PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. -- While stuck in traffic on my way to the TPC Sawgrass early Wednesday afternoon I caught a few minutes of the local ESPN Radio broadcast. One of the hosts asked the guest, a local golf broadcaster, who he thought the fans would miss more at The Players Championship this week: John Daly or Tiger Woods?

Neither of the tour's biggest names--biggest in one sense for Woods, another for Daly--is here this week, but both generally have large galleries and will be missed. Woods, of course, is rehabilitating his left knee after having surgery after the Masters and will not be playing at the TPC Sawgrass for the first time since he turned pro. Daly, on the other hand, is not at the Players because he's not playing well enough. And if the recent video of Daly playing without shirt and shoes is any indication, he's not really missing the PGA Tour.

Anyway, I took the question to 20 members of the gallery hanging around the grassy knoll next to the 17th hole as the caddies played their annual closest-to-the-pin competition Wednesday afternoon, and, although the sample is small, these fans miss Daly more. (Although, with full disclosure, the sample was skewed. Seven of the 13 who voted for Daly were holding cups of beer in various stages of capacity, including five, um, gentlemen, who shouted Daly loud enough to be heard in Jacksonville proper, some 20 miles away.)

So, yes, the Players gets underway tomorrow, without Daly and without Woods, but with just about every other member of the top 100 on the World Ranking. What they'll find at Sawgrass is a course that is fast and firm with greens running at 13 (13!) on the Stimpmeter. The temperatures Wednesday afternoon reached the upper 80s, and similar highs are expected the entire week.

"I don't anticipate the scores to be too good, to be honest," said Masters champ Trevor Immelman. "Right now the speed [of the greens] is perfect. It's the firmness that's going to be tough to handle if the breeze picks up."

Phil Mickelson won at 11 under a year ago. Don't be surprised if the winner is in single digits to par this week. Which is what the tour wanted when it moved the tournament from its traditional March slot to the second week in May last year. It didn't want to go on without Woods, but sometimes you have to make do with what you have.

--John Antonini

Tiger Woods saw his doctors in Utah on Wednesday for a two-week checkup on his surgically-repaired left knee.

"It went great," said Woods, who underwent arthroscopic surgery on April 15. "Everything is right on schedule."

Woods, 32, said he's ready to begin his rehabilitation, but he isn't sure when he will return to competition. Ideally, he would like to play in a tournament before the U.S. Open, June 12-15 at Torrey Pines Golf Course near San Diego, possibly two weeks earlier at the Memorial Tournament.

"The doctors said I should be able to play in 4 to 6 weeks after the surgery, but there are no guarantees about anything right now," said Woods. "I'm just going to work hard and do what they tell me to do."

Initially, Woods used crutches and wore a knee brace. The crutches are gone now, and he attended Game 5 of the Orlando Magic's Eastern Conference quarterfinals series against the Toronto Raptors on Monday night.

Despite a strong start this season--three wins, a second at the Masters and a fifth at Doral to lead the PGA Tour's money list by almost $2 million over No. 2 Phil Mickelson--Woods has been playing in pain and knew surgery was necessary.

"The knee has been bugging me for a while," he said. "The only decision was: do you miss the Masters or play in the Masters? I decided to play. Even if I had won, I still would have had the surgery."

--Mark Soltau

The USGA received 8,390 entries for the 2008 U.S. Open at Torrey Pines in La Jolla, Calif., with the applicants ranging in age from 12 (Rico Hoey, Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.) to 79 (Harris Moore Jr., Los Angeles).

Tiger Woods is among eight past champions fully exempt for the championship June 12-15. Woods, the 2000 and 2002 winner, is exempt in eight different categories, the most of any of the 58 golfers currently exempt.

Entries were received from golfers in all 50 states and 68 foreign countries, including professionals from Ghana, Nigeria and Guatemala.

Local qualifying begins May 5 at 111 sites.

--Bill Fields

Tiger must be successfully on the mend. He was spotted at Tiger Jam last night on crutches. Woods is expected to remain on crutches for about a week. He expects to return to putting practice next week, chipping the week after.

--Mark Soltau

Tiger Woods is progressing well after undergoing arthroscopic surgery on his left knee Tuesday. So well that he hasn't needed crutches; is expected to practice putting before the end of the week; and is hosting Tiger Jam XI on Saturday night at the Mandalay Bay Resort Events Center in Las Vegas, where rock legends Van Halen will perform.

"The knee is coming along very well," Woods said Friday. "I've been through this before and understand the rehabilitation process. I'm just taking it slow and steady."

Woods, coming off a second-place finish at the Masters, hopes to start chipping next week, then will progress to short wedge shots. If all goes well, he could return to competition on the PGA Tour in about six weeks. The Memorial Tournament, where Woods has won three times and missed only once (2006) in his 11 full seasons as a professional, begins May 29. The U.S. Open at Torrey Pines begins two weeks after that, on June 12.

"We'll just see how it goes," he said.

Woods has seen Van Halen in concert twice this year and is looking forward to a fun evening. Last year, a huge crowd came to watch Bon Jovi. The event, coupled with live and silent auctions, raised $1 million for the Tiger Woods Foundation and Las Vegas charities.

--Mark Soltau

Tiger Woods underwent successful arthroscopic surgery on his left knee Tuesday, it was announced on his website. It was the third operation the 32-year-old Woods has undergone on the knee.

The procedure was performed by Dr. Thomas D. Rosenberg at the Healthsouth Surgical Center in Park City, Utah. He previously performed a one-hour surgery in Dec. of 2002 to remove fluid inside and outside the anterior cruciate ligament, and removed benign cysts. In 1994, Woods had a benign tumor removed.

"I made the decision to deal with the pain and schedule surgery after the Masters," said Woods, who finished second in the tournament last Sunday. "The upside is that I have been through the process before and know how to handle it. I looked forward to working through this rehabilitation process and getting back to action as quickly as I can."

