Old foes buffeted by winds of change

The British Open in America was how Spain's Ignacio Garrido described his first experience of this windswept US Masters, after completing a level-par 72 in yesterday's second round. With compatriot Seve Ballesteros and Tom Watson coming down the ninth fairway at the time, the assessment seemed curiously appropriate.

Memories were revived of titanic British Open battles between this illustrious pair, especially their famous clash at St Andrews in 1984, when the Spaniard emerged victorious. And one recalled the extent to which dynamic mastery of the putter and wedge, had characterised their play.

Garrido, who shot a miserable 85 on Thursday largely due to a record-equalling 11 at the long 15th, had the satisfaction of improving by 13 strokes before departing the scene. He made the homeward journey on his own, after 75-year-old Doug Ford withdrew at the turn.

The 1957 champion, who was making a record 46th successive Masters appearance, was worn out by the punishing conditions and having scored 46 to the turn, decided he had had enough. "I didn't know he'd gone until I arrived on the 10th tee," said Garrido. "They had to get a club member to walk with me as a marker on the back nine."

Interestingly, after bogeys at the 13th and 14th, the 26-year-old made a solid par at the 15th which had caused him so much grief the previous day. "Seve and Bernhard Langer told me things about the course, but I found that you have to experience it for yourself," he said.

A poll was taken among some leading competitors here this week to discover how much they knew about the winners of professional major championships. It transpired that all of them were aware of the record 18 by Jack Nicklaus, but could only guess - generally wrongly - at the names of those down the list.

The vast majority of them were convinced that Watson had more than his eight major triumphs. But it seems that no mention was made of Ballesteros, who has five.

The pair would have been fully acquainted with each other's golfing pedigree, however, as they stood on the first tee in a three-ball with Frank Nobilo. The New Zealander was there as last year's winner at Greensboro, but Ballesteros (1980 and 1983) and Watson (1977 and 1981) had earned lifetime exemptions as former champions.

Nobilo hit a solid drive left of the bunker which guarded the right half of the fairway. Watson was next to hit and in an attempt at fighting the wind, sent his drive clattering into the line of pine trees on the right.

Then came Ballesteros. With the legs of his dark green slacks flapping in the wind, he hit an exemplary drive, right down the middle of the fairway. In fact he couldn't have placed it better - yet he had to pitch and putt for an opening par.

The wedge worked even greater magic on the long second. After finding the middle of the fairway once more with his drive, Ballesteros pulled his second into the front row of the gallery on the left side of the green. From there, with the pin only four yards in from the edge, he judged the pitch and run to perfection, holing it for an eagle three.

Only Watson and Ballesteros know what they chatted about during those opening holes, but it seems to have been of considerable mutual interest, judging by their ready smiles. And all the while, Nobilo plodded along, missing greens and failing to get up and down.

At the third, Ballesteros was slightly left of centre with his drive, which was the correct place to be given that the pin was on the front right. But the approach shot was over-zealous and after missing the green right, he ran up his first bogey.

Another bogey followed at the fifth where, facing the most testing drive of the round so far, the Spaniard was in a fairway bunker on the left. Still, the crowds remained faithful for a few more holes, clearly believing that the magic would somehow return.

After a par on the short sixth, Ballesteros sent his drive left into trees at the next. It was almost like old times with the gallery pressing anxiously against the restraining ropes in the hope of getting a closer look at possibly a miraculous recovery.

Sadly, it never came. Bunkered in two, Ballesteros was 15 feet above the pin in three and after three putts, he had progressed from bogey to double-bogey. Further bogeys at the eighth and ninth brought him to the turn in 40 and en route to a second successive missed cut on a course very dear to his heart.

Suddenly, the observations of his fellow professionals had become crystal clear. His problems have very much more to do with confidence than technique. The spectacular eagle at the second had distorted the picture.

In fact it was Watson who used the wedge and putter to greater effect than his erstwhile rival. The quality of his putting was particularly impressive. Indeed there was no hint of straining nerves at the short sixth where a treacherous, 45-foot downhill putt was so expertly controlled, as to stop the ball two feet past the target.

Meanwhile, the wedge had also done its work. There was a pitchand-putt par at the first and an exemplary up and down from the front bunker at the short fourth. As the wind swirled among the pines, one could sense Watson's fascination with the challenge of reading its path.

The upshot was that he gained the distinction of reaching the turn with nine straight pars - a remarkable achievement in the punishing conditions. The consistency of his scoring became even more notable when he emerged from Amen Corner still without dropping a shot.

Garrido was right. These were the sort of conditions in which Watson had crafted five British Open triumphs.