Tom Watson hopes he has finally found the remedy for his well-documented putting maladies.

Watson switched putters last week and will use a Zebra today in the first round of the Masters Tournament.

It's not the first time the two-time Masters champion has used a Zebra, but this one has a special feel, one that could help Watson solve his problems on the greens and win his first PGA Tour event since 1987.

``It has a good, soft feel to it,'' he said. ``It has a little big bigger grip, a thicker grip all the way down that makes it easier for me to get through the impact area. I've had a very good touch with it on the greens. We'll just have to see what happens when the gun goes off.''

It's not the medium-to-long putts that have been giving Watson trouble over the past few years. It's the short ones that have stymied him.

``I have a little bit different thought pattern right now that I'm doing the right thing, as far as stroking the ball,'' he said. ``The tough thing about this game is to keep a lot of the negative thoughts out of your mind and also try to keep from changing too much when things aren't going right. I try to do what I can to get the feel back that I can make a good stroke when I have to and make the putt when I have to.''

Watson is also fighting age in an attempt to win his first Masters since 1981. He is 46 years old, but Jack Nicklaus was 46 when he won in 1986, and other than his short putting, Watson is playing well.

He finished second at the Freeport-McDermott Classic in New Orleans three weeks ago despite missing those torturous short putts that kept him from pressuring winner Scott McCarron, who finished five strokes ahead.

``I think Watson is playing better golf now than he was when he was in his early 30s,'' Greg Norman said. ``So that just shows you there's a lot of good future for all of us.''

Watson agreed with Norman's assessment, but only if he gets his putting straightened out. While in his quandary, Watson even tried a long putter. That experiment was short-lived.

``I took three putts,'' Watson said. ``I hit the first one about 3 inches fat. The second one, I hit it, and I hit the third 15 inches fat. That was it.''