The typical healing process is 4-6 weeks. Woods, who will not need crutches, could return to competition at The PLAYERS Championship, May 8-11. A more conservative estimate would be the Memorial Tournament, May 29 through June 1.

"Tiger has been experiencing pain in his knee since the middle of last year, and when he had it looked at by his doctors, arthroscopic surgery was recommended," said Mark Steinberg, his agent. "Cartilage damage was found during the procedure, which Dr. Rosenberg was able to correct. Tiger has played through pain in the past, but knew it would be better for him to have the procedure done as early as possible."

Woods was released from Healthsouth Surgical Center on Tuesday. He is scheduled to host Tiger Jam XI in Las Vegas on Friday and Saturday at the Mandalay Resort. Proceeds benefit the Tiger Woods Foundation and select Las Vegas charities.

--Mark Soltau

Golf Digest's Jaime Diaz has been covering golf since 1984. We asked him for his take on the 72nd Masters.

How could Trevor Immelman win the Masters?
Jaime Diaz: I read where the oddsmakers pre-tournament had Immelman at 60 to 1 to win. I’d say there were probably 25 guys in the field I would have picked before Immelman, mostly because he has never shown the kind of putting touch that is thought to be required at Augusta. Immelman putted solidly this week, but mostly he won by being the best driver and iron player in the field and not missing too many six-footers. It was a virtuoso ball-striking performance by the young man Gary Player says has the closest thing to Ben Hogan’s swing that he has ever seen.

Does this end talk of a Grand Slam in 2008?
Although Immelman won the U.S. Public Links at Torrey Pines and he proved he can win a major at the Masters, Slam talk is dead, and should be. Now, if Immelman wins at Torrey Pines, that’s different.

Zach Johnson and Trevor Immelman have won the past two Masters. Is that good or bad for golf?
Every winner brings their own attractive qualities to golf history, so in my opinion, they are all good for golf. In Johnson’s case, it was inspiring to see a player whose stature and style seemed to make it impossible to win at the new, bulked-up Augusta. Instead, he showed how superb wedge play, clutch putting and poise can be the great equalizer on any course. Immelman’s victory showcases one of the great swings the modern game has ever seen, and unleashes the kind of potential that can make him an important challenger to Tiger. Though a Tiger victory in a major is always good for golf because of the attention it garners and the history it makes, the game also needs the most talented young players  to mentally break through so they are comfortable at the very top rank in the Tiger Era. Immelman is one of those players.

That makes three consecutive Masters that Tiger hasn't won. Why can't he win here anymore?
It’s a facetious question, but the fact is that the new Augusta allows more styles to be competitive than the old Augusta, where power was a bigger advantage. Tiger will remain the prohibitive Masters favorite, but his game will have to be at least at a B-plus level for him to win. This year, his A-minus ball-striking was undermined by C-minus putting and wedge play. The point is, as good as he is, the new Augusta, more than the old one, requires that he play well by his own standard to win.

John Hawkins has been covering the PGA Tour for Golf World and Golf Digest magazines since 1996. We asked him for his take on the 72nd Masters.

How could Trevor Immelman win the Masters?
John Hawkins: Because this tournament has changed dramatically in just the last few years. The Masters has become a control player's golf tournament. There are power tournaments and there are control tournaments, and it's not very often that the character of a tournament shifts as much as this one has. The combination of the length, the rough they've added, the firmness of these greens . . . It's not a power player's course anymore.

Where was Trevor Immelman on your list of potential winners before the week began?
Never crossed my mind. My next-door neighbor was looking for a sleeper pick, but there was absolutely no reason to think Trevor Immelman had a shot here. OK, he tied for fifth here in '05, the year he made the hole-in-one at 16 on Sunday. But Trevor Immelman hadn't done anything lately, and he had never contended in a major.

Does this officially end talk of a Grand Slam in 2008?
It has to. This guy isn't going to win all four. Listen, it was a long shot to begin with. Tiger's bad golf is a lot better than most people's good, and that impresses me more than anything. I still can't believe he finished second here. They tried to give it to him, but he wasn't good enough this week to take it. That happens sometimes.

Zach Johnson and Trevor Immelman have won the past two Masters. Is that good or bad for golf?
I think it's good, overall. It's easy to get caught up in how good a guy plays and how popular he is, but it's good for other guys to win once in a while. Both Zach and Immelman are great people, fairly new fathers, good guys. Trevor Immelman was a great player before today, but he wasn't even in the second tier until now.

That makes three consecutive Masters that Tiger hasn't won. Why can't he win here anymore?
The changes here have actually hurt him. Woods can win anywhere anytime, but he can't win when he putts poorly. He hardly made anything all week. Didn't even hit the hole from four or five feet on 13 today, then he three-putted 14. Don't worry: Tiger is only halfway to his green jacket collection. He'll win four more before he's done.

AUGUSTA, Ga. -- When Tiger Woods holed about a 50-foot birdie putt on the 11th hole Sunday, pulling within five of Trevor Immelman, for me it felt a bit like it did a couple of weeks ago when North Carolina, my alma mater, had cut a 28-point deficit to Kansas in the Final Four to four points. There was simply too much ground to make up, and it had been too much of a struggle just to get to that point. Kansas reasserted itself and won going away over the Tar Heels, just as Immelman did over Woods and the rest of the pack at a testy, breezy Augusta National GC.

Other than Woods, nobody in his 20s had won the Masters since Jose Maria Olazabal in 1994. It was time for another young player to claim a green jacket, and Immelman, withstanding a couple of very shaky moments late, was up to the task. Despite a cacophony of Grand Slam talk about Woods, his ultimate golf dream was wilted by four frustrating days, particularly with the putter. Woods putts so well so often that when he looks human on the greens, as he did on several failures inside eight feet Sunday, it's a shock.

It's also golf. Woods' long-term lease on success is so formidable that a bad day can reinforce how much of a thick-steel lock he often is when he is in contention.

