Pair in on Sunday is the dream Sunday pairing
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The Tiger and Phil show arrived in Augusta -- one Sunday too soon and 10 minutes apart.
The Masters Tournament matchup everyone is waiting for provided a sneak preview on the final day of members play at Augusta National Golf Club -- No. 1 and 2 teeing off in succession from the first tee.
Tiger Woods, just a week removed from his sunset victory at Bay Hill, went straight to the first tee after changing shoes in the Champions Locker Room. At 1:17 p.m. his drive rattled off a couple branches right of the fairway bunker.
"Well, I made contact," the world's No. 1 player quipped before pulling his second tee ball left into the second cut.
Phil Mickelson watched it all from the practice putting green. The world No. 2 made a rare Sunday appearance, arriving in town Saturday night after missing the cut in Houston. He didn't seem too disappointed.
"You here to follow the big man?" he jabbed playfully at a handful of scribes hovering around the first tee.
Unlike Woods, Mickelson got to the course before lunch Sunday and worked for about an hour on the range. At 1:27 p.m. the left-hander smoked a driver center cut over the crest of the fairway.
The Sunday before the chaos has that kind of casual feel at Augusta National. While workmen paint the chimney outside the famous Crow's Nest, the world's two best players casually take in a quick nine holes. Their prominent swing coaches -- Hank Haney and Butch Harmon -- were yukking it up before they split off to their rival clients.
Halfway across the country in Houston, the Nos. 3, 4 and 5 players were struggling in the constant winds at Redstone Golf Club. Padraig Harrington, Geoff Ogilvy and Sergio Garcia didn't look like they were having any fun at all fighting in vain for a regular PGA Tour title on the eve of Masters Week.
Which is why, under partly sunny skies and temperatures just under 80, Augusta National was the perfect place to be enjoying the calm before the storm.
Maybe that explains why at least 15 former Masters champions were on the property Sunday, exchanging pleasantries and getting a feel for the course, while just one -- Fred Couples -- toiled the day away in Houston.
Jose Maria Olazabal was sitting at a table on the back lawn and hollering hello to every former champion who walked by him.
"No complaints," Olazabal said of his health struggles. "The game is rough."
Nick Faldo was giving Ollie the needle over the ongoing European Ryder Cup captaincy soap opera with Colin Montgomerie.
"You aware they've got one next year in Wales?" Faldo teased.
There was Fuzzy Zoeller sitting on the bench in front of the clubhouse, showing off pictures of the mammoth 12-pound bass he caught Saturday in a private lake near Lake Oconee.
"They must be feeding them stereos or something," Zoeller said.
There was Ben Crenshaw, doing some shopping and getting ready to go for a test spin of the course. Crenshaw even came last weekend with a couple of friends and former Arkansas football coach Frank Broyles, spending a washed-out Saturday sitting around the Firestone cabin swapping tales with coaches Lou Holtz and Frank Beamer.
"I can't think of a better place to be rained out than Augusta National," said the two-time champion.
Former champion Mark O'Meara walked from the clubhouse just minutes after the Tiger and Phil parade had disappeared up the fairway. The longtime friend and mentor to Woods let everyone in the vicinity of the first tee know just how far his luster has fallen since he joined the Champions Tour.
"Where's the love?" O'Meara shouted playfully. "I played practice rounds with (Woods) all week at Isleworth, and not once does he ask me how I'm getting here or if I want to play a practice round. I got to fly commercial now."
There are worse places to fly commercial to than Augusta in April to take part in the most stress-free Sunday of the season.
Next Sunday at roughly 2:30 p.m., with the world watching, Tiger and Phil hope to be on that same first tee with another green jacket at stake. It won't be fun and games anymore for them, only for the rest of us.
Reach Scott Michaux at (706) 823-3219 or scott.michaux@augustachronicle.com.
