Lords of Augusta Can Thank Tiger for Bailing Them Out

Now that it’s over and they’ve finally shelved taped highlights of his ball rolling down the slope into the hole at the 16th, it’s clear that Tiger Woods rescued the Masters and turned it into something historic. That sure wasn’t where it was heading for the longest time.

Until Sunday morning, when Woods charged into the lead with seven consecutive birdies, the Masters was a major with a soggy bunch of minor problems. Rain, delays, truncated rounds and postponements were bad enough, but there was more.

In the first round, Billy Casper went out and shot 106, including a 14 on the par-three 16th -- the hole that would be the most remembered at the 69th Masters because it’s where Trevor Immelman made an ace Sunday and Woods rolled in his miracle chip. Casper withdrew, after pocketing his scorecard.

There was the Phil Mickelson-Vijay Singh “Spikegate” incident, which was bad enough that Mickelson felt obliged to release a statement about it through the club, then chided reporters for bringing it up the next day.

Then there was a computer glitch Saturday that caused major confusion -- some players were sent out in the wrong pairings, according to their scores, leading to harsh words from players and caddies, plus another delay in play while everything was sorted out.

Even before Woods and Chris DiMarco staged their dramatic showdown on the back nine, there was the sight of Ernie Els and Craig Stadler, the first group sent out in the last round, playing so quickly that they had to wait at the sixth tee because the grounds crew was still mowing the green.

In the end, with 35.9 million viewers watching on CBS, all most of them are going to remember is that ball rolling in the hole at the 16th. And that’s the way it should be. The Masters got lucky.

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Here’s how John Hopkins of the London Times described Woods’ chip-in at the 16th hole, when instead of knocking the ball straight at the hole, he pitched it at an angle to the top of the sloping green and it trickled down, stopping briefly before falling into the cup: “A journey from Washington to San Diego via Montreal.”

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Woods’ victory was his first after shooting over par in the first round. He opened with a 74.

As for DiMarco, he joins Tom Watson as the only players to lose in playoffs in consecutive majors. Watson lost the 1978 PGA Championship (along with Jerry Pate, to winner John Mahaffey) and the 1979 Masters (with Ed Sneed, to Fuzzy Zoeller).

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If you’re wondering how Els handled being 47th out of the 50 players who made the cut at the Masters, the answer is that he decided to take a vacation.

Els and his family flew to their home in Wentworth, England, for a week off. Els is traveling to Beijing this weekend to play in next week’s Johnnie Walker Classic on the European Tour.

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Call it a Masters hangover, but this week’s MCI Heritage isn’t exactly flashing megawatt power. The Big Four are nowhere to be seen in Hilton Head Island, S.C., where 11th-ranked Stewart Cink is the top-ranked player and also the defending champion. Only eight of the top 30 players are in the field.

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Planning ahead for the 2006 Masters, you might want to start saving right away.

A package that includes four nights in a hotel, admission to the tournament Thursday through Sunday and entry into a private hospitality area for all four tournament days is available -- starting at $7,845 a person.

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Until now, 22-year-old Natalie Gulbis has been known mostly for her pin-up calendar, which the USGA wouldn’t allow to be sold last year at the U.S. Open, and her boyfriend, Pittsburgh Steeler quarterback Ben Roethlisberger.

That may be changing soon. Gulbis is going to star in “Natalie,” a six-week reality show beginning in July on the Golf Channel.

Gulbis said her privacy was not being invaded.

“It’s not like, when I wake up in the morning and there is a microphone on me, or a camera when I roll out of bed.”