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New club selections for Duval at Augusta
April 7, 2002
GolfWeb Wire Services
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AUGUSTA, Ga. -- David Duval was bending over to fix his pitch mark Sunday on the 11th green when one of the members at Augusta National, Arkansas athletic director Frank Broyles, called to him from the 12th tee.
"What club did you hit in there, David?" Broyles asked.
"A 7-iron," Duval replied.
Duval straightened, looked up at Broyles and said with a smile, "That's what you guys wanted, isn't it?"
That's what the Masters got, a major championship in which players have to drive the ball better than ever and hit longer clubs into the greens.
Duval played the front nine Saturday and the back nine Sunday, completing his first full round since Augusta National went through its biggest renovation by adding 285 yards, shifting tees, stretching bunkers and reducing some of the slope in the fairways.
How extensive are the changes?
His caddie, Mitch Knox, carried two yardage books.
For the first time in a major, Duval has a 7-wood in his bag. He plans to use it on the par-5 13th, which has been lengthened by 25 yards. The 7-wood gives him higher trajectory and will replace the 2-iron; in previous years, Duval had no more than 5-iron into the green.
Indeed, the biggest change for Duval was the numbers of the clubs he kept hitting.
Duval usually hits a 3-wood on the 14th hole and has nothing more than an 8-iron into a green that requires a nearly perfect shot to get close to the flag. Duval belted a driver and had a 7-iron in his hands -- until Knox gave him the yardage.
"Guess this isn't going to do me much good," Duval said, taking out the 6-iron. It came up just short and rolled back down a massive slope.
He hit two balls for just about every shot, usually a driver off the tee. Duval used to pull driver from the bag only eight times during a round at Augusta. Now, he'll do it on four more holes, hitting less clubs on only two, not including the par 3s.
"They've made it much more difficult," he said. "You've got to hit more drivers, and you have to think a lot more about where it's going."
The Masters has one of the most unusual traditions for a major championship. Even though the tournament starts in just four days, members are allowed to play the course on Sunday, just like any other weekend.
"That's the great thing about here," Duval said. "This is part of a tournament week, and I'm waiting on the 10th tee letting three or four groups of members play through. It's really cool to be out here with those folks. You get to know them."
Of course, the members weren't playing the tees all the way back.
Duval predicted that Augusta National will use up to 70 percent of the additional length, although he played it as far back as possible to get an idea of what shots he'll have to play and, more importantly, what clubs he'll have to hit into the green.
"You can get away with a 9-iron or even an 8-iron that's a little squirrelly," he said. "But you're not going to get away with a squirrelly 6-iron. It puts more emphasis on driving. It puts a little more emphasis on your iron game.
"And as we all know, you have to putt well around here."
Of the nine holes that were changed, Duval said the ones that got his attention were Nos. 7, 14 and 18, all par 4s.
The seventh hole has to be hit long and straight through a corridor lined with towering Georgia pines. The 14th has a heavily contoured green, so severe that Duval hit a shot that landed 10 feet left of the flag and wound up 30 feet to the right.
"That hole, if you make par for four days, you're going to be quite pleased," he said.
The most drastic is No. 18, where the tees have been moved back 60 yards. A year ago, defending champion Tiger Woods blew it by the bunkers and had a lob wedge from 75 yards into the green. Duval hit a good drive that stopped 10 yards short of the bunker, then hit a 6-iron to the green.
It came up about 10 yards short.
? The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
