12:55 p.m.
The start of The Masters was delayed by a half-hour by rains this morning. It's beautiful out now and should be clear the rest of the day.
Former Gopher Erik van Rooyen is wearing shell pink pants to go with his Yosemite Sam mustache. He birdied No. 5 to get back to even-par on the day.
Tried to watch Tiger Woods tee off on No. 1. It was a mob scene. I saw his left elbow on his follow-through. He made par on No. 1 with a clutch mid-range putt.
The Masters gift shop is massive and quite nice, and it's the only place on the course more crowded than the first tee box when Tiger is starting his round. The lines have been extensive all week. Today, trying to buy something for a colleague, I made it into the shop and for perhaps the first time in my life felt claustrophobia. I couldn't move. I'll try again later.
Woods is wearing a collarless golf shirt the color of azaleas. He looks like a body builder. He's walking pretty well on his surgically-repaired leg, but doesn't look comfortable crouching to read putts.
He barely missed his birdie putt on No. 2. After a birdie at No. 5, he made a mess at No. 8, making bogey.
Paul Casey was supposed to play in Tiger's group but withdrew. He's been dealing with back spasms.
Louis Oosthuizen is playing today with Tiger Woods. Last year, he became the fourth player (fifth instance) to finish in the top-3 in 3 majors in the same year and not win one of them, since 1934. (Thanks to @JustinRayGolf on Twitter.)
Fargo's Tom Hoge bogeyed No. 1 after missing long right with his approach.
6:45 a.m.
Good morning from Augusta National. Continuing rains have delayed the start of the tourney, if only briefly.
The ceremonial starters are now scheduled to tee off at 8:15 a.m., 35 minutes later than planned, and the first group is scheduled to tee off at 8:30, a half-hour late.
The rains are light right now but it's been raining and off since late Tuesday morning, and sometimes the rains have been heavy, with lightning and thunder.
Weather.com indicates there is a slight chance of rain all day, with increasing winds in the afternoon.
The course drains so well that it shouldn't be a problem. This is also a relatively small field for a major, so making up for lost time isn't difficult.
Some important/intriguing start times:
- Fargo's Tom Hoge at 11:35 Central with Bubba Watson and Keita Nakajima.
- Former Gopher Erik van Rooyen at 10:29 Central with Lucas Glover and Cameron Davis.
- Defending champ Hideki Matsuyama, Justin Thomas and Tony Finau at 9:56.
- The final four groups, starting at 12:30, which include Dustin Johnson, Billy Horschel, Collin Morikawa, Will Zalatoris, Patrick Cantlay, Jon Rahm, Jordan Spieth, Viktor Hovland, Xander Schauffele, Matthew Fitzpatrick, Brooks Koepka and Rory Mcilroy.
- For today's Star Tribune, I wrote about van Rooyen, who withdraw from his only Masters appearance, in 2020, because of back problems, but who looks to be in good form and good spirits. My column is on the fact that Tiger Woods is the dominant figure in this tournament, which speaks to both his greatness and the inability of anybody else to take over as a permanent No. 1 in the sport.
I hope to spend much of the day walking with Hoge, van Rooyen and . . . Woods?
The problem with trying to walk near Woods at The Masters, or at any tourney at which you don't have inside-the-ropes access, is that you can't get close to him. Fred Couples said yesterday that the biggest crowds he has ever seen at The Masters have been for Woods' practice rounds this week.
One of my greatest privileges in the business was having inside-the-ropes access at the 2008 U.S. Open at Torrey Pines, when Woods beat Rocco Mediate in a Monday playoff.
Mediate talked nonstop, even to reporters crouched nearby. Woods, who was playing on a damaged leg, barely spoke the entire day.
Predictions are ridiculous, especially in a golf tournament where about 50 different people have a chance to win, but I'm intrigued by Brooks Koepka. He loves playing in majors, isn't facing massive expectations and seems to be fully healthy.
