The tired look on their faces will tell the story after today's final round of the 73rd Masters Tournament.

With the exception of the winner, whose adrenaline will carry him along for a few more days, the other 49 players who made the cut and played all 72 holes will be mentally drained.

That's what four pressure-packed days at the exacting Augusta National Golf Club will do to a player.

"Fatigue sets in mentally, because you're just forced to be switched on at all times," Stewart Cink said. "You can't go to sleep on any shot or you're going to make double (bogey). At the end of the week, that wears you out, especially if you're in contention."

"The U.S. Open is like that, but it's more of a physical grind because you've got the rough," Cink said. "It doesn't wear you out as much mentally. The Masters wears you out, The Players Championship wears you out mentally."

Said Carl Pettersson: "You're worn out after a week with everything going on."

Nick Watney said he and Geoff Ogilvy talked about the mental grind of the Masters during a recent round at the WGC-CA Championship in Doral, Fla.

"I'd say just because of the greens," Watney said. "The greens at Augusta are so fast that on a 6-footer you're just trying to figure out how to keep it on the green. It's a little bit more taxing than normal, but I'd rather be tired at the end of that week than watch it on TV."

After last year's Masters, Ogilvy said the course "was too hard" for him. When asked to revisit that statement in mid-March, he said he didn't agree with that assessment now. He said it then because he was mentally beat down by the course.

"When you've had 74 or whatever and you walk from the last, the 18th green to the clubhouse, that generally is a poor time to get an objective answer," Ogilvy said.

The mental pressure builds on each hole, said Justin Rose, then reaches its peak on the greens.

"I think the tee shots are the easiest part of Augusta," he said. "That's where you almost freewheel it. It's a second-shot golf course. When you're on the green, you're grinding.

''Sometimes, at other tournaments, you can miss and make putts, but you're not grinding. At Augusta, you're always grinding. You're working, you're thinking. Your mind is always racing. There is no letup around there."

Today's final round won't be as mentally taxing on those players who are too many shots back to make a run at the green jacket.

"If you're not playing great, then it's not as much of a grind. Then you just try to enjoy it," Tim Clark said. "If you're playing good and in contention, then it is, because it's obviously very mentally demanding because every shot is so demanding and can lead to such disaster."

Davis Love III, a two-time Masters runner-up who didn't qualify this year, said he would always "crash" the day after the Masters.

He would rebound in time, though, usually playing well at the next stop at Hilton Head Island, S.C., where Love has won five times.

The Hilton Head tournament is known for its laid-back nature, which is a perfect antidote for a week at Augusta National, he said.

"That's one of the reasons I like to play at Hilton Head -- because of the decompression factor," Cink said. "I just feel so loose and relaxed. It's like a breather. I think all my wins on tour have come after majors."

There is also a carryover because golfers have been tuning their games up for the Masters.

"I won either side of the Masters because you're always trying to get ready for it," Love said. "I'm always dialed in."

It worked last year for Boo Weekley, who finished in a tie for 20th in his Masters debut then won at Hilton Head Island for the second consecutive year.

"I was close (at the Masters); I knew how close I was in wanting to hit the ball playingwise," he said. "I finally got back to something I'm a little more familiar with, over there at Hilton Head."

Reach David Westin at (706) 823-3224 or david.westin@augustachronicle.com.