AUGUSTA – Tiger Woods’ pursuit of an unprecedented Masters three-peat begins in earnest at 10:44 this morning as he tees off with U.S. Amateur champion Ricky Barnes and Argentine Angel Cabrera in the first round.
Can he do it, become the first player in the 70-year history of this venerable major to win it three years in a row?
“I would not be surprised in the least if he won again,” Jack Nicklaus said yesterday. “He never ceases to amaze me.”
Or anyone else.
“He can win anything,” Nick Price said. “We can play this thing down the middle of Washington Road, cut holes in it and he’d probably win.”
Woods, who has won the Green Jacket in 1997, 2001 and 2002, enters the week riding a record string of sub-par rounds at the Masters (10).
Only two others have had a chance to three-peat here – Nicklaus in 1967 and Nick Faldo in 1991. Both failed.
“I hope [Woods] doesn’t do it,” Faldo told the Augusta Chronicle recently. “I want the three of us to share that record – me, Jack and Tiger. I don’t want it to be him . . . and oh, those other two guys won it twice.”
Nicklaus is not only prepared to applaud Woods for breaking his records, he expects him to.
“I want to be the first one to shake his hand when he breaks my record (for 18 major championships).
“What I’ve always liked about Tiger is his work ethic,” Nicklaus continued. “I like his focus. He wants to be the best. I wanted to be the best, too, but he really has pushed everything else aside to do that, and more power to him.”
Arnold Palmer said, “If he wins . . . this would come close to matching most of the great feats in golf.”
Woods, asked where he would rank winning three Masters titles in a row, said, “It would fall right behind the Slam,” referring to his winning four successive major titles from 2000-2001.
Think the history-hungry Woods, who craves winning major championships the way George Steinbrenner craves World Series titles, is motivated this week?
“Only two other people have done what he’s done, winning this tournament back-to-back,” Phil Mickelson said. “He’s attempting to do something that’s never been done, but that’s never stopped him before. In fact, it’s been a motivating factor – to do things that have never been done.
“So,” Mickelson surmised, “I would be surprised if he played less than his best.”
Mickelson’s expectation of more Woods greatness is rampant, even amongst his closest rivals.
“We’re just going to have to hope we catch him on an off week,” said Retief Goosen, the 2001 U.S. Open winner and Masters runner-up to Woods last year.
“He’s done so many amazing things; [a three-peat] would just be another one,” said Ernie Els, a distant No. 2 in the world behind Woods. “Hopefully, it doesn’t happen, but he’s probably got a very good chance of winning again. But I don’t want to think about him winning three in a row; I would like to win my first one.”
Woods, who shows no mercy to fellow competitors, will press on this week with the single-mindedness of an assassin.
“No one’s ever done it before,” Woods said of the Masters three-peat. “I’ve been able to do certain things in golf that no one’s ever done before, and if you’re ever in that position you want to take advantage of it, because it doesn’t happen all the time.”
WIDEST MARGIN OF VICTORY
12 strokes, Tiger Woods
LOWEST ROUND
63, Nick Price, 1986
Greg Norman, 1996
LOWEST 72 HOLES
270, Tiger Woods, 1997
HIGEST SCORE, ONE HOLE
13, Tom Weiskopf, No. 12, 1980
Tommy Nakajima, No. 13, 1978
MOST BIRDIES
One round
10, Nick Price, 1986
Tournament
25, Phil Mickelson, 2001
MOST CONSECUTIVE BIRDIES
7, Steve Pate, 1999
BIRDIES TO WIN MASTERS
Art Wall, 1959
Arnold Palmer, 1960
Gary Player, 1978
Sandy Lyle, 1988
Mark O’Meara, 1998
YOUNGEST WINNER
21 years, 3 months, 14 days: Tiger Woods, 1997
OLDEST WINNER
46 years, 2 months, 23 days: Jack Nicklaus, 1986
WIRE-TO-WIRE CHAMPS
Craig Wood, 1941
Arnold Palmer, 1960
Jack Nicklaus, 1972
Raymond Floyd, 1976
THIRD AND WRONG
Tiger Woods is trying to become first golfer to win third straight Masters. Jack Nicklaus and Nick Faldo are the only others to have won two in a row. Here’s a look at three fared in their back-to-back wins, and how Nicklaus and Faldo did in their three-peat bids:
TIGER WOODS
Two good
Year Score Won by
2001 272 2 strokes
2002 276 3 strokes
JACK NICKLAUS
Two good
Year Score Won by
1965 271 9 strokes
1966 288 3-way playoff vs.Tommy Jacobs, Gary Brewer Jr.
Third time’s a harm
Year Score Lost by
1967 Missed the cut
NICK FALDO
Two good
Year Score Won by
1989 285 Playoff vs. Scott Hoch
1990 278 Playoff vs. Raymond Floyd
Third time’s a harm
Year Score Lost by
1991 T12 5 strokes
