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CNN Live Today

Interview with Lorin Anderson, "Golf" Magazine

Aired April 11, 2002 - 10:35   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.
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: All right. In the mean time, we are going to something that many of us golfers consider the really true rite of spring. Three time Masters champion Sam Snead his the ceremonial first shot today in the Masters at Augusta National just down the road from here.

But everything there didn't quite go as planned. The 89-year-old hit the ball into the gallery, and he hit a spectator. He broke the spectator's glasses, we understand. Now, Snead has hit the opening tee shot every year since 1984. This is Snead's 62nd straight Masters appearance. This, despite suffering a ministroke six weeks ago. Masters kicked off just over two hours ago. Defending champion Tiger Woods, we don't expect him to hit any gallery members. He is going to be teeing off in just a few minutes. As a matter of fact, he should have teed off already.

DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: 10:53.

HARRIS: 10:53? I thought it was 10:23. 10:53, somewhere about 20 minutes away from that.

KAGAN: I heard 53 on the radio. I will check on that.

HARRIS: Now, with that in mind, dreams are taking root this morning in the long, green, lush fairways of Augusta National. Joining us for a closer look at the Masters tournament this year is Lorin Anderson, the managing editor for "Golf" magazine.

How are you? Good morning.

LORIN ANDERSON, MANAGING EDITOR, "GOLF" MAGAZINE: Good morning, Leon. It's a little chilly out here.

HARRIS: Listen, you know -- is it? Well, you know, a lot of people are thinking that the conditions like that are actually going to make it a lot easier for the golfers this morning, because it is kind of rainy out there too, right? Or it is expected to be rainy sometime later today.

ANDERSON: Yes. You know, they said the greens were very quick -- very quick as of Monday, and I think the mist that is out here right now certainly will -- maybe soften the greens just a tad. But they are not expecting a lot of rain here at Augusta this week, and the course should be running pretty firm and fast through the weekend. HARRIS: And that is what has got most of these guys terrified, and it is amazing because coming into this week, as you know, all of the talk had been about Augusta National being lengthened by some 300 yards, and how that was going to affect the field, but it still always comes down to the putting there.

ANDERSON: Well, absolutely. It is one of the toughest set of greens in all of golf, and if you look at the champions and how they have won here in the past, certainly you have to have a phenomenal week of putting to win the Masters.

HARRIS: Well, who have you been following during the practice rounds? Have you seen anything yet that has gotten your attention?

ANDERSON: You know, there are so many players coming in here playing really well. It think the two South Africans are certainly to be watched, Ernie Els and Retief Goosen. You've got, obviously, Tiger playing well. He just won three, four weeks ago at Bay Hill, and Mickelson has been playing great all year. I mean, there is just a slew of top-notch players who are really peaking right now for the Masters.

HARRIS: Yes, but are any of these who are peaking, are they head and shoulders above the rest of the field? We've seen what has happened in the past with Tiger. I mean -- I guess it was the last year, he came with a series of wins in a row, and so he was obviously the hot golfer coming in. Is there anybody who has been that hot of late?

ANDERSON: Well, I think if you talk to anyone in the field, they will tell you that if Tiger comes in and has solid week for him and puts well, he could do what he did at the U.S. Open, where he won by 15 or where he won here at the Masters five years ago by 12. When he has his top -- you know, "A game," as he calls it, you just can't beat him, and I think the competitors would certainly agree with that. We don't know yet if the "A game" is going to show up, and if it doesn't, there are certainly a lot of other top players like Duval, Mickelson, Jose Maria, and others who have won this year who are playing very well right now.

HARRIS: You know, I have heard everybody else ask this question. Might as well ask you. If you had to take either Tiger or the field, who would you be betting on?

ANDERSON: Well, you know, like I said, if Tiger is playing well this week, we is going to win the tournament. If he doesn't play well, I think there's 15 or 20 guys who certainly have a great shot at it, and are playing well enough right now to have the confidence to win here this week.

HARRIS: All right. Way to not back off on that one, Lorin. I kind of thought you might take the Fifth or sit on the fence on that one. Let me ask you about these different changes that have been made there at Augusta National, the lengthening of it by some 300 yards. I am not going to ask you if you think it is good or bad. Let me ask you about what you have heard among the golfers you have spoken with. What is the consensus there. Are they thinking that now that it is going play the way the course is supposed to play, because everyone was saying it was just getting to a point where it was just too easy when everybody out there who could bomb it was hitting driver and wedge in some of these key holes, and they can't do that now.

ANDERSON: Yes. Certainly, it is going to play -- at least the club selection into the greens on the approach shots is going to play much more similar to what it was back in the 50's, 60's and 70's when Hogan and Arnie and Jack Nicklaus were winning events here. Certainly, the technology, the equipment, the course conditioning over the last 10 or 15 years has made the course play much shorter than it used to. I think the players in general -- they love the changes, because these are the best of the best, and they want to play under the toughest conditions, and I think they felt that there were just too many sand wedges and pitching wedge approach shots which are, for this level of golfer, almost too easy a shot for a major championship.

HARRIS: Well, we are going to let you go so you can go watch Tiger when he tees off in a few minutes. Before you go, though, Lorin, got to ask you, final score here -- how high, how low do you think it is going to be?

ANDERSON: The rumbling among the players, if the weather holds up, we don't get much rain, Maybe 7 to 10 under should be the winning score. Last year, Tiger won at 17 under, so that could be a couple strokes around higher than last year's winner.

HARRIS: That means the golfers out there might be watching more of the Weather Channel than the Golf Channel out there. Lorin Anderson, thank you very much. Appreciate the time, we'll let you go out there and get to the course. Thanks so much and take care.

ANDERSON: Thank you for having me.

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