US Masters / Bill Elliott / 05 April 2009 /

Bill Elliott is at Augusta preparing for a week of Tiger, Padraig, Rory and more, hopefully topped with some final day drama.

By the time you, my dear reader, cast a jaundiced eye over the following words, I shall be in Augusta. Well, someone has to, and for the past 30 Masters it has happily been me, me, me. Sorry about that.

After all this time you might be justified in thinking that I turn up for the Masters in a ho-hum sort of mood. You know, been there, seen it, done it and definitely got at least a dozen T-shirts. Yet while this apathetic attitude can be detected some other weeks of the year, it never is the case with Augusta National.

This year I am even more excitedly anticipatory than usual. Why? Well, the 2009 Masters promises at this stage to have more narrative, more sub-plots, more interest than for several years. It just might be also that the old excitement of the final Sunday will be evident again.

So what do we want to know? In no particular order, here is how I see it from this range...

1) Can Tiger Woods place his custom-made Nike golf shoe firmly on the necks of every other big-time pro player in the world by confirming his return to excellence by winning his fifth Masters? Answer: You betcha.
2) Can Padraig Harrington take his third major on the bounce and complete the third leg of the so-called 'Paddy Slam'? Answer: Possible but improbable.
3) How will the three kids do? Never before has the Masters said a big hello to a trio of teenager but this year they will when Rory McIlroy, Ryo Ishikawa and Danny Lee pitch up with their i-pods. Answer: One of them will contend. As an Irishman I suspect I know which one too.
4) What mood will Phil Mickelson be in when he gets there? Will The Great Lollop be in fine, fiery form or will he be going through the motions? Answer: Even he doesn't know so don't expect me to offer anything here.

What I do know is that the course these guys perform on is once again tweaked. And, glory be, for the first time since 1969 it is actually a wee bit shorter. Not by much, but still possibly significant. In total, the course is definitely 10 yards shorter and, depending on conditions, may be 29 yards shorter than it has been since it started to be stretched seven years ago, since when 460 yards have been added to try to 'Tiger-proof' this technicolour dreamscape.

The first tee has been reduced in length to allow better fan movement and so the opening hole is now 10 yards shorter at 445 yards. Meanwhile the tees at the seventh and fifteenth have been lengthened so that each may be reduced yardage if the weather closes in as it did in 2007 and Zach Johnson (somebody's god help me!) won with a one over score of 289. Back then the occasionally smart blazers who run Augusta had backed themselves into their own hole by not leaving any room for adjustment.

At 7,435 yards, however, Augusta remains a beast. Believe me this is one beautiful place but until you get there you will not believe how long and how hilly it is, with shot placement off the tee vital to any success. This is why every expert claims that experience is necessary before any player can win a Masters, the exception being Fuzzy Zoeller who took the title in 1979 while whistling and not being quite sure where he was at the time.

It's also why I've yet to break 100 there (yes, I know, and I apologise again) although the other reason might just be that I'm a rubbish golfer. Whatever, the Masters has got tougher every year since 2002 when this lengthening thing started. This is not good. Too many of the last several Masters have been rather tedious compared to the old birdie and eagle bonanzas that Augusta offered players and punters alike.

In this sense a reduction in length, no matter how tiny, is welcome. Drowning men can cling on to straws in desperation so even ten pathetic yards offers encouragement to everyone for this Masters. Mind you, most of them will still drown, believe me.

* Bill Elliott will be blogging for Betting.Betfair throughout the Masters.

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