GATOR PRIDE: As Tiger Woods made his way beneath the big oak tree to the practice putting green Monday afternoon, he couldn't avoid a little friendly ribbing from Chris DiMarco.

DiMarco, who attended and played golf at the University of Florida, proudly boasted a new Gators championship emblem on the large lower pocket of his golf bag. He turned his clubs around so Woods wouldn't miss it.

He also pointed out his blue and orange head covers with "Florida Gators" written on them. "One day, Stanford might be able to get close to that, but right now, there's no chance," DiMarco called out to Woods, who played golf for the Cardinal.

Florida's men's basketball team played for its second consecutive national title Monday night, and the football team won the BCS championship over Ohio State in January.

"I'm just going to watch the game with a bunch of buddies, and hopefully the same thing will happen as last year," DiMarco said.

Last year, DiMarco played the Monday practice round with former LSU golfer David Toms, whose Tigers also were in the 2006 Final Four but failed to advance to the championship.

"I don't think there's anybody out here this year from Ohio State," DiMarco said accurately. (Jack Nicklaus played his last Masters in 2005, the same year Woods beat DiMarco in a Sunday playoff.)

DiMarco said the new Gators emblem was put on his bag by Ping and arrived Monday.

He will be joined in the Masters field by fellow Gators Mark Calcavecchia and Camilo Villegas. The 1973 Masters champion, Tommy Aaron, also went to Florida.

OGILVY GOING FOR GOLD: Defending U.S. Open champion Geoff Ogilvy said Monday that he plans to don a pair of gold golf shoes at this year's Masters.

He said he will wear the shiny soft spikes "a couple of days," adding, "I'm definitely going to wear them on Wednesday for the practice round and the Par-3 and then sometime later in the week."

The move is part of an endorsement agreement with Puma AG, which also will have Johan Edfors and Hideto Tanihara in gold shoes, according to Bloomberg News.

"They are pretty cool," Ogilvy said. "When I heard gold shoes, I raised an eyebrow, but actually when I got them, they are pretty sweet.

"They are gold-gold, like Michael Johnson in Atlanta gold."

When asked whether they would go nicely with a green jacket, Ogilvy responded, "Anything goes with a green jacket, I think."

LONG TIME GONE: Paul Goydos has a different perspective on Augusta National Golf Club than most players this week. Though the regular Masters participants have seen the changes made to the course each year, Goydos saw them all for the first time this week.

The 42-year-old's only previous appearance in the Masters came in 1996, when he missed the cut.

He was a late qualifier for the 2007 Masters by virtue of being in the top 50 in the Official World Golf Ranking as of March 26. Goydos is currently 43rd, thanks mainly to his victory in the Sony Open in January.

Was it a shock to see all the changes at once? "Shock would be the wrong word, because they do such a good job of blending when they build a new tee," Goydos said. "They kind of get rid of the other tee, and it doesn't look like there are 50 tees out there."

Since Goydos played in 1996, the changes to the course include the introduction of rough (or the second cut, as Augusta National calls it) in 1999, the addition of 460 yards since 2002 and the strategic placement of trees.

"The biggest change to me is the second cut; they didn't have that before," Goydos said. "Plus, with the length, they've made it so that guys like me that hit it a little short can't reach some of the bunkers.

"There are a lot of holes now where I'm not hitting into the trouble as some of the other guys are," he said. "Yes, it helps to be long, but being long is a more difficult shot, and that tends to even things out."

QUIGLEY'S EXPECTATIONS: Former University of South Carolina golfer Brett Quigley and his wife, Amy, are expecting their first child next week.

He said that it should be a pretty exciting couple of weeks.

"You come off this incredible high this week to the birth of your child," said Quigley, making his first Masters appearance after 10 top-10 finishes last year.

He said he might have to leave if his wife, and expected daughter, need him.

"I am keeping my fingers crossed. Hopefully if my wife needs me, she will call the club here and we will have to pull up and leave," he said. What will be the child's name?

"We don't have any names yet," he said. "We're clueless, with nothing so far."

THICK OF THINGS: Eleven-time Masters veteran Jim Furyk said after his Monday practice round that he noticed a particular difference in the course this year.

"They must have had a good winter. The grass is as thick on the fairways and greens as I have ever seen it," said Furyk, No. 2 in the World Golf Ranking. "There are not thin spots. It really looks phenomenal."

Furyk finished tied for 22nd last year and has two top-five finishes, in 1998 and 2003.

"The overseed looks like it came in pretty thick. You can't notice any thin spots where in years past you could."