Love Those Changes

AUGUSTA, Ga. — It was only one day, one round, 18 holes, but if you wanted to project a winner at the Masters, feel free to start right now. The course won. That would be the beefed-up Augusta National and it’s exactly the result officials hoped for once they fired up the chainsaws and bulldozers to start the makeover last June.

At the end of a long, gray opening day Thursday, Davis Love III stood at the front of the class with a five-under-par 67, worth a one-shot lead over Sergio Garcia and Angel Cabrera. But there were only three other scores in the 60s--Phil Mickelson, Retief Goosen and Padraig Harrington had 69s.

We should be looking at it this way: It counts as an upset when you have a total of six rounds in the 60s on a day with no wind and greens softer than a down pillow. By comparison, there were 14 on Thursday last year.

How Love managed to work his way to the top is at least halfway surprising because he has missed the cut his last two times out. The leader has a slightly different spin on it.

“I’m not shocked the way I played today,” he said. “I’m shocked at the way I’ve played the last four weeks, because I’ve really been swinging much better.”

Love had five birdies and not a single bogey, although he came close at the 18th when he hit his drive into the trees. From there, Love smacked a high draw, carried the front bunker and landed the ball on the green.

He made par and gave thanks to Augusta National for an acute sense of good timing.

“It’s nice to catch it on a calm day and a damp day,” he said. “I don’t know if they will get it back to what they had Sunday and Monday, which may be good for all of us that they don’t get it back to that.”

At least for one day, the prediction that long-ball hitters would dominate turned out to be true. Nearly every player at par or better is a bomber with the exception of Brad Faxon and Justin Leonard, and they both have great short games and can putt.

Tiger Woods leads a group of 11 at two-under 70 that also includes Ernie Els, Jose Maria Olazabal, Darren Clarke, Vijay Singh, Nick Price, Miguel Jimenez, Scott Verplank, Jesper Parnevik, Chris DiMarco and Leonard.

Woods spent a busy day wringing his 70 out of the place and felt that was about all he could have hoped for.

“I just kind of grinded my way around the golf course, made a couple of mistakes here and there, but just hung in there and stayed very patient,” he said.

He was three under after five holes, but didn’t get another birdie until the par-five 15th when he hit a four-iron second shot just over the green. He also birdied the 17th and saved par at the 18th after his three-wood off the tee went left into some trees.

Anything at par or a little better would have been fine, he said, so he was far from disappointed.

“The first round of a major championship, you don’t want to put yourself out of the tournament,” he said.

Love has been in the driver’s seat before, only not that often. It was the third time in his 17-year career that he has led the first round of a major. The other times were the 1997 PGA Championship at Winged Foot (when he co-led with John Daly and went on to his only major title) and the 1999 Masters (when he co-led with Price, Scott McCarron and Brandel Chamblee).

No one could argue that the big hitters had the biggest days in the first round. For instance, Cabrera led the European Tour in driving last year. And Garcia was No. 1 on the PGA Tour in total driving last year. Garcia dropped out of a share for the lead when he made a bogey at the 18th, but that’s going to happen sometimes, he said.

What he would rather talk about is how far the ball goes when it’s on the tee--and whether that’s a good thing. The answer: Of course.

“Right now, the longer you hit it, the better,” he said. “But you’ve still got to hit it straight. You don’t want to be coming up to these greens from the trees.

“I mean, if you hit it long, of course it’s an advantage.”

The average score Thursday was 74.118, or basically two over. Last year, the average first-round score was 73.161, led by DiMarco’s 65. There were 32 under-par scores in the first round a year ago, 21 on Thursday.

The ninth hole, which at 460 yards is 30 yards longer, was the hardest hole Thursday, averaging 4.352. Last year, it was the only 10th hardest. The other big change was at 18, where it played 60 yards longer at 460. Last year, it was 13th hardest in the first round at 4.014 and this year it was fifth, at 4.261.

Meanwhile, at one under was Greg Norman. The 47-year-old Shark, who got into the tournament with a special invitation, three-putted the last hole for a bogey. Like Woods, Norman wanted to shoot something around par and stay close to the leaders.

“The back nine is not giving up as many birdies as it used to give up,” said Norman, who has had his share of close calls at the Masters.

“I don’t know whether there is any such fact as something owes you something. There’s a lot way to go yet. There’s a lot of water to go over the dam between now and Sunday night.”

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(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX)

The 66th Masters

First round at Augusta National Golf Club

Length: 7,270 yards; Par: 36-36--72

*--* LEADERS

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*--* Davis Love III...33-34--67 -5 Sergio Garcia...34-34--68 -4 Angel Cabrera...34-34--68 -4 Retief Goosen...36-33--69 -3 Padraig Harrington...31-38--69 -3 Phil Mickelson...34-35--69 -3

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*--* OTHERS

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*--* Tiger Woods...34-36--70 -2 Jose Maria Olazabal...35-35--70 -2 Ernie Els...37-33--70 -2 Jesper Parnevik...37-33--70 -2 Nick Price...35-35--70 -2 Vijay Singh...35-35--70 -2 Tom Watson...35-36--71 -1 Greg Norman...36-35--71 -1 Fred Couples...40-33--73 +1 David Toms...35-38--73 +1 David Duval...39-35--74 +2 Lee Janzen...37-37--74 +2 John Daly...34-40--74 +2 Nick Faldo...38-37--75 +3 Arnold Palmer...48-41--89 +17

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*--* RELATED STORY

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End of an era: After struggling to an 89, Palmer says today will be his last round at Augusta. D8