatment, but I had told her to just let me go. I thought we were just running up a big bill. But Ben gave me a call.”
His illness now in remission, Jackson, a native of Augusta, made the trip over yonder to tote his friend’s bag for the 30th time. Given his recent track record, no one afforded Crenshaw much of a chance on the daunting expanse. Jackson, however, felt a little differently.
“All I can go by is what I see,” he said, “and I saw a lot of good golf swings. It wasn’t wishful thinking.”
But it was certainly a wistful day, one in which everything – the course changes, the spectacular colors and all the memories that seem to well up from every corner of the grounds – made perfect sense.
“There’s no other golf course like this anywhere,” Crenshaw said. “Never has been.”
Staff writer Anthony Cotton can be reached at 303-820-1292 or acotton@denverpost.com.
