Haas Forces Augusta To Cry ‘Uncle’ Advice From Uncle Bob Goalby Lifts Nephew Jay To Stunning 64

The Masters, more than any other tournament, is inexorably linked to the past. Old champions return year after year to be a part of the scene, sometimes to walk the fairways where they won, sometimes just to breathe the air at golf’s summit once again.

But they usually don’t ride invisibly on the shoulders of their kinfolk, whispering advice into their ears.

Until Friday, that is, when Jay Haas heeded some old advice from his Uncle Bob and rode it to the top after two rounds of the 59th Masters.

Haas, whose uncle Bob Goalby won the 1968 Masters, blistered Augusta National with a round of eight-under-par 64 Friday to take a one-stroke lead over John Huston and Scott Hoch and a two-stroke lead over Ben Crenshaw, David Frost and Phil Mickelson. Goalby was here earlier this week, watching and encouraging his nephew. He had to leave, but his advice remained.

“I’ve played countless practice rounds here with Uncle Bob,” said Haas, 41, “and he’s told me where not to go many times. I’ve hit it there many times, too, but … I guess I’m just playing smarter, I guess.”

Smart is as smart does. Haas has had his opportunities here before, but hasn’t been able to convert. He was in the picture back in 1987, but mistakes down the stretch cost him an opportunity to get in the three-way playoff, eventually won by Larry Mize. Last year he laid up at the 13th hole and then three-putted for bogey and wound up in a tie for fifth.

Friday, he played flawlessly. Eight birdies, including a closing kick of four straight, and no bogeys. Only two of the birdie putts were from longer than 10 feet.

His round was as impressive as Jack Nicklaus’ was disappointing. Once again, after his annual spring tease round of 67 to open the tournament, Nicklaus shot a 78. He went from second place to barely making the cut, and you could have gotten long odds on that when the day began.

“I just never got anything started,” said Nicklaus, who bogeyed three of the first five holes.

You could have gotten even longer Vegas odds on the following scenario last week: 19-year-old amateur makes the cut, and the player of the year for the last two seasons misses it.

That’s exactly what happened when Tiger Woods shot his second straight 72 to finish at par and Nick Price shot 76-73-149. That’s 5-over and down the road for Price, who came into the tournament with high expectations and in possession of the last two major championship titles, the British Open and PGA Championship.

He had an opportunity to become the first player to win three consecutive major championships since Ben Hogan did it in 1953. But he and Augusta National have not had a good relationship since 1986, when Price tore up the place for the record round of 63.

Since that round, Price has shot as many rounds in the 80s (two) as he has in the 60s. In his last 16 rounds here, he has broken par three times.

“I’m not going to lose any sleep over it,” said Price, who actually mounted an impressive, though futile, rally on the back nine, shooting 32 after a horrendous outward 41. “I’ve accomplished an awful lot the last few years. This is not the only major out there. I feel like I can play this golf course, but I haven’t come up with the goods.”

The same can’t be said for Woods, the 19-year-old amateur from Cypress, Calif., who has so far delivered in his first Masters. His rounds of 72-72 might not be up to his lofty standards - “I really think I should be 2 under par right now,” he said - but he is the low amateur at this point and has performed like a seasoned professional.

Woods consistently drove his ball 40 yards past playing partner Curtis Strange, but was having trouble controlling the distance on his approach shots.

His length off the tee, which one day will enable him to shoot very low on this course, was again phenomenal. At the 500-yard, 15th hole, he hit an 8-iron for his second shot from near the crosswalk, some 168 yards from the hole. It went over the green, but he chipped back to 15 feet and made the birdie putt.

More impressive even than his John Daly-esque drives was his recovery at the short, 360-yard third hole. His 2-iron tee shot hit a tree limb and fell straight down, some 215 yards short of the small, severe green. This is a green that routinely rejects 9-iron shots.

Woods took out a 3-iron and hit a high, cutting shot that landed softly on the green, 15 feet from the hole.

“I feel happy to make the cut, but then again I feel a little disappointed,” said Woods, the reigning U.S. Amateur champion. “But I’m enjoying it. I’m having the time of my life.”

MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: LEADERBOARD Scores entering today’s third round of the Masters (par-72): Jay Haas 71-64-135 John Huston 70-66-136 Scott Hoch 69-67-136 Ben Crenshaw 70-67-137 David Frost 66-71-137 Phil Mickelson 66-71-137