Masters 1999: Roberts: It's not your father's Augusta

ALSO SEE
Trio took center stage at Augusta

Players to watch

Monday, Apr. 5 5:08pm ET
Roberts: It's not your father's Augusta
By Jimmy Roberts
Special to ESPN Golf Online
AUGUSTA, Ga. -- If you take a stroll out into what the good folks in the green jackets have been referring to as "the second cut", you'll be relieved to know that you can still see your shoelaces. The new rough at Augusta National really doesn't amount to much (an additional ¾-inch is the party line) in terms of aesthetics. And we're not about to witness a parade of players having to hack out of the deep stuff and then figure out a way to get up and down.

Fred Couples
Fred Couples played from the weeds last year; this year, his ball might get caught up in the longer fairway rough.
For a hacker like me (maybe you, too), this "rough" would be just what the doctor ordered: enough grass to make the ball sit up; certainly not enough to bury it. But my game (and likely yours) bears no resemblance to those of the players who receive invitations to the Masters. They probably wouldn't mind hitting it off cement. The tighter the lie, the more they are able to spin the ball and thus make it stop on slick greens. The shaggier the lie, the less control.
Considering the speed and undulation of the putting surfaces at Augusta National, too many shots hit out of this "hackers fairway" could very likely shift a player's concern from getting fitted for a green jacket to the following question: "Can you get me an aisle seat on that Friday night Delta flight from Augusta?"
Needless to say, it could change everything.
Think about it: Every year, we get to this point -- and sure as the azaleas will bloom around Amen Corner -- discussion begins as to just who might end the week with a new blazer. Generally, the speculation centers around the usual suspects: players whose games suit Augusta National -- long, high-ball hitters who can putt. As they say, there are horses for courses.
One thing which has never been Topic A in the dialogue are players whose strength is driving it straight. After all, the way the carpet lies at The National, you could hit it just about anywhere off the tees and still not necessarily hurt your chances. The irrefutable proof of this theory can be summed up in a total of just two words: Seve and Ballesteros.
But now, with the new nature of the Augusta agronomy, should we perhaps be shifting our focus to a different type of player?
Take the case of Payne Stewart. He's played in The Masters 14 times and it has never really been his type of place. He has two top 10s, but mostly a bunch of finishes in the middle to the back of the pack.
But put him on a course that demands straight driving as well as good putting and the result is entirely different. Stewart has played in the U.S. Open 15 times. He has six top 10s, including a win in 1991.
Ernie Els is the same way. In five cracks at The Masters, he has but a single top 10. The open though is a different story. Of course he's won twice, but the only time in six tries he finished out of the top 10 was last year, when he played with an injured back.
"It absolutely puts more of a premium on driving the ball," says Justin Leonard. "Before, (on your drive) you could blow it and have the same type of lie as some guy whose in the middle of the fairway. Now, that's not going to happen."
Scott McCarron, who has played five practice rounds at The National over the last two weekends, agrees -- at least theoretically:
"It will definitely make a difference," he said. "No doubt about it. But the problem is the greens are not hard and fast."
Not yet. But they seem to have a way of getting that way by Thursday.
Maybe the rough will amount to nothing, as some of the players contend. But maybe it will mean that no matter how many times someone has teed it up here -- and no matter how much success he might have had before -- this week will be like going to an entirely new course, one where the demands are considerably different than the Augusta National they used to know. Maybe this "new" course will bring a few different horses into the race.
But then again, maybe none of it will matter much if David Duval continues to play the way he is playing.