Scott, Ogilvy upstaged by Lonard

2008-04-10

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By Andrew BothPA SportsTicker Golf Writer

AUGUSTA, Georgia (Ticker) Adam Scott and Geoff Ogilvy got offto slow starts on Thursday, but things weren''t all bad forAustralians in the first round of The Masters thanks to PeterLonard.

Scott made his usual tardy start at Augusta, bogeying the firsttwo holes on his way to an unimpressive 3-over-par 75.

"I just made so many mistakes out there it was frustrating, andhard mentally to keep pushing," said Scott, who has nevermanaged better than 71 on Thursday in seven appearances. "Ittook a few holes for my nerves to settle down. I hadn''t feltlike that all year and all of a sudden I get to the first majorand it takes a few extra holes. It was not exactly what I waslooking for."

Scott, one of the pre-tournament favorites despite a poor recordat Augusta, made a mini comeback late on the front nine, butthree bogeys from the middle of the fairway on par-4 holes onthe back nine left a nasty taste in his mouth.

"If you miss the green you''ve got to have a chance to getup-and-down and from where I was it wasn''t a chance," he said.

Ogilvy came into the Masters perhaps playing better than anyplayer in the field other than Tiger Woods, but you wouldn''thave known it by the way he played Thursday.

"Nothing exciting about it," Ogilvy said after a 3-over 75 thatincluded 16 pars, one bogey and one double-bogey. "I didn''t hitit close enough and I didn''t make anything (but) it''s afour-round tournament, not a one-round tournament. It''s not theend of the world, it just makes it harder."

Ogilvy, the 2006 United States Open champion, won last month''sWorld Golf Championships event in Miami, ending Woods'' sixofficial tournament winning streak. He also finished tied forsecond in Houston last Sunday, which is why he was among thefavorites going into The Masters.

While he received no pre-tournament hype as his countrymen did,Lonard posted the best round of them all.

Lonard had never broken 74 in four previous appearances atAugusta, so you could excuse him for being a little excitedabout a 1-under 71.

After missing the cut on every visit, Lonard did some seriousthinking and decided that he needed to study the contours aroundand on the greens more closely.

So that''s what he focused on in his practice rounds, and it paidoff on Thursday as he kept the ball out of trouble for the mostpart, making just two bogeys.

"It was nice not to be 4-over after five on a Thursday afternoonfor a change," Lonard said. "I think I''ve done the homework.Whether I''ve got the ability to do anything with it, who knows,but I think I''m far more prepared than I''ve ever been.

"I don''t think I fully understood the importance of missing inthe right spot. The more you play here, the more you go itdoesn''t matter how good a chipper you are, you''re not going toget it up and down (from certain spots) unless you hit a freakshot."