Woods' 2008 Grand Slam hopes have been extinguished, but you can bet he will show up at Torrey Pines ready to roll in the U.S. Open. For the moment, all credit should go to Immelman, who has come back from some health issues and was resilient when he had to be. In the mold of his countryman-idol Gary Player, Immelman is a scrapper, perhaps ready to be to Woods what Player was to Jack Nicklaus. Sunday was a giant step on what could be a great journey.

--Bill Fields

AUGUSTA, Ga. -- Tiger Woods had just come up short in the 72nd Masters and was waiting to be interviewed by Bill Macatee of CBS. It had been a long, frustrating tournament for the four-time champion, who fought a balky putter all week.

Inside, the world's top golfer was crushed. But he didn't let it show.

"Hello? Hello? Hello? Can you hear me, Lance?" Macatee said into the microphone to producer Lance Barrow, waiting for the signal to begin the interview.

"First time?" cracked Woods.

Laughter all around. A much-needed light moment after 72 holes of grinding and heartbreak.

Woods, 32, has won 13 professional majors, and he hates finishing second. He often calls it, "First loser."

For the record, Woods has finished second in five majors, including three of the last five and four of the last 11. He likely had a long talk with his putter Sunday night on the flight home to Florida.

Tee to green,Woods gave himself every opportunity to win a fifth green jacket. He just never felt comfortable with his putting stroke. His speed was good; his alignment wasn't.

"I hit the ball well enough to win this golf tournament," said Woods. "I just did not make enough putts."

Make no mistake, he tried everything. Woods even hooked his putts.

"On these greens, you have to hit them perfectly or they won't go in," he said.

Touring the usually inviting par 5s in a combined four under par didn't help, either. Or going one for six in sand saves.

Earlier this year, Woods stated his goal was to win the Grand Slam. "Easily within reach," he said.

But then, Woods expects to win every tournament.

"I give it my best shot," said Woods. "That's all I can do. It just didn't happen."

Woods will head to Las Vegas next week to host Tiger Jam XI, where the headliner is Van Halen. He needs a break from his putter.

--Mark Soltau

AUGUSTA, Ga. -- Tiger Woods needed to put pressure on the four guys ahead of him going into the final round of the Masters by making a couple of quick birdies at Augusta National and intimidate that quartet into making mistakes. What he didn't need was to make mistakes of his own. But that is exactly what he did.

Woods failed to birdie the par-5 second hole, which was playing downwind and was very reachable, when his second shot found the greenside bunker. On the short par-4 third, Woods missed a 12-foot birdie try. But the real killer came on No. 4 when his tee shot on the par-3 found the bunker and then he missed a four-foot par save.

The bogey dropped Woods to four under par for the tournament, a half-dozen shots behind co-leaders Trevor Immelman and Brandt Snedeker. But with the wind whipping at 20 mph and threatening to blow even harder later in the day, combined with the fact none of the players ahead of him have ever really contended -- let alone won -- a major championship, Woods is far from out of it despite his slow start.

-- Ron Sirak

AUGUSTA, Ga. -- The massive live oak behind the Augusta National clubhouse was shedding seed pods at a ferocious rate, filling the air with pollen as its branches were buffeted by what was easily a two-club wind. At 2:05 p.m., Tiger Woods aimed his opening drive in the final round of the Masters down the left side of the fairway and the ball followed his eyes as he positioned his tee ball perfectly to attack the middle-right pin position.

But part of the brilliance of Augusta National is that the stately Georgia pines can mask the wind, and at times wall it out completely. Woods second shot slid slightly short and right of the hole, riding a wind the club meteorologist said was blowing at 15 to 20 mph out of the west-northwest when Woods teed off, meaning it was cutting left to right across the first fairway. Winds are supposed to peak at 25 to 30 mph later this afternoon.

Woods was able to putt from the fringe and got down in two for a par; playing partner Stewart Cink birdied to tie Woods at five under par, six strokes behind 54-hole leader Trevor Immelman.

--Ron Sirak

AUGUSTA, Ga. -- Tiger Woods arrived at breezy Augusta National Golf Club just before 1 p.m. and went straight to the putting green. After a short practice session, he headed to the range with swing coach Hank Haney, studying the Sunday pin sheet as he walked. Woods always makes mental notes and practices shots he thinks he will need during the round.

As predicted, swirling winds of more than 20 miles-per-hour are making the course play tough so far. The sun is out and there's hardly a cloud in the sky, but spectators are dressed warmly in wind shirts, sweaters and jackets. It's currently in the low 60s. It appears that about one out of four fans are attired in something green.

Woods declined a pre-round interview request from CBS, as did leader Trevor Immelman.

--Mark Soltau

AUGUSTA, Ga. -- Masters Sunday.

There are no two better words in golf, unless they're Tiger and Woods, Jack and Nicklaus or especially at this place, Arnold and Palmer.

You could see the anticipation already in Jim Nantz's eyes Saturday night, coming out of the CBS tower behind 18 at Augusta National, talking to Brandt Snedeker's caddie, Scott Vail. The way the curtain came down on the third round, with Snedeker and Trevor Immelman staking shots in front of Nantz's perch, raised the anticipation level for what could happen today as these two kids scrap and claw for the jacket, with a cast that includes Tiger, young Englishman Paul Casey and the sweet-swinging lefty, Steve Flesch. As Nantz told Vail, "We could hear you breathing."

It was just a classic interchange of two caddies, Vail and Neal Wallace saying the right things, pulling the right clubs, giving the right vibes a championship caddie must give in that situation--and they delivered, along with their players.

It was 50 degrees this morning walking through the gates at 9:30, and my fingers were starting to numb by the time I reached the press center. I wondered how that would affect the feel of a Snedeker or an Immelman, or a Woods for that matter. The week started hot and humid, has weathered various fronts, a fog bank and still is on time, despite 5 hour and 14 minute rounds. Somehow they always get it in.

