AUGUSTA, Ga. — After all the criticism leveled earlier in the week about the changes to the Augusta National Golf Club earlier, Rocco Mediate has a simple solution for those who don't like it.
"The Masters tournament sets up their golf course exactly how they want to set it up because it's their tournament. If you don't want to abide by what they do, don't come."
Mediate stands second after the first round with a 68. He's playing his first Masters since 2001, so he hasn't played the course since three different modifications of the course were made in 2002, 2003 and this past year. He said the changes don't bother him.
"I don't understand what the complaining is about," he said. "Tiger . . . is a million times stronger than I am and hits it 50 yards further. What's wrong with that? The strong ones are always going to be the longest guys. That's just how it is. I don't have a problem with that.
"If you can't do certain things around a golf course, you don't get to win. And if you don't like it, that's just how it is. It's whoever shoots a low score, I don't care how you shoot it."
HIGH SCORES: Thank goodness David Duval and Charles Coody are both in the Masters this week.
Those two kept Utah's Clay Ogden from ending up in last place after his first-round 83.
Duval, who has really struggled for the past three years, missing 46 of 56 cuts, shot an 84, while Coody, the 1971 champion, only managed an 89. Duval gets an exemption as the 2001 British Open champion, while Coody has a lifetime exemption as a former champion.
In all, 12 players shot above 80 Thursday, including former champions Mark O'Meara and Sandy Lyle and amateurs Edoardo Molinari of Italy (80), Brian McElhinney of Ireland (80) and Dillon Dougherty (82).
The other amateur, Kevin Marsh, barely broke 80 with a first-round 79.
If none of the amateurs make the cut (low 44 plus ties) then no amateur will be awarded the silver cup that goes to the low amateur.
CLAY IS LONG: According to the statistical performance chart Ogden had the longest measured drive of the first round. Two drives were measured and one of Ogden's was 341 yards. The next best drive belonged to Miguel Angel Jimenez at 340, followed by John Daly at 339.
Other figures on the stat chart for Ogden — he hit eight of 14 fairways, six of 18 greens in regulation and had 33 putts.
ENJOYING THE SCENERY: One writer noticed that Ogden seemed to be looking around Augusta National during his round Thursday and enjoying the scenery.
Was that true, Clay?
"Once I got to 10-over par I was," Ogden said with a laugh.
DODGING A BULLET: Tom Lehman dodged a bullet Tuesday night. Literally.
The Ryder Cup captain was driving to the Augusta airport when the SUV he was driving was hit by a bullet fired from a passing car. He was not injured by the bullet, which ended up in the back seat.
"It was a very surreal experience," Lehman said. "His aim was pretty bad, so I'm happy about that."
Another car besides Lehman's was hit and the occupants of that car called police and the shooter was arrested.
"I'm very happy they caught the guy before he hurt somebody," said Lehman.
MASTERS NOTES: Despite all of the talk about the tougher Augusta course, the average score Thursday was 74.9 compared to 75.1 for last year's first round . . . The most difficult hole at Augusta Thursday was the 505-yard par-4 No. 11 hole, which gave up just two birdies all day and had a stroke average of 4.47. The easiest hole was the par-5 15th, which averaged 4.64 and produced four eagles and 29 birdies . . . Only two players birdied the 18th hole, Tiger Woods and Robert Allenby, who played in the same group . . . There were 12 eagles Thursday, which just missed the tournament record of 13 eagles in the 1991 tournament . . . The weather was perfect Thursday, clear, no wind with temperatures in the 70s.
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