AUGUSTA, Ga. — After suffering a double bogey on the fourth hole and a bogey on the next, Paul Casey thought he had seen his share of trouble. On No. 5 though, the Englishman sank to a new level, making a bogey on the 180-yard, par-3 sixth when his ball moved just as he was attempting his putt for par.
It was part of a stretch in which Casey went from 8-under par to even. He finished the day with a 79.
“It’s a tough, tough golf course, but I guess I broke 80,” Casey said. “Everybody makes mistakes; bogeys you can handle — doubles, it’s like everybody’s made one. But to have a ball move on you just when I thought I’d make a par, right the ship and end the bogey streak, that was — that’s out of your control and that’s very difficult to handle.”
Countryman Ian Poulter felt the same way after making double bogeys on the fifth, sixth and seventh holes.
“Fine; double, double,” Poulter said. “Stand on the next tee, hit it slightly right. Hits a tree and goes 80 yards right and farther back. I’ve got no shot, no number, no shot.
“I’ve got double, double, double, and I’m thinking, ‘You know, I haven’t — I’ve hit a couple of loose shots, but I really haven’t done an awful lot wrong there.’ ”
What’s the answer?
Casey and Poulter, like virtually every player in the field Sunday, were affected by winds that gusted to as high as 29 mph. The combination of that, along with the daunting challenge presented by Augusta National’s lightning-fast greens and the necessity of hitting precise shots, had some players wondering whether it was worth all the suffering.
“Zach (Johnson) brought that up,” said Boo Weekley, who was partnered with the defending champion for the final round. “He said if this were a regular event, like the John Deere, or whatever, and they had it here, how many players do you think would play this or skip it? I mean, think about it — to me, that’s a good question.”
More Boo.
Since qualifying for the tournament, Weekley, more of a hunting and fishing kind of guy, has insisted that playing in the Masters wouldn’t be a big deal. He changed his tune somewhat after his final round.
“Overall, I would say it was just amazing to be here,” Weekley said. “Looking at it, going back 12 years from now, looking at me working at the plant, I’ll be saying, ‘Hey, you know, I went to play in the Masters.’ ”
Moving on.
The next major championship will be the U.S. Open at Torrey Pines just outside San Diego. As was the case here at Augusta, Tiger Woods will likely be the favorite there based on his four straight Buick Invitational wins at the course. Phil Mickelson has his own connection there and also hopes to be in the mix.
“I’ve been playing practice rounds sporadically for some time now, so it’s already in the back of my mind,” said the left-hander, who finished in a tie for fifth this week. “Growing up there, that tournament means a lot to me, living in San Diego, playing high school matches at Torrey.”
Anthony Cotton, The Denver Post