Todd Anderson, who works with Snedeker in Sea Island, was saying Saturday night that his player feels so comfortable here, and you can see it in the young man's gait. It's like he's playing a home game. "I think he's at ease," Anderson said, as Snedeker was whisked off to the media center. "He loves this place and the way he has to play it."

Immelman looked a little tight at times, but produced a Gary Player-like shot into the home hole, where a day earlier The Black Knight kissed the green. "The kid sees himself winning and playing great and doing fantastic things in golf," says his sport psychologist, Bob Rotella.

Flesch, the everyman on the board, has defied the notion that this is too big a golf course for him, and Casey just hasn't been able to avoid the little mistakes that major championship winners can't afford. The tree branches are already swaying, and Casey has grown up playing in wind but not this kind of competitive heat.

Which bring us to Tiger, who's still trying to figure out a way, a speed that doesn't burn the left edge, a gear that he hasn't found here since 2005. If he can make a move early, get past No. 1 with a par, pick up a shot at the par-5 second, take out the driver and finally make something happen at No. 3, then it's a ballgame. We all want to see how he's going to handle that tee ball at 18, especially if it means something. Or if we get to see him save par from the 10th fairway again, or from the pine straw, over, yes over, the trees.

"I'm right there," Woods said.

Why should we be surprised? It's Masters Sunday.

--Tim Rosaforte

AUGUSTA, Ga. -- Can Tiger Woods come from six strokes behind on Sunday to win the Masters? Who better to ask than someone who was inside the ropes to witness one of the greatest comebacks -- and greatest collapses -- in major championship history.

"Absolutely," was the one word that jumped immediately from the mouth of Fanny Sunesson when asked on a brisk morning outside the Augusta National clubhouse if Woods could catch third-round leader Trevor Immelman. "I saw it done," she said in a reference to the 1996 come-from-behind victory by Nick Faldo with Sunesson as his caddie.

Faldo went head-to-head with Greg Norman that day, erased a six-stroke deficit by the 11th hole and eased to victory with a 67 while Norman was stumbling to a 78. "It's a shame that everyone remembers what Greg did that day and forgets Nick's round" she said. "He was brilliant. Tiger definitely has a chance today. The great thing about this golf course is that there are birdies and eagles out there, and there are also bogeys and double bogeys."

Sunesson works now for Henrik Stenson, a fellow Swede who started the final round 13 strokes back at two-over 218. Adding to the drama of the day is the forecast that by the time Woods tees off at 2:05 p.m., the wind will be gusting in the 25 to 30 mph range.

-- Ron Sirak

AUGUSTA, Ga. -- Four players, none with a major-championship victory, none ever in contention before at a major, stand between Tiger Woods, his fifth green jacket, his 14th grand-slam title and the first leg of a slam. Can any of them stand up to the pressure?

Trevor Immelman: The 28-year-old South African being compared to Ben Hogan (by the patriarchal countryman Gary Player), showed he had the nerve, and the game, by sticking an approach shot on the 18th hole Saturday for a six-shot lead over Woods. As sport psychologist Bob Rotella told me in a conversation Saturday evening, "His biggest challenge is not to try too hard."

Brandt Snedeker: The lovable, long-haired cat from Nashville, also showed he had the moxie for a major by bouncing back from three consecutive back-nine bogeys with two rebounding birdies, including one at the last, just before Immelman cleaned up. "He told me on 18 tee we were going to make birdie," said caddie Scott Vail. "I was just hoping we got the right yardage." They did, 177 yards to cover, 182 to the pin, a perfect 7-iron with "Sneds" all jacked up on adrenaline.

Steve Flesch: The old man in the group at age 40, also has enough in the guts department, although lack of length may get the better of him in the winds predicted to blow through Augusta National on Sunday afternoon. As he admitted, "It's just not a name everybody expects to see up there on a weekend at a major." But less-accomplished names have won at Augusta, Zach Johnson being one.

Paul Casey: The cheeky 30-year-old Englishman who works with Peter Kostis, is just cocky enough to pull it off. "I enjoyed myself out there," he said. "We had a lot of fun, soaked up the atmosphere, and that's what I'm going to continue to do tomorrow and not worry about anybody else." One more point to consider with Casey: He's a mudder. "I think I have a good
record in bad weather," he said. "I've played in enough of it over the years, playing in Europe."

My gut: If not Woods, it'll be Snedeker, who at 27 could become what Jim Nantz called, "the next great young American player." He's got the best short game, and as instructor Todd Anderson said, "He loves this place and the way you have to play it, using his imagination, that's his game." Plus, he knows Augusta better than some of the clubs' members, having gone around an estimated 40-50 times since winning the U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship in 2003. That gave the Vanderbilt graduate a hall pass to use the course in preparation for the 2004 Masters, which he took advantage of.

"It was almost like I was a member," he said. "I wore the place out."

Sunday, he could be wearing the green jacket. It'd go well with that retro hair and old-school visor.

--Tim Rosaforte

AUGUSTA, Ga. -- Andres Romero is golf's new blithe spirit.

Many have held the title: John Daly after gripping and ripping Crooked Stick. Sergio Garcia after the scissor kick at Medinah. Jesper Parnevik, especially after a volcanic-ash colonic. But no one ever holds on to it for very long. The accumulated cruelties of the game and the jadedness that comes with the decadence of modern professional golf tend to end innocence sooner rather than later.

Romero, though, might have a long reign. That he was able to smile after the crazy bounce that took his ball out-of-bounds on the 71st hole of the British Open last year at Carnoustie, spoiling a magical round in which his 10 birdies in the previous 16 holes had given him the lead, showed a special resilience and optimism.

And so it was on Saturday after the 26-year-old from Tucuman, Argentina, missed a five-footer for birdie on the 18th after a killing double bogey on the par-3 16th. That one, which started with a pushed 7-iron into the death bunker for a right-hand pin, ended a stunning streak of four birdies in five holes that had tied Romero with playing partner Tiger Woods.

