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US MASTERS NEWS
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Jack Nicklaus - saying goodbye. (Getty Images)
MASTERS DIARY - SATURDAY
Gary Martin, Total Golf
The Augusta shop is a treasure-trove of Masters memorabilia. And with the exchange rate so favourable for UK visitors to the States (£1 = nearly $2), this is the perfect year for buying your golfing pals some special Masters gifts. Bargains include a yardage chart for $7 (under £4), polo shirts from $49 (roughly £25) and baseball caps from $16 (less than £10). And to cope with the high demand for anything with a Masters logo on, the main shop boasts more till areas than my local Sainsbury's, Tesco and Safeway put together.
Thomas Bjorn became only the ninth player to eagle the two par 5s holes 13 and 15 on the back nine in the same round. The big Dane went from level par to four under in the space of these three holes during the second round on Saturday to propel himself up the leaderboard.
Luke Donald and Jesper Parnevik must visit the same tailor. The 27-year-old Englishman and the Swede both decided that garish green and bright peach made the perfect combination on Saturday morning. They don't unless you're colour-blind.
Some 53 years separate the youngest and oldest competitors. American amateur Luke List only turned 20 in January, but this isn't his first Major tournament. He qualified for the 2003 US Open, where he missed the cut. At the other end of the age scale is 73-year-old Billy Casper, winner of the 1970 Masters by five strokes from Gene Littler in an 18-hole play-off. List made the cut, Casper withdrew after the opening round to save himself the unwanted records of the highest score for a single hole (14 at the par-3 16th), the most shots for the back nine (57) and the biggest 18-hole total (106).
Jack Nicklaus has played in his last Masters unless, he says, he can increase his swing speed by 10mph! The six-time Masters winner admitted to shedding a view tears as he walked up the 9th fairway, the final hole of his second round. Nicklaus added a 76 to his opening 77 for a 153 total not enough to make the cut. I played more 3, 4 and 5-woods out there than ever. If I had 6 and 7-woods I'd have played those too, he admitted, the golf course now proving just too long for him. He handed son Jack his golf ball and glove and told him to keep them as a memento. I don't want to see those on ebay tomorrow, the 65-year-old joked.
Fred Couples has made the cut at the Masters for the 21st consecutive time only two off the record held by that man in black, Gary Player. Couples, the 1992 Masters champion, has nine top-10s and before the start of this year's event a tournament scoring average of 71.77 the best in Masters history of anyone who has played at least 75 rounds.
Finding the first cut of rough on the left-hand side of the 8th fairway from the tee in round three, Aussie Stuart Appleby was overheard asking a marshal to get his wife to give him a hand with a marker post that refused to budge.
Bad light on Saturday evening saved Tiger Woods from playing a mud ball. Play was halted for the day with Woods and partner David Howell down the 10th fairway. The eight-time Major winner was therefore allowed to pick up his ball, mark it and tomorrow he will be able to continue with a clean ball. What are the chances he makes birdie when play resumes? Recognising his own good fortune, Woods said, It was a great break they blew the horn.
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