Tiger Woods Shoots For U.S. Masters' Green Jacket

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MELISSA BLOCK, host:

It's the second day of high-stakes golf at the U.S. Masters in Augusta, Georgia. It's a place of proud traditions, but the course has been redesigned this year to make it longer. All the star players are there, including Tiger Woods, and NPR's own star, Tom Goldman, is there, too. He joins us from Augusta. Hey, Tom.

TOM GOLDMAN: Oh, thank you, Melissa.

(Soundbite of laughter)

BLOCK: What happened there today?

GOLDMAN: Well, you've got two leaders currently sharing - two guys sharing the lead, Kenny Perry and Chad Campbell, both Americans. Kenny Perry is 48, is in position to be the oldest champion of a major title if he hangs on, but that's a big if. What happens Thursday, Friday often doesn't happen Saturday, Sunday, as the pressure gets greater. So, those two are at the top right now. They're nine under par.

BLOCK: Okay, and you didn't mention Tiger Woods, what's happening with him?

GOLDMAN: I was waiting for you to ask. Well, let me tell you this about Tiger Woods. This is an unconfirmed report that at his post-round practice session, he kicked over his golf bag in frustration. He was out on the practice range for about an hour. He did not have a good day, and it finished badly because he had a bogie on the last hole, on the 18th hole.

He's at two under, and so he's seven strokes off the lead, but in true Tiger fashion, he was asked afterwards, are you nervous about being seven strokes behind? And he looked the reporter dead in the eye with those eyes and he said, no, not at all.

BLOCK: Well, he's certainly come from behind before with no problem.

GOLDMAN: He certainly has.

BLOCK: I understand it was also a record day for a young golfer from California, I believe, Anthony Kim. What did he do?

GOLDMAN: Yeah, we all - well, people who pay attention to golf, at least, got to know Anthony Kim last year in a big way during the Ryder Cup. He was a very exciting addition to that team, and he kind of burst onto the scene. And he's a Masters rookie this year, and he had a whale of a day. He had 11 birdies for his round, a birdie being one under par for a hole, and that's a Masters record. And so he right now is at four under.

And the interesting thing about him was his motivation, apparently, for this outstanding performance today. After his round, he said he had read a story about Nick Adenhart, the young Major League Baseball pitcher who was tragically by a suspected drunk driver yesterday, and he said it just gave him this perspective.

He said, you know, I wasn't going to go out and whine about three putts or bogies. You know, you have to live each day as if it's your last. And he took that on the course and played as if it were his last day. He had a wonderful round.

BLOCK: Tom, you reported for us earlier this week on the redesign of the course at the Masters and the displeasure over that. They've made it longer, as we mentioned. What are you hearing players saying about the course this year?

GOLDMAN: Well, interesting, you're not hearing anything more about that, and I'll tell you why. Yesterday, the first round, it was like it was a gift to the players by the tournament officials here. They have been stung by all this criticism from both players and the media about how the course has been lengthened so much that it's taken the character out of it. You don't hear the highs. You don't hear the roars on the back nine on Sunday because guys can't mount charges.

So yesterday, combined with the sunny weather, and what the tournament officials did was they put the flags in good position, so it'd be easy to score, and players responded. There were 38 players under par, which was a record for an opening round. Today, it was a little different. The pins were put in little tougher places. And the wind was just pretty tough today. It was swirling all around and that affects not only, you know, hitting shots to the green, but it dries out the greens, makes it harder to putt. You also have these double-groans when they miss they putt, and then the putt rolls past the hole. Interesting.

BLOCK: And the Green Jacket, Tom, is when? Sunday, right?

GOLDMAN: Sunday will be the awarding of the Green Jacket.

BLOCK: Okay, NPR's Tom Goldman at the Masters in Augusta, Georgia. Tom, thanks a lot.

GOLDMAN: You're welcome.

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