It's all
Tiger Woods' fault. Ever since the 1997 Masters, when he won by a record nine strokes -- and was hitting wedge into virtually every hole (including the dogleg-left par 5, 13th) -- incoming chairman
Hootie Johnson decided to toughen up Augusta National.
The results:
roughly 600 additional yards, spread out over 12 holes. Woods' 18-under total won it in '97, but last April,
Zach Johnson earned a green jacket with a four-day total of 1-over. The changes, along with some weather certainly, toughened things up. I'm sure
Bobby Jones and
Clifford Roberts had a good chuckle about the whole thing.
Well, guess what?
The Masters committee will do a little more tinkering this winter. It won't be the complete overhaul the players saw in 2002, but there will be subtle changes to four holes -- the first, seventh, ninth, and 11th.
The first, one of the toughest holes in golf, will be lengthened 10 yards, the greens on the seventh and ninth will be enlarged and softened, respectively, and some trees will be moved from the right side of the 11th fairway.
Nothing to worry about, though. Chairman Billy Payne
wants you to know the course is "refined" virtually every year, and last year's above-par winning score was "an anomaly due to the frigid, windy weather." I can buy that -- the last time the winner didn't finish under par for the tournament was 1966 (Nicklaus, E). And I'm actually fine with the course changing to keep up with technology. It's a much better alternative than a great course becoming obsolete.
Two years ago, Augusta National announced plans to show one hour of Masters coverage on its web site prior to the telecast. It was a novel, technologically savvy move for the august bunch best known for green jackets, pimento sandwiches and and blue water in Rae's Creek every April. 
