Shots Can Get Out of Their Range

It goes up only once a year, but the 105-foot tall nylon net that’s 265 yards from the tee area at the driving range at Augusta National is in place for the Masters.

For 49 weeks of the year, there’s no need for a net, but it’s there now, supported by green, metal poles, part of the removable infrastructure that’s being put in position for the tournament, April 6-9.

The Masters being what it is, the terminology is often different, so when all the bleachers were erected, they are instead called “observation stands.” Whatever they are, they’re up, and so are the 12 leaderboards around the course, including the main one along the first fairway.

Most of the television towers are in place too, but it’s the net that grabs a lot of attention. Despite its distance from the tee and its height, about a dozen balls are launched over the top every year, with nothing to stop them but a line of trees and then Washington Road.

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Tiger Woods, who has won at Bay Hill four times, is back trying again this week, and six others ranked in the top 11 are on hand, including Vijay Singh, Retief Goosen, Ernie Els and Sergio Garcia. Phil Mickelson is taking the week off and so are David Toms and Chris DiMarco.

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Cover Guy: That would be Woods, who appears on the cover of the spring edition of Men’s Vogue. Relaxing on a wooden dock, Woods is photographed wearing a silk and linen jacket with part of the collar turned up to reveal its red underside, plus a cashmere shirt and linen trousers.

On one of the inside pages, there is a photograph of Woods riding a personal watercraft while wearing a wool suit.

As for the story, the big revelations are that Woods can hold his breath underwater for four minutes and that photographs of Taz, the border collie puppy he and wife Elin got for themselves for Christmas, appear in a magazine for the first time.

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After winning last weekend at the Honda Classic, Luke Donald said if the situation ever comes up, he won’t fade in a matchup with Woods.

“You see a lot of players when they get close to him seem to either give it to him or he doesn’t have to do too much special,” said Donald, who has won twice on the PGA Tour.

“I think if you can kind of get into the mentality that you don’t have to do more, you just do what you know you can do, hopefully that will keep me going to get up to Tiger’s level.

“I think you have to start believing that you’re the best player in the world. That’s the first step.

” ... Can I beat Tiger on any given round? Sure. So why can’t I beat him during a tournament?”

Donald says if he plays golf the way he’s capable, it should be good enough to compete every week, regardless of what Woods does.

The mentality issue is probably a good point, and Donald has an example of what he’s talking about -- at last year’s British Open, when he was paired with Jack Nicklaus in Nicklaus’ going-away round. Donald was swept away by the moment, followed up an opening 68 with a 73, fell from two shots behind Woods to eight, then had a third-round 77.

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Ratings update: If anyone is unsure of the so-called Tiger Effect on the overnight Nielsen ratings, check out the numbers for NBC from last weekend’s Honda Classic, in which Woods didn’t play -- 1.8 on Saturday and 2.4 on Sunday. That’s about half of the overnight ratings for CBS the week before at Doral, where Woods won -- 3.7 on Saturday and 5.0 on Sunday.

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The news about Annika Sorenstam always seems to be good, even the kind about money. She has traded in her Mercedes sponsorship deal for Lexus and is wearing a Lexus logo on her shirt at tournaments.

And she’s already one for one, winning her 2006 debut last week in Mexico City. It’s the fourth time in the last five years that Sorenstam has won her first tournament of the year.

Sorenstam is the defending champion this week at the Safeway International in Arizona and in two weeks at the Kraft Nabisco at Mission Hills, the first major of the year.

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The early-season winner of the Slow Start Award goes to PGA Tour rookie Steven Bowditch, who has played seven events that have led to three missed cuts, three disqualifications and a withdrawal.

Bowditch, 22, who earned his tour card by being fifth on last year’s Nationwide Tour money list, has been practicing back home in Australia, where he told reporters what he was working on: “Just trying to hit it forward.”

Bowditch ranks 171st in fairways (out of 190 who have played the minimum number of rounds), but he’s last in greens hit and in scoring. Bowditch will try it again at the BellSouth Classic in Duluth, Ga., the week before the Masters.

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The top three players on the PGA Tour in driving distance are all rookies: Bubba Watson (320.9-yard average), J.B. Holmes (313.3) and Camilo Villegas (310.1).

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This year’s Ryder Cup, which is being played at the K Club near Dublin, Ireland, will be held Sept. 21-24. The 2008 Ryder Cup will be at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Ky., and its dates of Sept. 19-21 were made official this week.

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Bobby Jones by Jesse Ortiz golf equipment will be available for testing at Los Serranos Golf Club in Chino Hills during a birthday tribute to Jones on Friday, which would have been his 104th. Golfers who wear plus fours and tie, as Jones often did, get complimentary green fees.

The second “Tee Off for Dogs” tournament will be played May 7 at Aliso Viejo Golf Course. The event benefits Guide Dogs for the Blind. Details: (714) 662-2397.