Like most of the other participants in Thursday's first round of Masters competition, defending champion Jose Maria Olazabal found himself at the mercy of the wind.

``Whenever the wind blows here, the scoring is going to be difficult,'' said Olazabal, a two-time Masters winner.

Still, Olazabal couldn't complain about his results: he shot a 1-under 35 on the back nine and finished even-par 72.

Olazabal wasn't pleased with his work on the greens, but he was consistent throughout. The Spaniard had a bogey on the first nine, a birdie on the back nine and parred the rest.

``I managed to get a level-par round, which is not bad,'' he said.

LONG TIME: Colin Montgomerie was unhappy with his round (76) and the pace of play. ``Terrible pace of play,'' he said. ``5 hours and 25 minutes.''

Four-time Masters champ Arnold Palmer, who joked about playing past his 5 p.m. bedtime, said the pace of play was ``excessive.''

``I could have fallen asleep out there.''

Three-time Masters champ Gary Player has some suggestions on speeding up play.

``It's very simple. You start with the first guys that tee off, and the rest of the guys have to stay right with them, and if they don't, somebody has to tell the group you're not staying with the group in front of you, and tell them, `Today, you've got 4´ hours or four hours, 45 minutes. You've got to have people on each hole watching and keeping it moving.''

So what happens when someone in the first pairing threatens to score in the triple digits - such as Doug Ford, who shot a 94 Thursday?

Player's reply had the roomful of reporters rolling.

``You can shoot a 94 quickly, you know,'' Player said.

A REAL SPLASH: Paul Azinger made a heroic par that should have been a birdie on the par-5 13th Thursday. His second shot found the tributary to Rae's Creek and was half submerged in water surrounded by rocks. Azinger used a sand wedge to blast the ball to 3 feet.

``It was unbelievable how it came out,'' Azinger said. ``It was the best shot I have ever hit probably. If I had made the putt, it would have been on SportsCenter.''

Azinger bogeyed the 17th after driving into the rough and the 18th after driving in the fairway bunker to finish at even-par 72.

SON ON BAG: Jay Haas Jr. is getting a second chance to caddie for his father at the Masters.

The freshman member the Augusta State University golf team was scheduled to carry his father's bag at the 1999 Masters, but caught a flu bug the night before the first round and was replaced by his younger brother Bill.

``It was a ton of fun,'' father Jay said. ``When we walked up 18 it was unbelievable to think that (Jay Jr.) was out here with me. I won't have a lot more of these (Masters) to play in, so it was great for him to experience it.''

Jay Jr. said he has caddied for his father in five tournaments, including last year's PGA Championship at Medinah.

STILL IN IT? Two-time champion Bernhard Langer was asked how close you have to be after the first round to remain in contention.

``Curtis (Strange) opened with an 80 in 1985, and he had a five-shot lead going down the final nine on Sunday,'' Langer said. ``That should answer your question. Of course, Tiger (Woods) is in it (seven strokes back).''

Strange lost that tournament to Langer on the back nine.

TIMES: This is the second year players have played in threesomes for the first two rounds. From 1962 until 1998, the tournament paired its players in twosomes and re-paired after each round. The larger field for the 1999 tournament necessitated the use of threesomes.

FAST START: Rocco Mediate said he was surprised by his eagle on the par-4 third hole Thursday.

Mediate, who shot a 1-under 71, holed his second shot from 115 yards. With his birdie on the second hole, Mediate got off to a fast start, but knew that the golf course could get revenge if he let his guard down.

``Even though I was 3-under, this place will destroy you,'' he said. ``You have to show respect and shoot where you're supposed to shoot.''