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CNN Live Today

Augusta Remodeled

Aired April 09, 2002 - 14:47   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: This week, golfers are gearing up to take on a remodeled Augusta National at this year's Masters Tournament. We turn now to CNN "Sports Illustrated" Tom Rinaldi, standing live in Augusta. Tom, did you get to check out the holes or play a few?

TOM RINALDI, CNN "SPORTS ILLUSTRATED": We found a chance to walk around. But as you know, Kyra, for the majority of the year, 51 weeks, to be precise, this is one of the most private clubs in America. One week a year it hosts one of the country's most public events.

Changes to the course are the talk of the tournament this year. Augusta National opened in 1933. And since its opening, every hole has been altered from its initial design. Still, this is its most extensive overhaul in history.

How effective will those change to the course be? Perhaps only time and Tiger will tell.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(voice-over): As eternal as an azalea's blossom, as dependable as the dogwood's bloom, as timeless as the bulldozer's ripping up the earth. No hard hats at Augusta this spring, just a much harder golf course.

STEWART CINK, PROFESSIONAL GOLFER: It's more of a challenge. The course is more difficult. I've played it a few times now. But I'm not concerned about it, because it's the same for everybody.

JIM FURYX, PROFESSIONAL GOLFER: I think what they're trying to do is make a better golf tournament, and doing their best to keep up with the equipment, in the age of the athlete, now.

RINALDI: Augusta National, site of the Masters, has been transformed into the fifth-longest course in major championship history. Nine holes changed, nearly 300 yards longer, tee boxes shifted, trees added, bunkers rebuilt -- all adding up to an even greater test of accuracy amid today's power game.

VIJAY SINGH, 2000 MASTERS CHAMPION: Used to be, go to the Masters and hit it as hard as you can off the tee. But now you really need to focus on your tee shots, and see where you need to play and what you need to hit it with.

NICK PRICE, PROFESSIONAL GOLFER: It's going to be very difficult. With the amount of long irons I need, a player of my length, you know, the irons that we're going to be hitting into the greens, it's going to be very difficult.

RINALDI: Difficult and different. You don't give the Mona Lisa a face lift. You don't add on to the Parthenon. But evidently you do renovate golf's masterpiece. Why?

If the reason is Tiger Woods, and changes were designed to make the course more resistant to the defending champion's dominance, the redesign may help Woods more than hurt him.

RETIEF GOOSEN, 2001 U.S. OPEN CHAMPION: I think any golf course they may longer plays into the hands of Tiger. I think he's just smiling. You haven't heard him complaining about that. So the longer they can make it, the better for him.

CINK: It seems like they want to say, you know -- originally everyone was saying they were trying to Tiger-proof the course. But most people agree that it probably only helps the longer players.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

RINALDI: So what does the defending champion have to say? He arrived here and played nine holes Monday. He toured the course again today. He said that the greens are hard and fast, although that could change with some ominous skies overhead.

Still, for all of the changes and whether they were done to Tiger-proof this course, well, here's what Woods himself had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TIGER WOODS, 2-TIME MASTERS CHAMP: The guys are getting longer, and they don't want to see these scores, the winning score being -- I won with 16, 18 under. And they don't want to see it that high -- or, sorry, that low. They'd much rather see it in single digits.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

RINALDI: Of course, it's impossible to count Woods out on any course, reconfigured or not. Think back to 1997 when he won his first Masters title. He set 20 tournament records and won by 12 strokes. Last year, he won by two in a thrilling dual, him and David Duvall, down the stretch -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Now, Tom, since the course opened up, I guess, early 1900s -- 1933, is that right?

RINALDI: 1933, right.

PHILLIPS: OK. There have been changes in the past, correct?

RINALDI: Change has been a constant theme here, Kyra. In fact, as I mentioned earlier, every hole has been reconfigured here at Augusta National since it first opened. But there have been changes three of the four last years. So this change, involving nine holes and the addition of nearly 300 yards, bunkers being expanded, new trees being brought in and planted, is certainly the most extensive.

But the people that run the Augusta National have never feared tinkering with their own masterpiece.

PHILLIPS: Understandable. Tom Rinaldi, all right. Have a great time. We'll talk to you later.

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