Finishing at two under for 36 holes, Romero had plenty of reason to be morose coming off the final green. Instead, he sported the same smile he wore at Carnoustie.

"There's nothing to be upset about," he said in Spanish, stopping under the big oak tree before entering the locker room. "My life is very good. If I play well, or if I don't, there is so much money. But I've always been like this."

As Mark Lawrie, executive director of the Argentine Golf Association puts it, "I don't think Pigu [Romero's nickname] will ever need a sport psychologist."

Romero, the winner at New Orleans two weeks ago and a former caddie, came to his first Masters eager to soak up knowledge. Asked if he was intimidated playing with Mickelson in the first two rounds and Woods in the third, Romero said, "No, I was excited because I knew I would learn." He added, "I was most impressed by Tiger. There are no flaws in his game. When I play with him, I watch everything he does."

Romero is only 5-feet-10 and generously listed at 165 pounds, but his thickly muscled arms could belong to a man 40 pounds heavier. Before turning pro at age 16, the sixth of eight children of a handyman was also a whiz on a unicycle. "Maybe it's all the carne asada," he joked. "I've always been strong. My parents are strong."

On Saturday, Romero outdrove Woods on several occasions, just as he had when the two were paired last year at Firestone. Because of the language barrier and Woods' major mode, there was minimal conversation between the two, but after the round, Woods signed Romero's hat. "Tiger likes him," said Mark Steinberg, Woods' agent. "He respects talent, and the kid is good."

For his part, Romero did not rule out a Carnoustie-like Sunday round. "I'm going to go out tomorrow the same way I did today--aggressively. For everything."

--Jaime Diaz

AUGUSTA, Ga. -- No matter what happens Sunday in the 72nd Masters Tournament--and the forecast calls for temperatures in the low 60s and 20-mile-per-hour winds--Tiger Woods has the attention of the leaders. Had his putter cooperated Saturday, he might have been playing in the last group.

Woods' bogey-free, four-under-par 68--his best score at Augusta since a third-round 65 in 2005--vaulted him from a tie for 13th place to fifth, six strokes behind leader Trevor Immelman. But for the second consecutive round, Woods couldn't solve the greens, taking 31 putts.

"It was probably the highest score I could have shot," said Woods.

Let us count some of the missed opportunities: from 25 feet for eagle at No. 2, 16 feet at No. 7, eight feet at No. 8, 20 feet at No. 9, 25 feet at No. 12, 30 feet at No. 13 and eight feet at No. 15. Woods buried a 25-foot birdie putt at the par-4 10th--by far his longest putt of the week. The next-longest was an eight-footer for par at No. 1 on Thursday.

"I hit so many putts that skirted the hole," he said.

At the short par-4 third hole, Woods hit a big drive just short of the green, then clipped a 60-degree sand wedge near the pin, only to see it spin back 30 feet. Woods lobbed the iron at his bag, then left the birdie putt short. But instead of fuming while playing partner Andres Romero putted out, Woods walked to the edge of the green, tossed up grass to see which way the wind was blowing on the par-3 fourth hole, and did mental math on what club to hit.

"You just have to hang in there, because anything can happen out here," said Woods. "You can shoot yourself right out of it and you can put yourself right back in it."

Woods has won 13 professional major titles, including four green jackets; Immelman's best finish in a major is a tie for fifth at Augusta National in 2005.

Woods has never won a major starting from behind on Sunday, but the leaders--Immelman, Brandt Snedeker, Steve Flesch and Paul Casey--have zero major victories among them.

--Mark Soltau

AUGUSTA, Ga. -- Was there ever any doubt? Tiger Woods did nothing eventful for the first two rounds at the Masters, and still he was lurking. Now, after Saturday's bogey-free 68--a score he said was the highest possible he could have posted--the world's best golfer has shed some fellow challengers and cast himself as a realistic contender on what promises to be a blustery Sunday. The last man to win a Masters from beyond the top 10 after 36 holes was Jack Nicklaus in 1986. So, if chasing Trevor Immelman, Brandt Snedeker, Steve Flesch and Paul Casey--nary a major title among them--doesn't get Tiger's attention, surely another crack at The Golden Bear's legacy should appeal to Woods.

"I've got some work to do," said Woods, following a par from the pine straw right of No. 18, as he had on Friday. And the leaders have some worrying to do. Woods hit the ball very nicely Saturday, but he made only one putt of note. He has yet to find comfort on the greens. That is a warning. Woods began the round seven shots off Immelman's lead, but Tiger's fans--including members of his inner circle--were pumped for some electricity, even after an early afternoon storm passed. Tiger birdied No. 2, but despite scorching his tee ball on Nos. 7 and 8, missed birdie putts.

Still, he posted 35 on the front nine, and then when he birdied No. 10, finally cracked the leader board at T-9, five shots off the pace. His putter was not an ally. The rains had softened the greens, and he was not dialed in on pace. But he also had an occasional misread, such as on No. 11, where he left a 45-footer well wide. He converted for par, but only after making things hard on himself.

The difference between good and not so good is so fractional at Augusta National, as witnessed by No. 16 Saturday when Woods struck what appeared to be a fine 8-iron toward a back right pin. The ball landed to within five feet, then peeled off and retreated to the front of the green. He could have been putting for birdie. Instead, he did well to get down in three from 55 feet. A few minutes later, having pounded another drive on No. 17, he had his second kick-in birdie in as many days.

After lofting a 7-iron through a keyhole in the trees toward the 18th green, Woods was seen striding sideways to get a view of the result. He looks quite confident. Would you want him coming up from behind you on Sunday?

--Bob Verdi

AUGUSTA, Ga. -- The hand-operated leader boards on the course at Augusta National are part of the wonderful tradition at the Masters. It always creates a buzz when a number changes, prompting cheers for a birdie and groans for a bogey. The deliberate pace with which the numbers changes deliciously builds the drama. And then there is the reaction when one name is taken down and a new one pops up.

