Few early birds
Nos. 3- 4- 5 at Augusta don’t have a nickname, but they’re pretty tough
AUGUSTA, Ga. — As difficult as it is to imagine now, when the Masters was inaugurated at Augusta National Golf Club in 1934, the front and back nines were f lipped.
The current 10th hole opened the tournament, so the brilliant stretch of the 11th, 12th and 13th was merely the early part of the front nine. Had it remained so, would Herbert Warren Wind have been inspired enough to dub the collection “Amen Corner” in 1956? Probably not. It’s possible that three of the most fascinating holes on the current front nine — an unseen mystery to television viewers for the first 60 years of the Masters — would have earned their own nickname.
Collectively shaped like a horseshoe, the short par- four third, the monstrous parthree fourth and the dogleg par- four f ifth with the crazy green don’t stir much poetic prose. They don’t have nearly the bounty of f lowers or include the intriguing hazard that is Rae’s Creek.
The fourth hole’s signature plant is bamboo, for goodness sake.
Still, they are workhorse holes that have as much inf luence in deciding who pulls on the green jacket come Sunday as any other place on the grounds.
“I always thought that 3, 4 and 5 were the most important holes on the front nine,” said former U. S. Open champion and ESPN commentator Andy North. “It’s an amazing three holes in a row.”
Masters have surely been lost in the stretch. Look no further than Phil Mickelson in 2012.
One shot off the lead Sunday heading into No. 4, Mickelson aimed to catch the left edge of the green with his tee shot from 240 yards. The lefthander pushed it and then got enormously unlucky — his ball ricocheting off the rail of the grandstand and into the bamboo grove left of the green.
Mickelson tried two righthanded whacks amid the dense bamboo shoots and eventually made a triple- bogey 6. He f inished two shots out of the playoff won by Bubba Watson. A par at No. 4 that day might have secured Mickelson his fourth green jacket.
At least those watching on television had context for Mickelson’s collapse. It wasn’t until 2003 that the full front nine was televised, though as CBS lead anchor Jim Nantz pointed out on a conference call last week, some shots by the leaders were shown as early as Tiger Woods’ historic victory in 1997.
The third hole is intriguing because it has changed so little since Alister MacKenzie designed it. The fourth always challenged the 12th as the toughest par- three on the course, and it has been made only stronger with lengthening. The f ifth — arguably the most underrated hole on the entire course — has undergone numerous alterations and is noteworthy for what looks like buried elephants under the putting surface.
“I’d be very happy going through there today in 4- 3- 4,” said three- time Masters champion Nick Faldo, CBS’ lead analyst. “If you did that all week you’d be gaining on the field.”
At 350 yards, the third hole has played at the same length since the f irst Masters. The club selection off the tee depends on the pin position. The Sunday cup placement is on the shallow left side of the heart- shaped green. An imprecise shot can come rolling back at you off the front or skip over the back — either position leaving the need for a delicate chip.
“If you miss that green, it’s incredible to watch,” Nantz said.
Nantz recalled how his former broadcast partner, Ken Venturi, spoke with pride about going 3- 3- 3- 3 at No. 3 in 1960.
“He’d say, ‘ Jimmy, no one is ever going to break that record. No one can do better than that,’ ” Nantz said.
In the 55 years since, only K. J. Choi ( 2003) has matched Venturi.
Woods birdied the third three times en route to his 2002 Masters win. He had more trouble in his ’ 97 victory, when he blasted a driver only 15 yards short of the green, hit a chip over the back and made bogey.
“I thought it was as dangerous a short hole as you ever played,” North said.
Compared to the next two holes, the third is a pushover. Through Masters history, No. 3 has played as the f ifth- easiest hole. The fourth has been the fourth- most difficult and No. 5 is the fifth toughest.
The fourth has always been a beast, and advanced ball and club technology hasn’t made it any easier. Augusta officials ensured that when they moved the tee back 35 yards in 2006. Short shots are swallowed by a massive front bunker and anything long leaves a touchy downhill chip.
Much is made of how much the wind swirls at No. 12. It’s just as tricky at 4.
In 1977, Tom Weiskopf got a better break than Mickelson. His pulled tee shot bounced off the head of a spectator and onto the green.
In a testament to how tough the fourth is, Jeff Sluman is the only competitor to get a hole in one there, making an ace in 1992 with a four- iron.
The f ifth has been altered significantly, with bunkers moved closer to the green and the fairway extended to create a sharper dogleg.
Today’s players have short irons into the green, but they have to be sharpshooters because of the punitive green.
“One of the most demanding iron shots in the world,” Faldo said of the approach.
Perhaps no one has cursed the f ifth more than Lee Trevino.
At last contending on a course he didn’t believe suited him, Trevino was tied for first after two rounds in 1978. He was one under par for the third round when he arrived at No. 5. What a disaster. He f lew his second shot into the back woods, could only punch into the bunker, left his f irst shot in the sand and missed a 31⁄ 2- foot putt to make triple bogey.
“I think,” Trevino muttered to his caddie as he walked off the green, “my green jacket just f lew the hell out the window.”