When the 2008 Masters Tournament begins today, it will be 11 days short of 50 years that Herbert Warren Wind's creative mind coined the phrase "Amen Corner" for the three holes that have made Masters champions and broken those aspiring to the title since the tournament began in 1934.

The threesome of Luke Donald, Sergio Garcia and Camilo Villegas crosses the Hogan Bridge at the 12th green during practice. (Jackie Ricciardi/Staff)

Sportswriters have a history of assigning nicknames to athletes, structures and fields of play. Some are funny, some are silly, some are derogatory and some are dignified.

Wind's depiction of those holes might be the best example of the latter.

"That's as good a nickname for anything I've heard from a sports writer," said Mark O'Meara, who parred all three holes in the final round on his way to winning the 1998 Masters. "It's very appropriate."

"Maybe he should have named it 'Our Father,' " said Nick Price, who shares the 18-hole Masters scoring record at 63. "That's what they say at the beginning of prayers, don't they? Because anyone who has ever played those holes is sure praying the whole way through."

In strategic terms, it's always been a best-case scenario to escape Nos. 11 and 12 with pars, then hit a good tee shot favoring the right-center of the fairway at No. 13 to set up a possible open look at going for the green on the second shot. Players would then have an eagle-putt attempt or a straightforward chip to get up-and-down for birdie.

"If you make pars (at Nos. 11 and 12), that's kind of the goal," said two-time Masters champion Phil Mickelson. "Then you try to make birdie at No. 13 to play them at 1-under."

That gives players momentum to tackle the difficult par-4 14th and have another possible run at eagle or birdie at the par-5 15th. Survival is then the order of the day at the closing three holes.

"You make a four (at No. 11) every day, it's great," said defending champion Zach Johnson. "(No.) 12 is a great par 3; you make a three there every day, it's fantastic. (No.) 13 is risk-reward. The others are not." Mickelson said course changes in recent years have made Nos. 11 and 13 more difficult. No. 12 remains one of the most feared par-3 holes in golf.

Fred Couples, the 1992 Masters champion, said that if anything has changed about Amen Corner, it's that No. 13 isn't the breather it used to be.

"There's not nearly as many guys going for the green" on their second shot, he said.

If hitting the fairway and green on each hole is a given, players are torn as to which is the most difficult shot at Amen Corner: the second shot at No. 11 or the tee shot at No. 12.

The 11th hole, and that second shot, have been made harder in recent years, with the length increased to more than 500 yards and trees planted on the right side. Last year, it was the hardest hole on the course in terms of scoring average by the field (4.51), and for the history of the tournament, it's the fourth-hardest hole.

The yardage at No. 12 has remained 155 yards for years. It's also the one hole that Augusta National officials haven't changed over the years. Last year, it was the fifth-hardest hole on the course (3.401). Historically, it's the second-hardest, behind No. 10.

"The temptation is to say the second shot at No. 11 is tougher, but there's nothing like that tee shot at No. 12," O'Meara said. "There's really no room for error, and the wind is so tough to read."

Couples, whose tee shot at No. 12 in the final round of the 1992 Masters stayed on the bank instead of rolling into the water, also voted for that hole. "I've played rounds there where I'm on the third hole and I've got an 8-iron in my hand, and I'm thinking about the 12th hole and the same shot," he said.

Gary Player, who will compete in his 51st Masters this week to break Arnold Palmer's record for most starts, votes for No. 11 as the most difficult.

Strictly in terms of the yardage and hazards, Nos. 11 and 12 don't, at first glance, look scary. It's not the holes so much as the location.

Johnson said the valley in which the 11th green and 12th hole sit, plus the surrounding trees, make it possible for the wind to come out of almost any direction -- often changing while a competitor is still playing either hole.

"I think that corner is a wind-based, wind-driven part of the golf course," he said. "The more experience you have on those holes, the better off you can be."

Still, Johnson won the Masters in his third start. He played Amen Corner even for the week and birdied No. 13 three times.

Four-time Masters winner Tiger Woods, who won in his first professional start at Augusta, said it's almost a roll of the dice.

"It's hard to describe to people what you feel on that tee," Woods said. "You see one flag at No. 11 (green) doing one thing and No. 12 is doing a complete opposite."

When players find a way to hit both greens and move on, there's a good bet an "amen" has been silently said.