Shake, Rattle and Roll

Filed in archive Golf News on April 8, 2007

Courtesy: AP

The 2007 Masters has become a weather tournament, not a golf tournament.

Round three was another day that the winds blew - chilly this time, because they were out of the north and west - and they blew even harder in the latter part of Saturday afternoon.

And the leaderboard was a summation of who plays well in wind and who doesn't: Stuart Appleby, the Aussie who learned how to tame the winds in his native country; Justin Rose - the winds blow often in Great Britain; Tiger Woods - who plays well in any conditions; Bradley Dredge from Wales, Padraig Harrington from Ireland, Retief Goosen who is South African and a stand-out on the often windy European Tour.

Scores rose and on day three of this Masters tournament, only one player was under par.

After three days of play, NO ONE was under par.

Augusta remains the one golf course in America that is truly a split personality. When the rains fall to soften the greens and the winds are mere breezes, the course is tamed by the strength and distance of today's players.

That's when the executive committee start plans to plant trees or lengthen holes.

But when the winds blow steadily and there is no rain, Augusta's legendary greens take control.

It's not just that they are hard and grow faster as winds dry them out. It's the subtle undulations and little crests where pins are often placed that drive the players crazy.

Hit an approach as little as a foot away from the ideal landing zone and you're in deep trouble. Like Geoff Ogilvy, who took a 9 on the par 4, 15th hole on Saturday. He watched as two approach shots with a wedge spun back off the front apron and into the pond.

A 9!!

Today, the weather forecast is for continuing winds and temperatures that will be a little warmer. But no rain. The greens will likely get a spraying from the staff, that's all.

However, it's Sunday at Augusta. Now the nerves start to take over. And the leaderboard is going to look a lot different today than it did at the end of play yesterday.