"One look at Augusta in 3-D will make high-definition seem obsolete."

Richard Sandomir got a sneak peek at the Masters in 3-D and appears to have been blown away by what he saw.

If the test footage shot recently at the Augusta National Golf Club is an authentic gauge, the Masters in 3-D will look terrific. Only a few thousand early adopters with 3-D television sets will be able to see the tournament in this manner, but they will be fortunate: one look at Augusta in 3-D will make high-definition seem obsolete.

This had to make Tim Finchem's morning...

Golf may be perfect for 3-D. It is a slow sport, one player in action at a time. Cameras need not pan quickly and can be closer than they are in, say, football or baseball.

"After the 48 hours the video cannot be rebroadcast at all without the written permission of Augusta National."

I intentionally chose not to link the New York Daily News story from a couple of days ago on Martha Burk because she asserted that Tiger and Augusta National were colluding as part of some chavinist cabal. But after reading Alex Miceli's item on the club establishing restrictions on the use of video from Monday's Woods conference,  Burk's comments unfortunately will carry a whiff of credibility with some if the club actually enforces this restriction. Furthermore, I can even see a new era of ANGC media scrutiny more hostile than the 2003 Hootie-Martha showdown.
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"Old Soul" Follow-Up

Thanks for all the kind remarks regarding my Golf World story on Augusta National's genealogical ties to the Old Course.

These Alister MacKenzie sketches of holes three, four and five (originally 12-14) prove nothing about the relationship between the two courses. Instead I post them merely for your viewing pleasure. Click on the images to enlarge.

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Third Master Question: How Is Tiger Going To Play?

We're about to be hit with a bunch of Masters preview stories and a boatload of Tiger talk. So as the bookies make him the favorite, it'd be nice to think ahead a bit and make some completely useless predictions about Tiger's play based on little fact or inside knowledge about his game. (That said, I find it astonishing he's been installed as the favorite when he hasn't teed it up since November and by most honest accounts is said to be understandably rusty.)

The bookies are also offering some bizarre bets.

“We’ve got a whole host (of markets), the funnies around to the serious,” Ladbrokes spokesman Nick Weinberg said. “Obviously, (we’ve) priced him up to win the major, to miss the cut, to have a fight with a fan on the first tee, to kiss an anonymous blonde – which doesn’t include (John) Daly, we point out.”

Despite any off-the-course problems, both Adams and Weinberg said that bettors will stand behind Woods with their money.

“He could have 10 years off the sport and there’d be punters backing him,” Weinberg said. “Even a 50 percent-75 percent Tiger Woods should have more than enough to see off the field.”

But I'm curious how you all would wager (if you were to succumb to a life of sin). Personally, I'd have to think about a bet where he's missing the cut, though Tiger knows the course so well he could probably get around there in 144 with one arm tied behind his back.

Your predictions please.

"The silliest question anyone can ask is, 'How has this changed you, Tiger?'"

John Feinstein says Tiger doesn't need to answer any more questions about Nov. 27th, the answers can be seen in his post-accident behavior.

Look, we all have a pretty good idea what happened Thanksgiving night: His wife confronted him in some way about his serial extra-marital escapades, and he fled the house in a T-shirt, shorts and bare feet clearly in no condition to drive a car. Do we really need to know more than that? No.

The silliest question anyone can ask is, "How has this changed you, Tiger?"

I'll answer that one: Not at all.

He's still an absolute control freak as demonstrated by his first two public appearances since the infamous accident. The Feb. 19 Tiger-and-pony show would have been fall-down funny if it hadn't been so excruciating. It looked like a "Saturday Night Live" skit, Tiger pausing dramatically to check his script and then saying, "I am so sorry," while those in the invited audience -- including his poor mother -- looked as if jumping off a building would be a welcome relief from sitting in that room.

Tiger Messes With Scribbler Golf And Travel Plans By Setting Monday April 5th Press Conference

I do like that he has set it for Monday at 2 p.m., well away from Thursday's start date and normally a quiet day in the media center. Oh wait, it's quiet because half the media is golfing, the other half still trying to get to town!

Still, I'm shocked he's doing it. There will definitely be some awkward moments in that room.

In a real buried lede moment, the interview list includes David Duval on Tuesday. So at least the news cycle from anything Tiger says will only last 24 hours.

"A high-profile golfer has been laying bets that Williams would be axed and replaced with Billy Foster"

Robert Lusetich's original story on Steve Williams' denial of Joslyn James' suggestions that they knew each other was "updated" with this little item:

A high-profile golfer has been laying bets that Williams would be axed and replaced with Billy Foster, a well-respected Englishman who caddies for Lee Westwood.

Foster, who said last week that he knew nothing of any such plan, filled in for Williams at the 2005 Presidents Cup so Williams could be with his wife, Kirsty, as she gave birth to their first son.

But Williams confirmed Sunday that he would be on Woods’ bag for his comeback tournament next month at Augusta National.