It’s not the fashionable anniversary being marked at Augusta this week as the silver jubilee of one of the greatest events in Masters history is being marked at the tournament’s 75th staging, but for Scots the 23 years since Sandy Lyle’s 1988 victory is particularly resonant.
Jack Nicklaus’ 18th and final major win in 1986 is the special anniversary but, perhaps because for the first time since Lyle’s magnificent eight-iron from the bunker on 18 two years later, there is a legitimate potential Scottish champion in Martin Laird, from Glasgow via Colorado State and Arizona, now ranked 21st in the world by virtue of his victory two weeks ago in the Florida tournament owned and run by the king of Augusta, Arnold Palmer.
Sure, Colin Montgomerie was ranked higher than Laird for several Masters appearances, but the perennial European Order of Merit champion, who will be at Augusta as part of Sky’s debut TV coverage, was perhaps never quite at home or suited to Augusta the same way as the 28-year-old from the Hilton Park club in Milngavie appears to be as he prepares to make his debut in the event today.
Laird’s game, changed to a typically all-American, high-hitting style when he decamped to Colorado State University on a scholarship, could have been made for Augusta National, but what has changed most significantly has been the Scot’s more recent transformation his putting game.
Often a long struggle for him witness the belly putter he wields it has become such a strength he is routinely described as being one the best putters on the US Tour, a comment that induced a laugh from Laird.
In fact, until he met short-game guru Dave Stockton on the putting green at the Bridgestone Invitational last year, Laird was at his wits’ end on the greens, knowing it was where he had to improve to challenge at the top but wondering why the more work he did the worse he seemed to get.
Stockton zeroed in on that immediately.
“He told me never to practise for more than 30 minutes on my putting because after that I would start to think about it too much,” said Laird.
The result of doing less work was almost an immediate turnaround on the greens nearly winning a FedEx play-off event three weeks later and Laird has moved into a new sphere this year, although he knew he would be at Augusta for the first time some time ago and went there the week before his win in Florida.Week of mayhem”It was fantastic to get there before the mayhem of the week, and what a place it is, having watched it on TV for so many years you know all the holes before you get to them,” he said.
“It’s a very special place and the stretch of holes from 10 to 16 is just as good as you’ll ever see.”
Lyle’s 1988 win means there has, and will be, a guaranteed Scottish presence at Augusta as long as the 51-year-old is still swinging, but Laird believes others will be following in his wake to Georgia.
“Paul Lawrie and me winning on the same weekend was maybe a bit of a coincidence, but it’s also a sign that Scottish golf is on the up,” he said. “Stephen Gallacher is back to his best form, Richie Ramsay is coming through and there’s a whole lot of potential back home.”
Laird’s biggest task might be to upset the general rule no first-timer at Augusta can win Fuzzy Zoeller’s victory in 1979 being the only time it’s happened since the first two stagings of the event in 1934 and 1935.
Generally, you’ve got to take time to know your way around, and there are many multiple winners to underline that truth.
Only three Jack Nicklaus, Nick Faldo and Tiger Woods have successfully defended the title, but that hasn’t stopped Phil Mickelson being favourite at 7-1.
Mickelson’s victory in the Shell Houston Open last week set up a possible repeat of 2006, when he won the week before and then claimed the second of his three Green Jackets.
A fourth, to match Woods and Arnold Palmer’s total and lie one behind Nicklaus, is a possibility for a player who always appears energised by Augusta.
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Second favourite, despite his many troubles and difficulties in rebuilding his swing, is Tiger. Even on Wednesday Ladbrokes took several five-figure bets on Woods, taking his odds down to 12-1.
Interestingly, Woods gave a promise on Tuesday that we had not seen the best of him an opinion that has been confined to his more shameless cheerleaders of late.
It seems fanciful he will ever hit the heights of 2000-01 or 2005-06, simply given the stresses he has put on his body over the years and not even considering the other distractions.
Later in the day Nicklaus gave a far more entertaining press conference and said he thought Woods would still reach his record of 18 major wins, but did point out that he needed five wins to do it “and that’s more than a career for anyone else playing.”
Nicklaus was in the media centre because of the 25th anniversary of his great 1986 triumph the 18th and last major win, and probably the most memorable as he shot 30 on the back nine as Greg Norman, Seve Ballesteros and Tom Kite imploded down the stretch.
Playing with Jack that memorable afternoon, and in the hunt himself until he wavered, was none other than Lyle.
Having seen close up what it took to win at Augusta in perhaps the most incredible atmosphere the place has ever experienced, Sandy converted that knowledge into victory himself two years later.
Which is what makes it tough for Laird to win on his first visit this week by and large, Zoeller excepted, you’ve got to learn how to win the Masters, and sometimes the hard way.Mickelson moneyWhich for my money means either a repeat winner in Mickelson, or perhaps a win for the player who watched him seize the title close up last year.
Lee Westwood dominated the field for two-and-a-half days last year before Mickelson’s incredible eagle-eagle on 13 and 14 on Saturday changed the momentum of the event.
The charge against the Englishman was that his suspect short game cost him, but it didn’t particularly hamper him last year it was more that he seemed to back off and didn’t attack the front nine on Sunday the way he had done so successfully.
If anything and it’s possibly second-guessing Westwood could have been more proactive and attacking in his several near-misses at the majors, specifically Torrey Pines in 2008, Turnberry in 2009 and the Masters last year.
He saw Mickelson take just that attitude to win last year, and it was a lesson he’ll have learned well.
Out of the pack, Nick Watney is well favoured after two top-10 finishes in his short career and Dustin Johnson has the big-hitting style that leans a great many in his direction.
However Westwood has been the most consistent European at Augusta of late and offers the best chance of a first European winner this century, and this is the best opportunity for him to break his major duck.