Ex-NFL lineman calls Mickelson 'angel'

The whispers about Phil Mickelson are hard to believe.
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Pride before the fall

Nothing seemed to come easy for Phil Mickelson in major championships. He didn't win one in his first 46 starts, then needed to birdie the 72nd hole to win both his first (the 2004 Masters Tournament) and his second (the 2005 PGA Championship).
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Woods sees 2006 as his worst year

Eight more PGA Tour wins (up to 54). Two more majors (up to 12). Another six-event winning streak (his second). Another money title (his seventh). Another player-of-the-year season (his eighth).
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Ogilvy knows himself

Geoff Ogilvy's U.S. Open victory last year has done wonders for his public profile.
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Winning never gets old to Vijay

By Vijay Singh's standards, 2006 was an off year. After nine wins in 2004 and four more in 2005, he had only one victory in 2006.
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Two down, two to go for another Tiger Slam

Tiger Woods is trying to repeat his "Tiger Slam" which he accomplished by winning the U.S. Open, British Open and PGA Championship in 2000 and the Masters in 2001.
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Rededicated Els stalks Tiger

Fresh off preventing a rare shutout season with an eleventh-hour victory in the South African Open, Ernie Els unveiled an ambitious three-year plan to unseat Tiger Woods as the world's No. 1 player.
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South Africa's best spur on others

South Africans have played a large role in the Masters Tournament since Gary Player won at Augusta National Golf Club in 1961.
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Player earns honor with start No. 50

Three-time Masters champion Gary Player will reach another milestone this week.
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Donald's game ages as well as his hobby

If a nonsports hobby can prepare a golfer for winning a major championship, Luke Donald has picked the right pursuit.
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Casey is driven to be among best

Paul Casey has just six rounds at Augusta National Golf Club under his belt, but those are enough to convince the Englishman that the Masters Tournament is the major championship that best fits his game.
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Strong fields bring out Stenson's best

He might not be a household name in America, but Henrik Stenson is a very big deal in Swedish golf these days.
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It's Down Under all over the field

A funny thing happened with Adam Scott on the road to the Tour Championship at East Lake: As his stature rose, so did his sheepishness.
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DiMarco recovers from a trying year

Chris DiMarco's self-assessment is blunt.
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'06 collapse is hard for Furyk to forget

Jim Furyk remembers the feeling well. It's one he doesn't want to experience again in a Masters Tournament final round.
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Campbell takes lessons to heart

It takes Chad Campbell a while to get comfortable on a golf course such as Augusta National, where a premium is placed on experience. Suffice it to say the Texan is right at home after four starts.
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Cink says he's now in sync with National

The Masters Tournament is growing on Stewart Cink. At age 33, Cink is growing into it as well.
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Love hopes wins start rolling in

The victories are coming at a slower rate than Davis Love III would like, but at least they're still coming.
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Augusta's own: Charles Howell

Charles Howell has come a very long way since the misery of his last Masters Tournament, but the memory still haunts him.
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Augusta's own: Vaughn Taylor

Vaughn Taylor knows what to expect in this week's 71st Masters Tournament. He hopes his play will reflect that and earn him a weekend starting time at Augusta National Golf Club for the first time.
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History lesson

Bobby Jones, one of the most prominent athletes of the 1920s, decided to retire from competitive golf in 1930 after winning all four major championships in the same season for his Grand Slam.
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The guardian

Billy Payne is surrounded by the past.
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Payne on the issues

Augusta National and Masters Chairman Billy Payne gave an interview to Sports Editor John Boyette in December. Here are Payne's thoughts on key issues:
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The Inside Story

It's the most recognizable landmark in American golf. From the veranda, you can peer down Magnolia Lane and overlook Founders Circle, which pays tribute to Masters Tournament co-founders Bobby Jones and Clifford Roberts. On the inside, the permanent Masters Trophy and an oil painting by President Eisenhower are just some of the golf treasures that fill the well-appointed rooms.
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Inside golf's most famous clubhouse

No one will ever confuse it with a luxury hotel, but for the amateurs who stay here during Masters Week, the experience is priceless. As one of the longest-running traditions at the tournament, the five amateurs who make the field can sleep at the top of the clubhouse and enjoy the close proximity to golf history because the 30-by-40-foot room sits above the Champions Locker Room and the library. Jack Nicklaus, Ben Crenshaw and Tiger Woods are among the players who stayed in the Crow's Nest as amateurs and went on to win the Masters.
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Where are they now?

