Masters Digest

Monty's group up the creekWhy do golf fans love to watch players suffer? The tributary to Rae's Creek that runs in front of the 13th green provided more than its share of entertainment for spectators and misery for players in yesterday's second round, but especially to the group that contained Joe Ogilvy, Colin Montgomerie and Scott Verplank.

There were five "water balls" between the three of them, with Ogilvy running up a bogey six, Monty a double-bogey seven and Verplank salvaging a par.

"You need a bit of fortune here and I had no fortune at all. I had a chip past the hole there on the 13th and it screws back by the hole? That's no luck," said Montgomerie, who finished on 149, five-over.

Having also taken seven at the long second in the first round Montgomerie dropped to four over par and then sent a 28-foot birdie attempt at the 17th six feet past and missed the return.

Montgomerie's shoulders were slumped as he waited to discover his fate and as an Augusta official ushered him to speak to waiting reporters the Scot said: "Just don't touch me, please."

Caddies hoping to bag a hit

The US Professional Caddies' Association are hoping they have a hit on their hands with the imminent release of the song Five Feet Away, sung by Michael Bolton. It was initially written and produced for Tom Watson's long-time caddie and friend Bruce Edwards.

The song - dedicated to caddies worldwide - was first played at Edwards' funeral after he died on April 8th, 2004, the first day of that year's US Masters.

Edwards had suffered from Lou Gehrig's disease, an incurable condition.

Old master Coody bows out

After 43 years as a competitor, Charlie Coody played his final round yesterday, improving on his first round effort by all of 15 shots. The 69-year-old played his first US Masters in 1963 when he was an amateur and won the title in 1971.

After an opening 89, the veteran followed up with a second round 74. Coody had been tempted not to play this year, but decided he wanted to see what the new 7,445-yard course as like before calling it quits.

"This is my last Masters, so it is good to finish well. It is just time to quit," said Coody, who had his son Kyle on his bag.

"I want to be remembered as a nice guy and a fairly decent player," he added.

Duval takes hindmost

David Duval has been showing signs this year of emerging from his nightmare slump - but not in the Masters this week.

After an opening 84 at Augusta National, the former world number one and British Open champion, who fell outside the world's top 500 and stopped playing for seven months, ran up a quintuple-bogey 10 on the 575-yard second hole yesterday.

It followed a double bogey six at the first to leave him 19 over par and down in last place, but then Duval came home in just 32 strokes with birdies at four of the closing seven holes.

The rollercoaster ride added up to a 75 and 15-over-par halfway total of 159 for the 34-year-old.