There’s No Reason to Dog Woods Now

AUGUSTA, Ga. —  It’s Masters week, which means . . . so many pine trees, so many players, so many questions.

It is easier to find a corner on Washington Road that doesn’t have a fast-food restaurant than it is to pick a winner in this week’s Masters. All right, who said Tiger Woods?

The fact is, Woods hasn’t won the Masters every time he has played it. He did win in 1997, his first full year as a pro, but he tied for eighth in 1998, when Mark O’Meara won, and tied for 18th last year, when Jose Maria Olazabal won.

Even so, Woods clearly is the player to beat at Augusta National, just as he is virtually every time he tees it up.

And everybody knows it. Given his success so far this year, his length off the tee, Augusta National’s lack of rough, Woods’ new accuracy with iron shots and his proven ability to steer his golf ball into the hole on the diabolical greens, it’s hard not to pick him.

Still, it is also true that strange things happen at Augusta. Consider Scott Hoch’s missed two-footer in 1989, Larry Mize’s chip-in and a playoff victory in 1987, Greg Norman’s monumental collapse with a six-shot lead in 1996, Fred Couples’ ball hugging the slick grassy bank at No. 12 on the last day in 1992. Time and again, we have seen that you don’t have to crush the ball to win at Augusta (see Ben Crenshaw), but you absolutely have to be able to putt (see Crenshaw again).

Some players seem to do better at Augusta National than anywhere else (see Jay Haas), and others can’t seem to play the place at all (see Hal Sutton).

More often than not, the Masters gets a great champion, so if you’re handicapping the field, better keep that fact in mind as well.

But with the start of the Masters only two days away, there are some questions that need to be answered:

* Can Woods win it when everybody expects him to?

Let’s get serious. When Jack Nicklaus says he expects Woods to win more green jackets than Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer have won, combined--they have 10--that’s expecting a lot.

Let’s also get serious: Does anybody think Woods can’t do it?

* Is Ernie Els due to win another major?

There are 35 international players in the Masters field, the most ever. And Els might be the best of them, since he can hit it a ton and is strong enough to reach the green from trouble. Els is certainly capable of making putts, so it would be wise to keep an eye on him.

* Will a gust of wind blow away David Duval, who is as skinny as a flagstick?

Duval admits vanity is partially responsible for his recent weight loss, but he is raising eyebrows with his strict dieting. Advice: He should mix in a cheeseburger. He is going to need all of his strength to contend again, which he is more than capable of doing.

* How will Greg Norman celebrate his 20th Masters?

He’d better settle for a cake, because there isn’t going to be any six-shot lead on the last day, as there was in 1996. If there were any justice in the world, Norman would win the one tournament he covets above all others. Bulletin: There’s no justice.

* Will Jose Maria Olazabal successfully defend his title?

The short answer is no.

The longer answer is that it has been done only twice: Nicklaus in 1965-66 and Nick Faldo in 1989-90. A better question is whether Olazabal will punch a clubhouse wall if he plays poorly, as he did at last year’s U.S. Open.

* Can Davis Love III win after having finished second twice in the last five years?

This is a tricky one because Love has been tinkering with his swing and Augusta National isn’t the course you want to play while still working on your game. However, Love knows the layout well, feels comfortable here and when he’s on, can roll the ball with the best of them.

* Is Colin Montgomerie ever going to win a major?

Yes.

Will it be this week?

No.

* Is Nicklaus a factor?

Absolutely. He tied for sixth in 1998--he didn’t play in 1999 because of hip surgery--and is capable of anything, even at 60 and appearing in his 41st Masters.

* What’s the deal with Phil Mickelson?

He still hasn’t won a major at 29, but he says it’s what drives him. That should be good enough for anybody. Mickelson is most dangerous when few are expecting him to pull it off, which is what happened when he defeated Woods in the Buick Invitational in February at La Jolla.

There are more questions that certainly will follow. Just wait until the first ball is hit. But this gives us a good start.

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The Masters

* When

Thursday-Sunday

* Course

Augusta National, Augusta, Ga.

* 1999 champion

Jose Maria Olazabal

* Television

Thursday, USA, 1-3:30 p.m.

Friday, USA, 1-3:30 p.m.

Saturday, CBS, 12:30-3 p.m.

Sunday, CBS, 1-4 p.m.