Such was the case at 4:04 p.m. Saturday when shortly after a birdie putt on No. 10 found the bottom of the cup, the name "Woods" found its way onto the leader boards at three under par, sending a buzz of excitement rattling through the Georgia pines.  At the time, Tiger was five strokes behind Trevor Immelman and Brandt Snedeker. It was the first time Woods had been on the leader board since Thursday's first round.

-- Ron Sirak

AUGUSTA, Ga. -- If Tiger Woods produces something special this afternoon, he'll probably look back on the 45-minute rain delay as a timely break. According to his coach, Hank Haney, Woods didn't have the best warm-up session on the range prior to his 1:10 p.m. tee time. Just 15 minutes before showtime, play was halted for 45 minutes, as the heaviest rain we've seen since it arrived last night drenched the course.

At 1:55, Woods bombed his opening tee shot down the middle of the first fairway, and the third round, as far as spectators are concerned, officially began. Here's hoping the later groups get in before dark. The final twosome (Immelman and Snedeker) will tee off at 3:25.

--CB

AUGUSTA,  Ga. -- If you followed him Friday, and thousands of spectators did in the sun-splashed second round of the 72nd Masters Tournament, you would have thought Tiger Woods shot 75. He chunked a shot into a bunker, three-putted twice--once from the fringe--and played the usually vulnerable par 5s in only one under par.

He still shot 71.

Like most late starters, and he was second-to-last off, Woods struggled with the wind and tortoise-like pace of play. It took and playing partners Angel Cabrera and Stuart Appleby three hours to play the front nine. There were adventures, notably at the par-4 18th hole, where Woods drove into the right trees and pine straw, played his second shot up the 10th fairway, and might have holed a blind third shot if his ball hadn't bumped into the ball of playing partner Stuart Appleby. He still holed an eight-footer for par.

"It was quite a grind out there with those conditions," said Woods, who is at one-under-par 143 and tied for 13th, seven strokes behind Trevor Immelman. "It was blowing, swirling all over the place. We were backing off shot after shot. A day of patience for sure."

Although the four-time winner made an eagle Thursday, he started the second round with a string of 34 holes at Augusta without a birdie. He erased that stat quickly with a birdie at the par-4 first, guiding a 9-iron through the pine trees to 20 feet and slam-dunked the putt.

The critical point came at the par-4 11th after a three-putt bogey at No. 10. Woods missed the green right on No. 11, left his approach eight feet short, then buried a slick, downhill left-to-right putt dead-center.

"That was nice," he said. "You don't want to three‑putt back-to-back greens. And certainly that would have put a little damper on it. Especially when I'm trying to fight to get back into the tournament, I don't want to go two over par. And I figured I had two par 5s left I could still get under par, maybe sprinkle one more in there and get right back in the tournament."

Which he did. Woods birdied 13 and 17 and remains within striking distance. Especially with rain and wind in the forecast. Especially with Masters pressure looming for the leaders. His biggest 36-hole comeback at the Masters -- Six back in 2005. The last player to rally from outside the Top 10 at the halfway mark and go on to win -- Jack Nicklaus, who was tied for 17th in 1986.

"Seven back on this golf course," said Woods, "under these conditions? I can make that up."

--Mark Soltau

AUGUSTA, Ga. -– Swirling winds, sun-baked greens, slow play and operator error contributed to a frustrating front nine for Tiger Woods on Friday. He made the turn in even-par 36, bogeyed the 10th with a three-putt from the fringe, holed an eight-footer for par on No. 11 and was one over on the 12th tee, nine strokes behind tournament leader Trevor Immelman.

The second round started promisingly when Woods birdied the par-4 first hole, snapping a 34-hole birdie drought at Augusta. The huge gallery, five and six deep, roared its approval, but not before a patron was escorted off the course when his cell phone rang.

"The Yankees must be coming!" said a fan, when spectators scattered toward the par-5 second hole.

Late starters dealt with strong breezes, adding one and two clubs on some holes. The wind wasn't to blame at No. 2, where Woods put himself in ideal position just short of the green in two with a good angle to the back-left flag and dumped a sand wedge into the front-left bunker--possibly the result of a sand divot--and departed with a bogey.

When the trio walked off the third green, they were one hour into the round and endured a 10-minute wait on the fourth tee. "It's a death march," said a veteran caddie.

Woods wasn't pleased after missing a 10-foot birdie putt, but didn't vent. He took a long sip of Gatorade and practiced his stroke on the fourth tee, which is faster than most country club's greens.

Woods gave back another shot at the par-3 sixth, three-putting from the front of the green. Again, he remained calm. After pounding a long drive at the par-5 eighth, he walked up the fairway laughing with Appleby, examining his driver. Woods nearly eagled the hole, missing a 15-foot eagle attempt. And, the frustration continued at the par-4 ninth, when a seemingly perfect chip refused to fall.

--Mark Soltau

AUGUSTA, Ga. -- It's starting to build now. If Tiger Woods isn't going to make a charge at this Masters--and even if he does--Phil Mickelson's legion of fans is beginning to think ahead. When the left-hander came to the No. 12 tee Friday, he was 3,000 miles from home, and yet he was accorded a standing ovation as if he were born across the street from Augusta National. After he completed the hole with par, the bleachers at Amen Corner emptied as though someone yelled "FIRE!" And remember. This was Friday.

A couple hours later, Mickelson completed his four-under 68 for a five-under total, three behind leader Trevor Immelman. When he left the Champions Room at about 4:30, it completed a rather full shift for the two-time Masters champion. He reported to the course at 7 a.m., when the sun had yet to awaken, for marathon putting drills before his 10:34 tee time--not an unusual session for Mickelson.

