A-Z of Augusta (N-Z)

Norman
Forget 1986 when a wild approach allowed Nicklaus to claim a sixth title, forget Larry Mize's ridiculous 45-yard chip-in, forget five other top-five finishes. Norman's year would surely be 1996. He led after an opening 63 and was six ahead by the Saturday evening. The demons looked to have finally been dashed,­ except they weren't. A mixture of over-aggressive and poor play saw a seven-shot swing in as many holes as Faldo completed his hat-trick. Norman still took second despite a 78.

Ollie
Jose Maria Olazabal watched Norman's capitulation from his settee, part of 18 months sidelined with a herniated disc, wrongly diagnosed as rheumatoid arthritis. At one stage the Spaniard was unable to walk and it was feared he may never do so again. Three years later he claimed his second Green Jacket to complete a fairytale recovery and continue his love affair with Augusta.

Par-three contest
The one part of Masters week where it pays to play badly. Since it began in 1960, nobody has ever won this nine-hole event and gone on to capture the main prize. Most players normally employ a close relative to carry their collection of wedges or, in Woosnam's case, to give snooker star Dennis Taylor a chance to don the famous white overalls.
Interestingly Tiger was leaving nothing to chance last year, missing the contest due to a 'prior engagement'.

Qualification
Around 90 players take part in the Masters, compared to 156 in the other three Majors. The Masters is an invitational event though it is now done more on published criteria. A new policy in 2004 restricted past winners to an age limit of 65. If you don't make it into one of the 17 categories then there is still the chance of an invite.
At the Committee's discretion, of course.

Roberts
Clifford Roberts appears to have been a much-misunderstood character. The former chairman of Augusta National is reported to have been intimidating and autocratic while those who knew him, which numbered just a few, have a different view. Roberts, a New York financier, and Bobby Jones established the Masters and soon became the good cop/bad cop of Augusta. He committed suicide, as his mother did, on the banks of the par-three course in 1977.

Sifford
Charlie Sifford was the first black golfer to win an event on the PGA Tour in 1967 and, in 2004, was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame but he never played the Masters. Lee Elder will always be remembered as the first African-American player to tee it up at Augusta but the efforts of Sifford and Co were not lost on Woods after his first win in 1997.
"If it wasn't for Charlie and players like Teddy Rhodes, Bill Spiller and others, we wouldn't be here."

Tiger
Eldrick 'Tiger' Woods blew the golfing world away a decade ago. Low amateur in 1995, two years later he romped to a record-breaking 12-shot win after going out in 40 on Thursday. The world No 1 and Augusta are made for one another with accuracy not at a premium off the tee but a quality short game and sure putting stroke essential. With four wins in the bag, he needs two more to move level with Nicklaus and he's only 31.

Unique
How does the Masters differ from the other Majors? It has the smallest field, is played on the same course every year, used to have honorary starters, no trophy is awarded, calls its fans 'patrons', has limited television coverage, dyes the water blue, has minimal rough and a par-three contest on the Wednesday. Otherwise, it's very similar.

Venturi
The then 24-year-old amateur led by four going into the final round in 1956 with the eventual winner Jack Burke Jr eight strokes adrift. A 78 would have done the trick but 80 shots, with six three-putts, later he missed out by one. In 1960, now a pro, he watched Palmer finish three-three to edge past him.

Wire-to-wire
A bit like winning the par-three contest ­ you don't want to see your favourite peak too early though there have been four who have led for the distance. Craig Wood was the first, back in 1941, before Palmer did the same 19 years later.
In 1972 Nicklaus opened with a 68 and ran out a three-shot winner. The most recent such champion was Floyd in 1976. He blitzed the field with rounds of 65-66-70-70.

X
The figure next to Billy Casper's name after he failed to hand in his card two years ago. The 1970 champion hit five balls into the water at the 16th, his seventh, on his way to an embarrassing 14 before posting what would have been a 106. The 34-over effort was the worst in tournament history by 11 shots but will not go down in the record books due to his disqualification.
"I was only going to play 18 holes, I just had to get it out of my system."

Yardage
Augusta came in for some unwanted criticism last year as 155 yards were added to the course making it the second longest in Major history at 7,445 yards. Woods and Nicklaus both voiced their concerns but how did it play? Well, two drivers played their part in Mickelson's win but Tim Clark (183rd in driving distance last year) was second with Olazabal (108th) in a share of third. Augusta remains a haven for a hot putter.

Zoeller
In an A-Z of anything to do with golf Frank Urban (Fuzzy) Zoeller will usually get the nod. In 1979 Zoeller became just the third player to prevail on his first outing over the course, winning in extra holes. Then, in 1997, Zoeller came out with the following remarks to the media about Woods as he closed on his first triumph.

"You know what you guys do when he gets in here? You pat him on the back and say congratulations and enjoy it and tell him not to serve fried chicken next year. Got it?"
If that wasn't bad enough, he then added: "Or collard greens or whatever the hell they serve."
Zoeller lost face ­ and plenty of endorsement deals.