The images from the 1997 Masters Tournament are still fresh. Tiger Woods calmly knocks in a four-foot birdie for par on the 18th hole, and history is made.
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The magic of Mize

Soon after Larry Mize won the 1987 Masters Tournament with his magical chip-in, he was approached by a golf publication with a request. It wanted Mize to re-create his shot for a photo shoot.
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'Fashion statement' falls silent in closet

Larry Mize has never again put on the purple golf shirt he wore when he won the 1987 Masters Tournament, but his middle son, Patrick, recently wore a replica of it.
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Lord Byron's legacy

There was a void in the Masters Tournament starting in 2002 when two-time champion Byron Nelson gave up the honorary starter duties he had performed since 1981.
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Couples copes with rough patch

Fred Couples hasn't been enjoying his season, if you can call it that. The 1992 Masters Tournament champion loves playing the early season West Coast events. They give him the kind of confidence and preparation he needs leading into the Florida Swing and his favorite event, the Masters.
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In short, Olazabal has edge

The trait that defines the usual suspects at the Masters Tournament is power.
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Garcia plays catch-up

Sergio Garcia is the third link in a chain of Spanish Ryder Cup stars.
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Wilson rides a wave of Hawaiian golf success

Hawaii is one of the world's great golf destinations. It's a lot more trouble exporting golf from paradise.
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Villegas to stay grounded

No one in the Masters Tournament field will study Augusta National Golf Club's greens quite like Camilo Villegas.
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Leader Rose finds way back

It's been three years since Justin Rose has played in the Masters Tournament. That might surprise some fans who remember what he did in his last visit.
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Amateurs face unnerving odds

It is a daunting task for an amateur just to make the Masters Tournament field. Only five qualify each year. Then comes another challenge after they get to Augusta National Golf Club: making the 36-hole cut.
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Woosnam has always had to fight

LLANYMYNECH, Wales - In the Trophy Room at Augusta National Golf Club is the 4-wood Gene Sarazen used to score the double eagle that made the Masters Tournament famous in 1935.
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Masters rookie cherishes his round of 67 in Augusta

The Masters Tournament's media guide officially credits Tiger Woods with the lowest career scoring average of 70.85 for those with 25 or more rounds. Probably only one player in this year's field can claim to have a better lifetime mark.
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Late points pile up for Matteson

Despite his Georgia Tech pedigree and Golf Club of Georgia affiliation, the biggest golf event in his adopted home state was the furthest thing from Troy Matteson's mind six months ago.
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Going back to school put Stricker back in the game

It's not easy to qualify for the Masters Tournament. If you throw out the active former champions who have lifetime exemptions, the five amateurs each year and the top 16 finishers and ties from the previous year's tournament who earned automatic return trips, that leaves only about 60 spots in the field each year.
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At 50, O'Meara begins new life on senior tour

Life doesn't really begin at age 50, but the Champions Tour does. Mark O'Meara hopes his eligibility can put the "champion" back into his touring life.
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Masters anniversaries

There's a reason the Nelson Bridge exists at Augusta National Golf Club.
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It's a snap

Taking a perfect Masters picture is as easy as 1...2...3.
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Want a bite?

A1: PIZZA JOINT: 1245 Broad St., (706) 774-0037; 11 a.m. to midnight Monday-Thursday; 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. Friday; noon to 2 a.m. Saturday; noon to midnight Sunday; pizza, stromboli, calzones, sandwiches, salads, beer and wine.
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Tournament committee assignments

Chairman: William Porter Payne, Atlanta
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Off the tee

No Masters competitor has ever won the Par-3 Contest and the tournament proper in the same year. Ten players can claim victories in both events. Sam Snead and Sandy Lyle are the only Masters winners to win multiple Par-3 events. Ben Crane, who won the 2006 Par-3 Contest, missed the cut with rounds of 74 and 75.
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