Some Say Augusta May Be Stretching It

DULUTH, Ga. —  It’s a couple of hours’ drive away, but Augusta National was still on a lot of players’ minds Tuesday because of last week’s announcement that the course, by lengthening nine holes, would be adding nearly 300 yards.

One of the critics: Tiger Woods, the defending Masters champion as well as the probable cause for the changes.

“I don’t necessarily agree with [the changes],” Woods said. “Especially the 18th hole being 60 yards longer. I mean, I can understand them wanting to make the golf course harder, yes, that’s fine . . . but I think they might have stretched it just a bit too much.”

The finishing hole at Augusta National will be a 466-yard par four.

Bernhard Langer, also a Masters champion, didn’t sound like much of a fan of the course alterations.

“I hate to see it go that way, where we end up to see who has the longest par four in the world or in the major championships. I don’t think we need to go that way.

“It’s not all about length.”

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Meanwhile, it was all about distance when Woods had an incident with an autograph hunter, who was just too close.

“Just an excited fan,” Woods said Tuesday. “A little kid with one of those unauthorized books and [he] just threw a book and hit me right in the mouth. But I’m still here.”

The incident happened Monday, after his practice round, when Woods was walking off the ninth green and heading toward the clubhouse. Woods was not hurt.

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Woods will play the first two rounds with the winners of the two other majors this year--U.S. Open champion Retief Goosen and British Open champion David Duval.

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Jerry Pate, who won the 1976 U.S. Open at Atlanta Athletic Club, says Curtis Strange’s nickname in college was Brutus.

“He was always gruff and tough on the outside,” Pate said. “He wasn’t on the inside. He was a very, very sensitive and caring person. That’s why I think he will make a great captain for the Ryder Cup.”

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The first player on the course for his practice round Tuesday? Not Woods nor his partner Mark O’Meara, but Thomas Bjorn, who teed it up at 6:35 a.m., 10 minutes ahead of Woods and O’Meara.

“But we played through,” Woods joked.