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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Standing Out In A Crowd At 15 Under Par, Woods Appears Poised To Run Away With Masters Championship

Ron Sirak Associated Press

Conventional wisdom says the Masters starts on the back nine on Sunday. This year, it ended on the front nine on Saturday.

In fact, an entire era may have ended.

Sometime this evening, when a 42-long green jacket is slipped over Tiger Woods’ sturdy shoulders, golf will take a change in a direction never imagined when the Masters started 63 years ago.

A mere half-dozen years after Augusta National Golf Club let in its first black member, it is about to crown its first black champion - the first black to win any of golf’s four major professional championships.

And in the 21-year-old Woods, golf is getting a champion with talents perhaps unmatched in the history of the sport.

Beginning the third round with a three-stroke lead, Woods put the rest of the field so far behind him - a record nine strokes - that his only competition for the final round is the record book and a bit of history. “The only thing I want is a green jacket in my closet,” Woods said when asked what he needed to shoot on Sunday to win. “Whatever I have to do to win is fine.”

Looking on with a sense of awe that they were seeing something truly special, the enormous galleries following Woods swallowed him in an embrace of cheers that rocked the rolling hills of Augusta National.

By the time Woods spun a sand wedge back to a mere foot from the hole on No. 18, he was being carried along by the kind of roars reserved for Hogan, Palmer and Nicklaus.

The performance Woods put on in the last 45 holes at Augusta - since he started with a 40 on the front nine on Thursday - was a startling glimpse into the future of the game.

Overwhelming the course with awesome length - he hit a 9-iron for his second-shot approach to the 555-yard second hole on Saturday and has never had to hit more than a 7-iron into any par-4 all week - Woods has played the last 45 holes 19 under par.

A 32 on the front nine and a 65 for the round put Woods at 15-under-par 201 after 54 holes, nine strokes ahead of Costantino Rocca, 10 better than Paul Stankowski and 11 in front of Tom Kite and Tom Watson.

Asked if he had a chance to win, Rocca said: “Maybe if I play nine holes - and under par, too.”

Was there a chance Woods could collapse like Greg Norman did last year when he blew a six-stroke lead?

“No, this is different. This is very different,” said Colin Montgomerie. “Faldo is not lying second for a start, and Greg Norman is not Tiger Woods.”

Asked his chances of winning, Stankowski said: “Tomorrow, there is no chance unless I shoot 57.”

Woods’ nine-stroke lead after 54 holes surpassed by one the Masters record set by Raymond Floyd in 1976. He now can take aim at the record nine-stroke victory margin of Jack Nicklaus in 1965 over Arnold Palmer and Gary Player.

“He’s a boy among men, and he’s showing the men how to play golf at Augusta National this week in the Masters,” Watson said.

Woods can break the lowest score ever in the Masters, the 17-under-par 271 by Floyd in ‘76 and Nicklaus in ‘65. And he would be the youngest Masters champion. Nicklaus and Seve Ballesteros were both 23 when they won.

But Woods is looking to have more of an impact on golf than just in the record book.

“I think it’s going to open up a lot of doors and create a lot of opportunities and draw a lot of people into golf who never thought of playing the game,” he said. “I think this can do a lot for golf in terms of minority participation.”

Woods played with uncanny confidence. Several times, he walked to pick the ball out of the cup even as the putts were barely halfway there.

“His mind is like the mind I had when I was in my prime,” Nicklaus said after finishing his round. “He’s very smart, very intelligent. That’s why I don’t think anything is going to happen to him tomorrow.”

Friday, Montgomerie said his experience in major championships - he has a second and a third in the U.S. Open and a second in the PGA would serve him well against Woods, who was contending in a major for the first time as a pro.

It was Woods who played like he had spent his entire life on the golf course, which, of course, he has.

Sometime this afternoon, Tiger Woods - and golf - will make it official. A new day has dawned.

MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: MASTERS SCORECARD Leaders entering today’s final round (par 72): Tiger Woods 70-66-65-201 -15 Costantino Rocca 71-69-70-210 -6 Paul Stankowski 68-74-69-211 -5 Tom Watson 75-68-69-212 -4 Tom Kite 77-69-66-212 -4 Jeff Sluman 74-67-72-213 -3 Colin Montgomerie 72-67-74-213 -3

This sidebar appeared with the story: MASTERS SCORECARD Leaders entering today’s final round (par 72): Tiger Woods 70-66-65-201 -15 Costantino Rocca 71-69-70-210 -6 Paul Stankowski 68-74-69-211 -5 Tom Watson 75-68-69-212 -4 Tom Kite 77-69-66-212 -4 Jeff Sluman 74-67-72-213 -3 Colin Montgomerie 72-67-74-213 -3