He converted a four-footer on No. 3 for birdie and a 10-footer for birdie on No. 8 toward 33 on the front side. He missed birdie putts on Nos. 15 and 16, but canned a 30-footer for birdie at the 17th for his only birdie on a breezy back nine. Uneventful, but effective. Earlier Mickelson was fortunate when his second to No. 13 drifted right and stayed up just by the hazard line, barely above the water. He failed to birdie that par 5, and could do no better at the 15th, also a par 5. But he pronounced himself pleased with a well-managed round of golf.

"I would love to be in the lead, but I would have had to press the issue at some spots and I didn't want to do that," said Mickelson, who noted what everybody is noting--Augusta National does not lend itself to the theatrics as it once did. As a result, roars are few instead of frequent. Mickelson's most spectacular act occurred on his first hole Thursday, when he made birdie from well off the green. "I would have had a tough up-and-down even for bogey there," said Mickelson. "That was a two- or three-shot swing right there." Then there was that lucky 13th, Thursday and Friday.  "I hit two shots in there that should have gone in the creek, and both stayed up," he said. "In 2004, when I hadn't won a major, I hit a shot there that Bones (caddie Jim Mackay) and I were sure went in the creek. But it stayed up and I wound up making birdie."

Omens? Perhaps. The galleries would like to think they are following him for a reason.

--Bob Verdi

AUGUSTA, Ga. -– By the time Tiger Woods teed off at 1:56 on Friday he was already eight strokes behind Masters leader Trevor Immelman, there were 19 players between him and the top spot and the wind, mild all morning, was whipping the flags on top of the scoreboard along the first fairway. If this Grand Slam dream is not to die in the first major of the season, Woods has a lot of work to get done in the second round at Augusta National.

Woods spent much of his pre-round preparation time Friday on the practice green, much of it piling up frustration. Four consecutive times he putted the same eight-foot putt--all misses. He moved to the other side of the hole and tried two more from the same distance. Misses again. After rolling a few lag putts, clearly searching for feel, he returned to the eight-footers without much more success, missing three of four.

The intensity on Woods' face, the concentration in his eyes, was riveting. Something was amiss, he knew it and he was looking for an answer. Augusta National is all about the short stick and if he doesn't find some magic with his putter, this afternoon could be a frustrating one.

Woods took a deep breath and let it go with a cleansing sigh. He exchanged a wordless look with his caddie Steve Williams, who was wearing the white jumpsuit with the number 47 on it. Woods slapped Henrik Stenson (in the group behind Woods) on the back and headed for the first tee with the feeling very much in the air that he needs a round in the 60s today.

--Ron Sirak

AUGUSTA, Ga. -- Al Wood still bleeds Carolina blue, but don't be surprised if you see him wearing red this week as he follows his favorite player, Tiger Woods, around Augusta National GC. The former North Carolina basketball star, who played for four different teams in the NBA, watched Phil Mickelson shoot three under on the front nine Friday before breaking for lunch in preparation for Tiger's afternoon round.

Like most Tar Heels fans, Wood is still in mourning after Carolina's beat-down at the hands of Kansas in the Final Four last Saturday.

"I think they got hit between the eyes at the start and didn't know how to respond,'' says Wood, a single-digit-handicapper who has made several trips to the Masters over the years. "They expended so much energy getting back into it that they ran out of gas. They actually lost it in the first eight minutes of the game.''

--Pete McDaniel

AUGUSTA, Ga. -– Here's an idea for the green coats, or whoever is responsible for reducing Masters joy for players and patrons: What do you say we put the field on the members tees Friday? Maybe back off the saturating of the fairways and perhaps cut a few holes in some accessible locations.

"It used to be a lot of fun to play," Jim Furyk said. "It's not fun anymore." Oh, by the way, Furyk's 70 was one of the lowest rounds of the day.

There were exactly two memorable roars Thursday at sun-soaked Augusta National. The first was the result of a hole-in-one by England's Ian Poulter on the 170-yard 16th. In a rare bit of luck, I happened to be standing nearby when Poulter's ball landed 20 to 25 feet right of the hole and began trickling down the slope the way so many balls do on that dramatic par 3. When it disappeared into the cup, the thousands of people sitting and standing within view produced the kind of thunderous reaction we love to hear at Augusta.

More than two hours later, when Tiger Woods chipped in for eagle on the par-5 15th, came roar No. 2. Sadly, it would be the last of the day. But why?

"This must be what Augusta National wants," said Tom Watson, who remembers hearing a lot more noise and players having a lot more fun during his championship years here (1977 and '81). "You used to hear a lot more roars around here. Last year it was a morgue; it's just not as exciting as it was in the past."

Watson says the course is too long--and on Thursday too wet--for players to do more than bash drives, try to knock it on the green somewhere and two-putt for pars.

The lack of roars got Woods' attention, too. "It's hard to make the eagles and the big birdies," said Woods. "The course is playing so much more difficult now being longer."

Charles Howell III said you almost have to have a U.S. Open mentality on the course now, "where pars are good scores."

Arron Oberholser, who shot a 71 and reiterated his plans to take two months off after the Masters so he can properly heal his hand, said the sad part about the mostly quiet Thursday is that it might only get quieter.

"This is about as easy as it's going to play for the week," says Oberholser. "The excitement has been taken out of it."

Hopefully, someone in charge is willing to bring back the thrills.

--Craig Bestrom

AUGUSTA, Ga. -– For the 14th consecutive year, Tiger Woods didn't break 70 in the first round of the Masters Tournament. He also failed to make a birdie Thursday for only the second time at hot and steamy Augusta National Golf Club.

But if you're expecting Woods to be down after an even-par 72, think again. He has won this event four times, and only trails co-leaders Justin Rose and Trevor Immelman by four shots.

"I'm just going to go relax," a composed and smiling Woods said afterward. "I'm going to hit a few putts, but I feel good about how I played all day. I hit the ball really well. I hit a lot of good putts that just didn't go in. That's just the way it goes. I've just got to stay patient out there and hopefully it will turn."

