FanHouse Hootie Johnson

Last week, before anybody knew what Tom Watson was capable of, the 59-year-old, eight-time major winner (including five British Open titles) announced that the 2010 Open Championship at St. Andrews would be his last.

Not because 60 was a nice even number, or because Watson thinks he can't compete with players more than half his age. But because the R&A reduced the maximum age for past champions from 65 to 60.

The British Open will be at Turnberry next month, but it's Muirfield, which last hosted the tournament in 2002, that has drawn sharp criticism from Gary Player, who won there in 1959. At 23, he became the youngest Open Champion in history, but it's the club's antiquated men-only policy that has him speaking out now, a half-century later.

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.