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.


Hear Tiger Woods talk about his comeback, his thoughts on the Augusta National course and more:

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Hear Phil Mickelson talk about his rivalry with Tiger and his prospects for 2009:

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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.

Georgia Golf Hall of Fame in Augusta gets state funding

About $110,000 in state dollars will go to the Georgia Golf Hall of Fame in Augusta in the coming fiscal year.

The money will fund operational expenses and strategic planning.

The funding this year comes after a controversial veto last year by Governor Sonny Perdue that nixed more than $630,000 in state funding to the hall.

A sticking point then...funding the gardens there.

The gardens closed shortly after Perdue's veto, due to the lack of money.

Augusta/Richmond County now operates them as a botanical park.

"Now we're back in the hall of fame business again," says Diane Swain, the hall's executive director.

The hall has 78 inductees.

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.

Colbie Caillat and Josh Kelley to perform in Augusta

Pop stars Colbie Caillat and Josh Kelley will perform at the Drive for Show, Rock Fore! Dough concert in Augusta on April 8.

Caillat's hit "Bubbly" is currently on Billboard's Top 10 list. She spent four months as MySpace.com's top unsigned artist before signing a record deal.

Kelley, an Augusta native, recently recorded a new album, "Special Company," which will be available in February.

Hootie & the Blowfish will headline the concert.

The concert is held annually during the week of the Masters golf tournament, and benefits the First Tee of Augusta, which teaches children life skills and leadership through golf.

Information about ticket sales will be available in the coming weeks.

Hootie & the Blowfish coming to Augusta

Hootie & the Blowfish will headline the Rock Fore! Dough concert in Augusta on April 8, during the week of the Masters Tournament, event organizers announced Friday. The group will also headline the concert in 2009.

The concert benefits The First Tee of Augusta, which exposes children to life skills and leadership through golf.

For more information, visit www.thefirstteeaugusta.org.

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.