There has been needle in the past, with Poulter’s attempt to bracket himself with Woods raising eyebrows, but now they meet in Augusta’s third round amid contrasting comebacksTiger Woods and Ian Poulter have history with capital H. As they formed a four-hour morning two ball at Augusta National on Saturday, with hopes of Masters triumph having evaporated at equal time but with contrasting effect, the hope is they reflected on such jousts of old. Woods and Poulter, for different reasons, also contributed so much to the buildup to this major championship.Poulter infamously laid down his professional credentials in affirmative terms a decade ago. “The trouble is I don’t rate anyone else,” the Englishman said. “Don’t get me wrong, I really...
The American battled hard but struggled with his putting, though is still in contention at four under after two roundsPretty as Augusta is, warm as the locals are, sometimes the best one can hope for is to get round it with one’s dignity intact. On Friday that famous southern hospitality did not extend so far as the pin placements, which were merciless. And with the wind swirling and gusting as it was, most of the players were too busy trying to survive 18 holes to worry too much about making many birdies and eagles. That applied even to Jordan Spieth, who is so comfortable around here that the course’s swales and tumps are as familiar to him as the grooves...
In his first appearance at Augusta since 2015, the four-times champion showed enough grit to get round in 73 despite struggling with his tee-shotsIt was a chilly morning in Augusta, or what passes for it in these parts. The kind of day when you can spot the tourists because they are the only people wearing shorts. Tiger Woods played like he felt it. He was stiff and creaky in his first competitive round here since 2015. By the time he made the turn, the sun was out and weather hot, but he still had not warmed up. Anything but. His game froze up around Amen Corner, where he hit more patrons than he made pars. At least it meant the...
This week’s roundup also features more NCAA drama, the evergreen Ichiro Suzuki and Football Italia nostalgia1) The Masters starts on Thursday, so let’s dip into the archive. Bob Goalby seizes the moment after a scorecard error by Roberto De Vicenzo’s partner meant the Argentinian signed for a 67 rather than the 66 he had gone round in. Tiger Woods’s return to form and prominence gives us an excuse, if one was needed, to relive that famous 16th-hole chip in 2005. And has a pressure moment ever been dealt with better than Sandy Lyle’s bunker shot at the last in 1988, which set him up for a remarkable victory? Two years earlier, Jack Nicklaus was on the charge, sealing victory with...
The four-times winner is in his best form for years after back surgery but there are plenty of other Americans with a chanceThe Masters has never been a more international affair than in recent years. When the season’s first major championship tees off on Thursday morning amid the flowering dogwoods and blooming azaleas at Augusta National Golf Club it will mark the 12th straight year the Americans in the field will be outnumbered by players from outside the country – with six of the last 10 winners hailing from foreign soil.A global contingent including Rory McIlroy, Justin Rose, Jason Day and the defending champion, Sergio García, are the prime contenders to keep the Green Jacket off a homegrown player’s back...