Taylor seeks more return trips
When Larry Mize won the 1987 Masters Tournament, the Augusta native was the lone player in the field with an area connection.
This year, two other hometown players have a shot at duplicating Mize's feat on the 20th anniversary of his victory.
Augusta native Charles Howell has already won this year and was the PGA Tour's leading money winner for much of this season (he's third on the list now, with $2.4 million).
Augusta resident Vaughn Taylor, who has lived here since he was 6 months old, is coming off a Ryder Cup year and is currently 38th on the money list.
"It would be pretty special," Taylor said when asked about the public reaction if he or Howell won the 71st Masters.
"I think we've both been playing pretty well," said Taylor, who attended some of the tournament rounds during the "Mize Masters" in 1987, but stayed home to watch the final round on TV. "Charles obviously has had a good year; he's already got a win under his belt. It could be a good shot for us. You never know. It's so difficult to win. Who knows? We'll have to see how it turns out."
This is the 27-year-old Howell's sixth Masters. It is the second trip to Augusta National Golf Club for the 31-year-old Taylor.
"It's been pretty cool to get in a second year in a row," Taylor said. "I'd like to get in every year. It's a tournament you definitely want to have on your calendar. My goal every year is to play here."
It's said that only great putters win the Masters, which bodes well for Taylor. He ranked second in putting average on the tour in 2006 and is tied for 10th this year at 1.732 putts per hole.
Last year in the Masters, Taylor averaged 30 putts per round in shooting 75-74 and missed the cut by a shot. On a positive note, he didn't have a 3-putt green.
"I love these greens; I love greens that are fast," he said. "I'm sure they'll be fast this week."
Taylor's game was in fine form three weeks ago when he was the 54-hole leader in the Arnold Palmer Invitational before finishing third. He didn't qualify for the CA Championship the following week, so he decided to play in the Houston Open last week. After an opening 67, Taylor shot 74-68-73 to finish in a tie for 27th place.
"It went well," Taylor said. "I played well the first day and got a little off the second day and tried to fix it the rest of the week.
"Hopefully, I did. I think I came on to something a little bit on Sunday. It was nothing major, just kind of my setup. It was good to get in a tournament situation where I got into my routine and played. I'm right there. I've got to get a little more comfortable in my setup and I'll be all right."
Reach David Westin at (706) 823-3224 or david.westin@augustachronicle.com.
