The long and short of a golf career

Mize posts a 2-under 70 33 years after winning the iconic green jacket

AUGUSTA, GA.— Larry Mize is 33 years removed from the Masters victory that allows him to play as long as he likes. He is 62, and his average distance off the tee on the two measured drives Thursday was a paltry 247.4 yards.

Bryson DeChambeau can hit an iron that far. In fact, DeChambeau’s average driving distance was 334.6 yards.

They finished on the same score, a 2-under 70.

It was a thrill for Mize, especially after making three straight birdies early in his round and looking up to see his name on the leaderboard.

“I did happen to see that,” Mize said. “Wow, that’s kind of cool. I’d like to be there more often. It’s always fun to see your name up on the leaderboard here. I’m sorry I couldn’t keep it. But it was nice to come back and finish really well on the back nine. I played really solid coming in and really felt good.”

It was the first time he broke par at the Masters since opening with a 67 in 2009. It will be tough to keep that up, and Mize is aware of that.

For one day, at least, it was a thrill. And it could have been better, or at least louder.

“The fans are such a big part of this place,” he said. “To not have any roars out there today and no patrons, no fans, it is different. But it’s still special. It’s still awesome to be here. The course is beautiful. Fans or not, it’s awesome to be here playing.”

Sure, it would have been fun to make his six birdies before a crowd that remembers his 1987 Masters victory. Then again, it would be hard to replicate that day. He became the first Augusta native to win a green jacket when he holed a140-foot chip at No. 11 in the second hole of a playoff to beat Greg Norman.

The longest wait: One week after Tiger Woods won the 2019 Masters, C.T. Pan captured his first PGA Tour title by winning the RBC Heritage at Hilton Head. That qualified him for his first Masters, and he couldn’t wait.

And then he had to wait longer than anyone in Masters history to hit his first tee shot.

The COVID-19 pandemic shut down golf a month before the Masters, which was then postponed until November. That meant 571 days from the time Pan qualified until he heard, “C.T. Pan now driving. Fore, please.”

“It was definitely worth the wait,” Pan said after opening with a 2-under 70. “And it was a long, long wait, trust me. I’ve been imagining this day since I was 5. So that has been a long wait.”

It gets better. Thursday was his 29th birthday.

“And I played solid, too,” he said. á A good loser: Jack Nicklaus won more major tournaments than anyone in history, but he was known to be gracious in defeat as well.

So the six-time Masters champion was asked on Thursday what advice he would give to President Donald Trump, a friend, on losing his bid for reelection.

Nicklaus, who met with the media after taking part in the honorary first tee shot ceremony at the Masters, declined to comment.

“I think I’ve said enough about that,” said Nicklaus, who endorsed Trump in the week before the election and said he had already voted for him. “I don’t think this is a place for politics.”