Players officially said goodbye to the weakest link during the first round of the 2002 Masters.

No. 18 at the Augusta National Golf Club now has teeth.

Tiger Woods closed out his Masters victory last year by hitting a 75-yard second shot to No. 18, which measured 405 yards. The hole has been lengthened by 60 yards, and now checks in at 465 yards from the back of the tee.

The days of 75-yard approach shots at No. 18 are over, unless a player is hitting his third.

Tommy Aaron had the first crack Thursday at the toughened-up finisher. After hitting his drive, the 1973 Masters champion found out the hole called "Holly" has thorns.

"It's a long way up there," Aaron said, to which his caddie responded, "It's a long way."

To be exact, it's 229 yards away, which was out of reach for Aaron.

With the tee markers set near their maximum, even solid drives left players reaching for long irons.

Club selection ranged from 3-wood to 7-iron. Charles Howell managed to hit seven from 167 yards, while the majority of players hit 3-, 4- or 5-irons.

Only nine birdies were recorded on No. 18, which played as the fifth hardest hole during the first round. No. 9 topped the toughest list, No. 1 was second hardest, No. 7 third, and No. 6 fourth.

Nos. 18, 9 and 7 all are par-4s that were lengthened for this year's tournament.

"I had to hit a 4-iron at the last, rather than a wedge. That's probably the biggest change," Robert Allenby said.

Others didn't even have a shot to the green on No. 18. In addition to the added length, the tee was repositioned to the player's right. That new angle caused more than a dozen players to hit into the pines on the right side of the fairway.

"On No. 18, you can't hit it right, but then you see those bunkers on the left, so you miss it right. Over there, you have no shot," said U.S. Amateur champion Bubba Dickerson.

In addition to the added length, the two bunkers on the left side of the fairway have been expanded. It now takes a 335-yard drive to get past the second bunker.

Asked how the toughened 18th compares to other great finishing holes in golf, three-time Masters champ Nick Faldo said: "Pretty darn good. I had to hit a drive and a good 4-iron."

When Faldo won the 1992 British Open at Muirfield, he hit a driver and a 3-iron to No. 18, considered one of the hardest closing holes in the world.

For another example of how times have changed, look at what Larry Mize has done during two trips on Augusta's 18th.

On the way to his 1987 Masters title, Mize hit 9-iron to No. 18 in the final round, birdied the hole and forced a playoff. On Thursday, Mize birdied No. 18 again, but this time, he needed a 5-wood to reach the green.

"There's no question they lengthened it," Mize said. "It's a great finishing hole."

For players contending for a green jacket Sunday afternoon, nothing less than great shots will do on Augusta's home hole.

"You're going to have to hit your best shots if you need a four on No. 18 to win," two-time Masters champion Jose Maria Olazabal said. "There's no question. That's how much the hole has changed."