It was one of those questions that really didn’t have an answer. Tiger Woods was asked, “If God came down and said, `Tiger, you can win only one major this year,’ which one would it be?”
“If He said it himself?” Woods smiled. “If He came down and said that to me, the way I am, I would argue with Him and say, `Why can’t I win all four?’ “
The new god of Augusta National says he is ready to make it two in a row at the Masters. He claims winning a second green jacket shouldn’t be as hard as the first.
“I think this year is much easier because I know how to win here,” Woods said. “I think anytime you defend, it’s easier because you know what it takes. If you would have asked me last year, I would have said I didn’t know because I’d never won.”
Closet case: If Woods doesn’t win again, he won’t have a green jacket to take home with him. The champion gets to keep it for a year before it resides permanently at the club.
Woods didn’t get much use out of it. He could have used the jacket to impress dates, but he didn’t.
“It hung in my closet,” Woods said.
Bear day: Tuesday was Jack Nicklaus Day at Augusta. The club honored the six-time winner of the tournament with a plaque between the 16th green and the 17th hole.
Nicklaus got misty-eyed during the ceremony when it came to thanking his wife, Barbara.
“I still get as excited going down Magnolia Lane as I did 40 years ago,” Nicklaus said.
The Augusta folks left room on the plaque to add another championship, which drew an appreciative laugh from Nicklaus. Could he do it one more time?
“I feel like I can finish a tournament if I got there,” Nicklaus said. “The hardest part is getting out of the blocks.”
Dinner time: Woods served cheeseburgers, chicken sandwiches, fries and milk shakes at the annual champions dinner Tuesday. The defending champ gets to pick the menu.
“Hey, it’s all part of being young,” Woods said. “That’s what I eat.”
While the menu won’t do anything for the champions’ cholesterol levels, it still is better than Sandy Lyle’s choice in 1989: haggis, a Scottish dish made of sheep’s intestines.
Healthy? One golfer who did not attend the champions dinner was Greg Norman. He still is seeking that first elusive Masters, but he doesn’t come into this tournament at 100 percent.
An injured shoulder forced him to withdraw from the Players Championship last month. He didn’t swing a club until last week. Norman, though, says he is ready to go, even though he has played only 17 competitive rounds this year.
Bad luck: Colin Montgomerie lost his security blanket this week. His regular caddie, Aalister McClain, had to go home for a back operation. Montgomerie will use a local caddie this week.
“I haven’t missed a Masters with him, so obviously it is a bit of a blow,” Montgomerie said. “But my record’s not very good here, so it might be a blessing in disguise.”
