Georgia Golfer Makes Cut at 73rd Annual Masters Tournament

Larry Mize has made a comeback at the 73rd annual Masters Tournament, making the cut after the first two rounds, according to projections from tournament officials. Mize, an Augusta native, scored five-under-par 67 on Thursday and four-over-par 76 on Friday, his score slipping along with the scores of many other players.

Mize blamed wind for the higher scores on Friday.

Mize, who now lives in Columbus, won the Masters in 1987 and has only made the cut twice in the last ten years.

Ryuji Imada, who played on the University of Georgia golf team, also made the cut, but barely, according to the projections.

Oliver Wilson, who attended Augusta State University, and Stewart Cink, of Duluth, did not make the cut. Cink blamed both wind and pin placements by tournament officials for his score.

Chad Campbell Takes Lead at Masters With Record Five Birdies Despite Course Complaints

With a record five birdies on the first five holes, Chad Campbell took the lead at the Masters Tournament in the first round of play on Thursday.

Campbell finished the day at seven under par 65, followed by Jim Furyk and Hunter Mahan at six under par 66. Shingo Katayama and Larry Mize, an Augusta native, came in at five under par 67.

It was a day of low scores, despite complaints by Tiger Woods and other golfing legends that the lengthening of the course at Augusta National by 500 yards in the last decade had hurt the game, making those low scores far more difficult, especially on the back nine.

Billy Payne, the chairman of Augusta National, meanwhile, has said the course still needs a proper test in good weather, since high winds plagued the last rounds in both the 2007 and 2008 tournaments, the first since the last substantial changes were made in 2006.

The second round of play begins today.

Tiger Preps for 15th Masters After Eight Months Off From Game

Fans gather at the Masters leaderboard on Tuesday.

Practice rounds for the Masters Tournament are underway in Augusta, and Tiger Woods is back trying to get his fifth green jacket.

Woods made a comeback recently, winning the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill, Florida. That was his third tournament after knee surgery took him away from the game for eight months.

Woods spoke to reporters in Augusta on Tuesday.

Tiger Woods:

"I started hitting better and better, got my feel for the game again and went out and played at Bay Hill, which was nice. Those two tournaments prior to that allowed me to do that."

This is Woods's 15th Masters. He's matched with Stewart Cink, a player from Georgia and Jeev Milkha Singh in the first round of play on Thursday.


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Today is the last day of practice rounds. The Par 3 competition, a friendly game between golfers with their children serving as caddies, begins at 2 p.m. You can view it live at the Masters website. For more information on the Par 3 competition and the Masters, click here.

100 million watch Masters Tournament

About 100 million people across the world watched the Masters tournament on television last week, according to Augusta National Golf Club.

The tournament aired in more than 190 countries. Television viewership increased by about 15 percent from last year.

The Masters website also got 5.4 million unique hits, up from 4.7 million last year, they said.

Augusta National says it wants to grow the game of golf internationally.

For more information about the tournament, go to masters.org.

Immelman enters final round atop leaderboard at Masters in Augusta

Trevor Immelman enters the final round of the Masters Tournament in Augusta on Sunday atop the leaderboard again at 11-under par 205.

It's a huge comeback for the South African golfer, who was plagued with illness, and a stay in a hospital, during Masters Week in 2007. He managed to play that year, but ranked 55th.

Brandt Snedeker was second by the end of the third round on Saturday, scoring a 9-under-par 207.

Tiger Woods played better on Saturday, scoring 68. That comes after lackluster play in the first two rounds. He tees off in the final round on Sunday with a score of five-under-par 211.

Lightning interrupted the tournament for about 45 minutes during a thunderstorm on Saturday. The forecast for Sunday calls for sunny skies and a high of 68, but wind gusts up to 23 mph are predicted.

Greens are ready at Augusta, officials say

Officials of the Augusta National Golf Club say the course is ready for the Masters tournament, which begins Thursday.

"It is truly in magnificent condition, certainly the best turf conditions of any Masters I have personally experienced," says Billy Payne, chairman of the Augusta National and the Masters.

"We are constantly monitoring the moisture content, the firmness of the greens, and we want them to be as much as possible the same greens on Sunday as the players see when they arrive on Monday," says Fred Ridley, chairman of the tournament's competition committee.

There have been concerns about the course, after the area received three inches of rain. There is a chance of showers again this weekend.

In 2007, the players competed on a course that was dry, making it firmer and faster. Players also had to contend with windy conditions.

Zach Johnson pulled off a surprise victory that year, but ever since has encountered arguments that his win was a "fluke."

Par 3 Contest takes place in Augusta

Children served as caddies for their golfer dads Wednesday in the Par 3 Contest at the Augusta National Golf Club.

The friendly competition between current and former Masters competitors is a tradition. The Masters tournament begins Thursday in Augusta.

The Par 3 Contest was broadcast nationally for the first time this year.

Tournament organizers are also offering free tickets to the Masters for girls and boys ages 8-16 who come with a patron.

They say it's part of an initiative to get children interested in golf.

"I thought what a great combination. Bring kids to see their heroes and at the same time expose them to the great attributes of how our fans act and behave and enjoy the game of golf, that it was a win-win," says Billy Payne, the Masters chairman.

But females are not allowed to compete in the Masters.

Payne declined to comment on that, saying that matter was private.

Tiger Woods wants Grand Slam, starting with Masters in Augusta

Four-time Masters champion Tiger Woods says it's possible that he could win the Grand Slam, all four major golf championships, this year.

"I've done it before; I've won all four in a row," Woods told reporters at the Augusta National Golf Club on Tuesday. "Majority of my career, I think this is my 12th or 13th season out here, and nine of those years I've won five or more tournaments, so just got to win the right four."

But the championships are all in the same calendar year this time, and the Masters is the first tournament.

Two-time champion Phil Mickelson says it's not impossible, but he's skeptical.

"I think that's the most difficult feat in golf," said Mickelson. "I think it'd be pretty cool to see it done. The last tournament or two there would be some incredible pressure."

The defending champion, Zach Johnson, is not concentrating so much on the Grand Slam.

"If it even crossed my mind, and I can't recall if it did...it was in my mind briefly," said Johnson. "I'm pretty realistic about things."

Johnson won the Masters in 2007.

Tournament play starts Thursday.

The competitors played practice rounds on Monday and Tuesday.

Masters reaches out to youngsters

The Masters Tournament and Augusta National Golf Club will offer youngsters aged 8-16 a ticket to the Masters each year beginning in 2008.

Masters officials say one child will be allowed in on tournament days for each accredited patron.

The Masters will also televise its Par 3 Contest on ESPN on Wednesday, April 9, 2008. Children of the players serve as caddies in the contest, which is not a part of the official tournament.

Masters officials say these developments are part of a wider effort to reach out to a younger audience.

For more information about the Masters tournament, go to www.masters.org.