Woods hit 13 greens in regulation and used 29 putts. The longest putt he made was a 10-footer for par on the first green.

He didn't get the best bounces, either, especially the carom off the bleachers behind the par-5 eighth green that negated a likely birdie. Then a "sweet" 4-iron second shot from 214 yards into the wind at the par-5 13th rolled through the green and stopped in a nearly impossible spot, resulting in his first bogey after 12 straight pars.

"It was the hardest pitch you could possibly have on this golf course," he said. "Sitting a little sandy, into the grain, downhill. Stevie (Williams) and I were talking about it, and in hindsight we should have just--I thought I was pitching good enough to hit that shot, but we were just saying just putt it down there and have a 30- for 40-footer coming back up the hill. I said, I'm pitching good, I can pull this off; I can keep it on the top shelf. It just didn't happen."

An errant drive at 14 led to another bogey, then Woods regrouped. At the par-5 15th, he flagged his second shot, but couldn't hold the putting surface. Prior to his round, Woods holed two chip shots in the practice area. He did it again, this time for a much-needed eagle.

"I kept myself in the tournament, I'm right there," said Woods.

--Mark Soltau

AUGUSTA, Ga. -- Four-time champion Tiger Woods got off to a slow but steady start Thursday in the 72nd Masters Tournament at hot and humid Augusta National Golf Club.

Paired with U.S. Open winner Angel Cabrera of Argentina and Stuart Appleby of Australia, Woods made a nice par-save at the first hole, where he found the left rough off the tee, punched his second shot right of the green and hit a poor chip 10 feet past the hole. He converted--the longest putt he made on the front nine.

Prior to the round, Woods elected to replace his 5-wood with a 2-iron. His thinking was that it would be more helpful on several holes, notably off the tee at the 240-yard fourth hole.

At the par-5 second, Woods played conservatively with a 3-wood off the tee, then knocked his second shot short of the green with an iron. From there, he pitched 10 feet right of the hole and missed the birdie attempt.

Woods boomed a driver at the 350-yard par-4 third, coming up about 20 yards short of the green. His pitch shot carried too far and finished 20 feet beyond the cup, Woods two-putted the speedy, downhill birdie attempt. It was a disappointing score for Woods, who devoted much of pre-tournament practice time to chipping.

As planned, Woods hit a 2-iron at the fourth hole and found the front-right portion of the green, about 60 feet from the back-left pin placement. He struck a beautiful lag putt within two feet of the hole and tapped in for par.

Following two-putt pars at the fifth and sixth holes, Woods made a nice par-save at the seventh, where he came up short of the green with his approach shot.

Woods has said repeatedly that you need good breaks to win major championships. He got a bad one at the par-5 eighth hole, where he split the fairway with a driver. While he might have preferred to hit a 5-wood for his second shot, Woods didn't have the option and tried to cut a 3-wood on the blind, uphill second shot. He flushed it, the ball carrying into the bleachers behind the hole, then caroming right of the green. Woods was left with a very difficult third shot to the back-right pin and elected to putt, the ball just reaching the putting surface. A composed but frustrated Woods two-putted for par.

At the par-4 ninth, Woods hit another good drive and gave himself a good birdie chance. He failed to convert, capping the front nine with his ninth consecutive par and a score of even-par 36.

--Mark Soltau

AUGUSTA, Ga. -- We hear it all the time at major championships, perhaps most often at the Masters. Course conditions early in the week barely reflect what players will see Thursday morning and certainly not what they can expect Sunday afternoon. Still, it's worth noting that Augusta National has played long so far this week. Unusally long, according to every player we've asked.

"Too long for my man," caddie Andy Prodger said of K.J. Choi's chances. Choi needed two woods to reach the 465-yard 18th during Tuesday morning's practice round, and he hit more 3-irons into par 4s than he will at any other tournament this year. Even freakishly long Bubba Watson is stunned by Augusta's length this week compared to what he remembers from playing in a college event here six or seven years ago. Tiger Woods hit what appeared to be a solid driver on the par-5 13th Monday and had no choice but to lay up. The same was true Tuesday. (Woods only hit balls on the range and putted on the practice green Wednesday.)

"You used to say that par was 68 for the longer hitters," says Woods. "I remember roaming around here and hitting good drives off the par 5s and good irons to every green; that's no longer the case."

Sunny, warmer weather arrived Wednesday, which should help dry out the fairways for Thursday's first round. After a couple of days with highs in the 80s, a cold front with rain is expected to arrive Friday night and stick around through Saturday. The forecast for Sunday currently includes heavy winds and a high temperature of 56.

--Craig Bestrom

AUGUSTA, Ga. -- It's rare when Tiger Woods reveals much in a press conference, and especially at a major championship, where his always concise answers get even shorter. So it was during his session with a room full of media on Tuesday at Augusta, except on one subject.

On several occasions, Woods almost went out of his way to mention his late father. It's become quite noticeable that the older Tiger gets, the more he talks about the lessons he learned from Earl Woods.

There were two notable examples. When Woods was asked if the outsized expectation many have for him to win the Grand Slam bothers him, he answered, "No actually, it doesn't, because I play for myself and my family. That's it. That's what my father's always said to me and that's what I've always done."

When another reporter wondered if brash "I-want-to-take-down-Tiger" talk from players like Rory Sabbatini, Ian Poulter and Jason Day gets him annoyed, Woods said, "My father's always taught me, just go out there and just play and let your clubs do the talking and that should be enough."

Besides being grounded in common sense, both answers were notable for putting Earl in the present tense.

In a real sense, he is. As poised and matter of fact as Tiger is about his own success, I would guess that he himself often wonders just how his amazing relationship with his father shaped the amazing arc of his life. And on a practical level, thinking and even publicly talking about his father is a way of making sure he doesn't forget his lessons.

Earl is very much alive in Tiger, and probably never more than on the eve of a major championship.

--Jaime Diaz