AUGUSTA, Ga. -- You would think the year's first major is not the best time to change equipment, but many in the field at Augusta National have new sticks in the bag this week as they try to match clubs to course. In fact, perhaps no where else does set makeup play as pivotal a role as it does at the site of the Masters.

Perhaps one of the most notable is Phil Mickleson's use of Callaway's interchangeable-shaft I-Mix driver system. So far, the change for Lefty has not been dramatic in that the I-Mix clubhead (a 8.5-degree FT-5 model)  and prototype Mitsubishi Fuboki shaft (designed for low spin and high launch) were similar to what he had been playing with all year. However, with higher winds predicted for the weekend, it will be interesting to see if the two-time Masters champ will take advantage of the adjustability and go with a new shaft. Stay tuned on that.

Some other notable comings and goings in players' bags include Tiger Woods putting his 2-iron back in and Bubba Watson carrying just a single wood -- his driver. Also noteworthy are the nine players carrying wedges with more than 60 degrees of loft to aid in the finesse shots necessary around Augusta National's greens. Among the high-lofted group are Phil Mickelson, Padraig Harrington and J.B. Holmes, all with 64-degree wedges, and Stewart Cink, who added a 62-degree model.

On the ball front, K.J. Choi changed to Nike's lower-spinning One Black sphere, while Ernie Els tried Callaway's Tour i, which boasts a softer cover than the Tour ix he had been using.

Even the pair at the top of the leaderboard made some changes, with Trevor Immelman putting a 21-degree Nike Sumo hybrid in the bag, while Brandt Snedeker came armed with a new big stick: a 9.5-degree TaylorMade Burner that Sneds is using for the first time in competition. Steve Flesch -- a notorious putter-changer -- has a Never Compromise putter, while Ian Poulter changed to Odyssey's Black Series model. In all, eight of the top 10 players on the leader board after 36 holes made some type of an equipment change this week.

Which may make the year's first major the best time to make a switch.

-- E. Michael Johnson

It looks as if the Big Easy is changing his mind about skipping the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship. One source indicates Ernie Els will fly to Arizona to play the event at the Gallery at Dove Mountain in Tucson. After a pair of top-10 finishes in Dubai and India the past two week's Els wrote on his website that he would not rejoin the PGA Tour until the Honda Classic and he would stay in the U.S. until the Masters. But Els, who lost in the first round of the Match Play the last three times he has played it (2003, 2006 and 2007), has contacted tournament officials about attending. One report has it that wife Liezl convinced Els to play in Arizona and head to Florida from there.

Before he plays in Tucson, Els must find out if his new Callaway I-mix driver conforms to USGA standards. He kept the club out of play for the first two rounds of last week's Indian Masters on the European Tour, but used it on the weekend when the R&A told tour officials the driver was acceptable. However, after the tournament ended, the R&A determined it did not conform. "The [R&A] thought we were asking about adjustability, which was legal as of Jan. 1," David Garland, director of European Tour operations said in Golf World's Feb. 15 issue. "But the head--which has some cosmetic changes--had not been ruled on yet. This was not Ernie's fault, nor did the club have any performance benefits outside the rules. And since the competition had closed, there is no penalty on Ernie. But he can't use it again until it's on the conforming list."

Els entry in Tucson means that unless someone else withdraws, Anthony Kim will be bumped from the final spot in the field and J.B. Holmes will have the task of playing Tiger Woods in the first round.

--John Antonini

Next time you're thinking about guzzling a carbonated beverage at the turn, you might want to use that refreshment to reinvigorate your wedge instead. That's right: A can of cola (or even club soda) will give your wedge a raw look by taking off the finish. It won't work on chrome or blackened finishes, but those designed to rust (Titleist Vokey Oil Can, Cleveland RTG and Mizuno Raw, for example) will be stripped right down to the pure carbon steel (see photo).

Just soak the clubhead in the soda (overnight works best), and the finish is gone. Doing this might void the warranty on the club, and it will probably rust more quickly. Plus, it's certain to be a little sticky from all the sugar, but the bath might clean out the grooves a little, too. At least that's what we found. Reduce glare, get cleaner grooves and avoid cavities. How good is that?

-- Mike Stachura

If your glove looks like this one, you either stopped playing years ago, have been pulling weeks with it or are as cheap as a flea-market T-shirt. Time to upgrade!

While you're at it, buy a couple of gloves, and rotate them. They'll last longer.

Here are some of the latest gloves:

NO SWEAT: FOOTJOY's SciFlex ($18) uses breathable leather and microfibers along the fingers of the glove; the TAYLORMADE Burner features an antimicrobial material on the back of the glove ($13); ETONIC's G>SOK ($16) extends the cuff and lines it with an absorbent wristband.

FLEXIBLE FRAME: Lycra inserts between the leather sections on the TITLEIST Perma-Tech ($16) and the CALLAWAY Tech Series ($12) are designed to stretch the way the hand stretches. This helps optimize the glove's fit.

FEEL ME: The leather on the MIZUNO Skintite ($15) can be less than half a millimeter thick, and NIKE's Dri-Fit Tour ($18) has a curved-finger design.

SHOCK TALK: The padded sections of the FOOTJOY ShockStopper ($25) and the Bionic from HILLERICH & BRADSBY ($25) provide relief to arthritis suffers and are U.S. Golf Association approved.

-- Mike Stachura