Tiger Looks to Break Three of History

He has tucked his chances of winning a third consecutive Masters title in his bag with his clubs, right there next to that smart-talking toy Tiger head cover, and Tiger Woods can hardly be counted out, even if there is some heavy history stacked against him.

No one has won three straight at Augusta National. Two have had opportunities. Jack Nicklaus won the Masters in 1965 and 1966, then shot a second-round 79 and missed the cut in 1967 when Gay Brewer went on to win. Nick Faldo won the Masters in 1989 and 1990 but tied for 12th in 1991, five shots behind winner Ian Woosnam.

Now it’s Tiger’s turn, and you would have to say he’s looking good. Woods tied for 11th at Sawgrass in his most recent tournament, the Players Championship, but in five times out this year, that was his only finish out of the top five. He won at Torrey Pines, won the Match Play Championship at La Costa, won the Bay Hill Invitational and tied for fifth at Riviera.

In his four stroke-play tournaments, he is 47 under par. His highest score in those 16 rounds was a third-round 73 at Riviera. He averages 293.3 yards off the tee and is one of the top putters on the PGA Tour, not to mention its leading scorer, with a 68.04 stroke average, besides being the leading money winner, already up to $2.97 million.

And now he’s coming to a course perfectly suited to his power game. He won the Masters the first time he played it as a professional in 1997 and his worst finish since was when he tied for 18th in 1999. He tied for eighth in 1998, was fifth in 2000 and he’s won it the last two years -- by two shots over David Duval, then by three shots over Retief Goosen.

If Woods headlines the pool of favorites, however, there are others to consider this Masters week. Here are the short lists, hitting the high and low spots.

Who’s Hot

1. Woods. Last year, he played the par threes even, the par-fours in five under and the par-fives in seven under. Case closed.

2. Ernie Els. Fifth last year, sixth before that and second to Vijay Singh in 2000. His sore wrist is the only question mark.

3. Davis Love III. He’s won twice so far, playing from ahead to win at Sawgrass, and is one of the best drivers on the PGA Tour -- in the huge, new motor home he’s taking to tournaments these days. Last week, he parked next to John Daly’s monstrous motor home. Hopefully, Love will be able to keep it between the painted lines.

4. Jim Furyk. He missed the cut at three of the four majors last year but that was a fluke. So far this year, he’s finished in the top 10 six times in eight events and lost a playoff to Scott Hoch at Doral. He’s also first in reaching greens in regulation and second in driving accuracy, a powerful combination at Augusta. He’s got to putt better.

5. (Tie) Stewart Cink and Darren Clarke. Cink has been steady if unspectacular at Augusta. Clarke received a heavy dose of Bob Rotella’s brain tutoring and may be ready to turn it on.

Who’s Not

1. David Toms. Missed the cut in his last four tournaments before the BellSouth.

2. Phil Mickelson. He’s not even warm. BellSouth was his first tournament in five weeks, and he missed the cut.

3. Sergio Garcia. He hasn’t finished better than 33rd in a full-field event and has missed three cuts in his last four weeks. Is it his new equipment?

4. Singh. Missed six weeks because of a rib injury, tied for 20th at Bay Hill, missed the cut at Sawgrass. Doesn’t mean he can’t get hot quickly, though. Seventh last year with a 65 on Friday, but 72-76 on the weekend.

5. Duval: Sometime, somewhere, he’ll turn it around.

Some Shot

1. Mike Weir. All right, so no left-hander has won at Augusta. Maybe it’s time for a change. His Masters best was 24th last year, but he’s a two-time winner so far and he’s tougher than the bark on the pine trees at Augusta.

2. Padraig Harrington: Up to eighth in the world rankings, this is the first time he’s been the top European player. He has two factors going for him: He can drive and he can putt. If he could play faster, he’d have it all.

3. Goosen: He’s been away on baby duty, like Mickelson. Returned at Sawgrass and missed the cut, tied for third at BellSouth and may be ready for another big step in a major.

4. Chad Campbell. He’s probably the best player you’ve never heard of. The second-year pro has made more than $1.24 million with four top-six finishes in a five-tournament stretch, two of them seconds. He’s No. 2 in driving, behind Love.

5. Justin Leonard. He’s never missed the cut since he turned pro in 1994. He also hasn’t finished in the top 10 since 1998.

No Shot

1. Colin Montgomerie. Monty has been a shell of his former self, and that’s saying a lot. He pulled out of the BellSouth and took off for England to work on his game. He has made the cut once in six weeks. Is it his new equipment?

2. Faldo. Sure enough, 14th last year, and a three-time winner (thanks, Greg Norman), but the course is too big for him now.

3. Mark O’Meara. His last four tournament results: missed cut, 40th, 51st, missed cut. He’s 122nd in driving distance and 137th in putting. A chair in the broadcast booth is probably looking better all the time.

4. Charles Howell III. He’s the hometown kid and that’s too much pressure on a 23-year-old who hasn’t played well in a month and ranks 115th in putts per round.

5. Kevin Sutherland. Still living off his 2002 Match Play title. Played one and only Masters last year and missed cut.