Times wires
Thursday, April 7, 2011
A new position for Quiros
Co-leader Alvaro Quiros has a little less experience in marquee tournaments than Rory McIlroy, who has finished third three times in majors. The 28-year-old Spaniard has won five times on the European Tour but has struggled in majors. Known as one of the longest hitters in the world, Quiros missed six cuts in his first eight major appearances. That includes both previous appearances in Augusta, where he had never shot better than 75. Asked whether he glanced at the leaderboard during his first round, Quiros replied, "That would be stupid." He finished his round by sticking his approach shot on 18 to within 3 feet and quickly finished off a birdie for his 65. "I was talking with my caddie about it, walking the 18th hole," Quiros said. "Because normally, I'm watching this situation through the TV sitting on my sofa."
Extra practice for Mickelson
Immediately after his round of 2-under 70, defending champion Phil Mickelson headed for the driving range.
Mickelson was erratic off the tee, hitting shots into the Georgia pines and spraying one so far into the azaleas left of the 13th fairway that he looked like he was on an Easter egg hunt as he searched for his ball. He hit only four fairways, last in the field of 99 players.
As always, his superb chipping kept him from dropping shots on three straight holes around the turn.
"I didn't shoot myself out of it, but I didn't make up ground on the field like I wanted," Mickelson said.
Tiger satisfied, all things considered
Tiger Woods wasn't near the lead, but at least he wasn't out of contention. Mired in the longest winless streak of his career, he made a long putt at No. 14, lipped out several others and finished with 1-under 71. He considered it a promising start.
"I'd rather be where Rory (McIlroy) is," Woods said, glancing at the scoreboard from behind the 18th green. "But, hey, there's a long way to go. We've got a long grind ahead of us. … I'm very pleased. I'm right there in the ball game. I'm only six back."
America's hopes
Matt Kuchar's name isn't a likely response to the question of who is America's best golfer at the moment. The former Georgia Tech All-American, however, just might be playing better than any of his countrymen. Kuchar, above, backed up 16 months of stellar play with 4-under 68 and was tied for fifth with Ricky Barnes, both former U.S. Amateur champions, as the top-scoring Americans in the field. "I felt solid out there," said Kuchar. "I didn't feel like I was doing a whole lot of grinding. It felt like a lot of good opportunities."
First: Arnie, Jack
Thousands gathered around the first tee and lined both sides of the fairway to watch Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer hit the traditional first drives. Palmer has four green jackets; Nicklaus six. "I wasn't nervous, I just couldn't see it," Nicklaus, 71, said of his opening drive that went about 40 yards past Palmer's 170-yarder. Nicklaus said as they warmed up on the practice range, Palmer, 81, noted that he first hit shots at Augusta in 1955; Nicklaus arrived in 1959 as an amateur. "That's 56 and 52 years. That's a long time," Nicklaus said of the 108 appearances. "I guess it's still kind of fun to lop it off the first tee and be part of a great event." Asked if he still got a bit nervous on the first tee, Palmer smiled and said, "I sure do. When I stop getting nervous, I won't be here."
It's easy being green
The answer is yes. Rickie Fowler was wearing head-to-toe Masters green during his round of 2-under 70. Well, Puma's version of Masters green. "That's what we're trying to do," he said. "I told Puma we wanted to do it; get as close as we can. And they were all for it."
And? Fowler grabbed the real green jacket sleeve of Masters member Rob Johnston and compared. "A little lighter," he said. Today's color for the always colorfully dressed 22-year-old American is blue — with a stripe of wild colors — followed by a lighter green Saturday and his traditional Sunday outfit of Oklahoma State orange.
That orange wouldn't look too good with a green jacket would it?
"Everything looks good with a green jacket," Fowler said, grinning.
One thing he won't be doing is wearing his hat backward. He tried that in the interview room before the tournament, only to be told by a Masters official to turn it around before he answered questions.
Even a Masters rookie knows to listen when the other people in green speak. "Around here, it's forwards," Fowler said.