Double Eagle

In his later years, Gene Sarazen tired of talking about the double eagle he made in the final round to help him win the 1935 Masters. He took much more pride in having won the U.S. Open and British Open in the same year, 1932, and in the other accomplishments of a long career. He invented the sand wedge, was the first of only four players to win all four majors, and all anyone wanted to talk about was one lucky shot?

AUGUSTA, Ga. - Thursday begins the 77th Masters golf tournament. Wednesday was a day to wander and ponder. The sun shined, the temperature stayed in the mid-70s and the wind that can blow here so relentlessly was doing so somewhere else. Whether it is work or pleasure that brings you here, the first thing you need to do upon arrival is say a prayer of gratitude. This isn't a sports event. It's a shrine to its sport. Bobby Jones, Alister MacKenzie and Clifford Roberts built Augusta National 80 years ago and threw away the key. Simply saying it is pristine doesn't come close to capturing it. Thousands of writers over many years have waxed on and on about magnolias and azaleas, about the tranquillity of Amen Corner and the smell of spring in the South.

Mark Brooks opened the second round of the World Series of Golf by going birdie-eagle. He lost one shot to Davis Love III. Love birdied the first hole at Firestone at Akron, Ohio, on Friday, then hit a six-iron shot 180 yards into the cup for a double eagle--the fifth on the PGA Tour this season, the first in the history of this tournament and the first of Love's six-year pro career. "You have to get lucky to have a shot from 180 yards out fly into the hole," Love said.

AUGUSTA, Ga. — It takes a special shot to beat a double eagle. And somewhere in Bubba Watson's bag of tricks, he found just the right one for an escape worthy of a green jacket. Deep in the trees right of Augusta National's 10th fairway, the left-hander's window back to the fairway showed only a bunker short of the green. Up above, branches left only a small opening as well. Watson found it — practically snap-hooking a wedge onto the putting surface in the fading light Sunday to set up a Masters playoff victory, beating Louis Oosthuizen on the second extra hole.

Par and Yardage *--* HOLE PAR YARDAGE HOLE NAME 1 4 400 Tea Olive 2 5 555 Pink Dogwood 3 4 360 Flowering Peach 4 3 205 Flowering Crab Apple 5 4 435 Magnolia 6 3 180 Juniper 7 4 360 Pampas 8 5 535 Yellow Jasmine 9 4 435 Carolina Cherry X 36 3,465 X 10 4 485 Camellia 11 4 455 White Dogwood 12 3 155 Golden Bell 13 5 485 Azalea 14 4 405 Chinese Fir 15 5 500 Firethorn 16 3 170 Redbud 17 4 400 Nandina 18 4 405 Holly X 36 3,460 X 72 6,925 *--* Source: The Augusta National Golf Club

All along, we have assumed that John Wooden's 10 national collegiate basketball titles as UCLA's coach represent his most amazing achievement in sports. All along, we assumed wrong. Those 10 titles are the most defining, not most amazing. Which brings us to the Bob Hope Classic golf tournament that ended Monday in La Quinta, and to one of its players, Carl Pettersson, the Swede who played for North Carolina State and who has won more than $2 million in three of his seven full seasons on the PGA Tour.

AUGUSTA, Ga. — It takes a special shot to beat a double eagle. And somewhere in Bubba Watson's bag of tricks, he found just the right one for an escape worthy of a green jacket. Deep in the trees right of Augusta National's 10th fairway, the left-hander's window back to the fairway showed only a bunker short of the green. Up above, branches left only a small opening as well. Watson found it — practically snap-hooking a wedge onto the putting surface in the fading light Sunday to set up a Masters playoff victory, beating Louis Oosthuizen on the second extra hole.

AUGUSTA, Ga. - Thursday begins the 77th Masters golf tournament. Wednesday was a day to wander and ponder. The sun shined, the temperature stayed in the mid-70s and the wind that can blow here so relentlessly was doing so somewhere else. Whether it is work or pleasure that brings you here, the first thing you need to do upon arrival is say a prayer of gratitude. This isn't a sports event. It's a shrine to its sport. Bobby Jones, Alister MacKenzie and Clifford Roberts built Augusta National 80 years ago and threw away the key. Simply saying it is pristine doesn't come close to capturing it. Thousands of writers over many years have waxed on and on about magnolias and azaleas, about the tranquillity of Amen Corner and the smell of spring in the South.

I was perplexed and appalled by John Corrigan's article ("Hooked on June Lake," June 17) about his trip to June Lake, which was really a superficial discussion of food and massage. He treats the outdoors as if it's a misery to be avoided. He goes on to grumble that, before the Double Eagle's arrival, June Lake's "public accommodations were wanting." Why does he even bother driving the 300 miles to June Lake? Palm Springs is 200 miles closer and will accommodate his preference for resorts and distaste for nature's chill just fine.

All along, we have assumed that John Wooden's 10 national collegiate basketball titles as UCLA's coach represent his most amazing achievement in sports. All along, we assumed wrong. Those 10 titles are the most defining, not most amazing. Which brings us to the Bob Hope Classic golf tournament that ended Monday in La Quinta, and to one of its players, Carl Pettersson, the Swede who played for North Carolina State and who has won more than $2 million in three of his seven full seasons on the PGA Tour.

Conclusive proof that controversy sells: During the five-month period from April 1 to Aug. 28, Brett Favre's jersey was the top-seller on the NFL's merchandise website, followed by Jay Cutler at No. 2 and Michael Vick at No. 4. It is also further evidence that wherever he plays, Favre sells. "It is normal for sales of a player's jersey to jump significantly when he changes teams," NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy told the Associated Press. "However, we're witnessing the Favre Factor.

The best part of Patrick Sheehan's day was playing with Ian Leggatt and Chris Riley through the tall pines, thin air and steep hills of the Rocky Mountains -- before the rains came. "When you got two guys that you really like ... it was a good group for me because everybody talks to each other and you're telling jokes," Sheehan said Friday. "We all played pretty well [Thursday] and it just continued today. Everybody's in a good mood. A guy makes a couple birdies and you just follow him up."

The U.S. Mint has seized 10 Double Eagle gold coins from 1933, among the rarest and most valuable coins in the world, that a jeweler says she turned in to determine their authenticity. Joan S. Langbord will file a lawsuit to try to recover them, her lawyer, Barry H. Berke, said Wednesday. Langbord found the coins among the possessions of her late father, longtime jeweler Israel Switt. She operates her father's business.

Gold fever has struck at the Houston Museum of Natural Science, which is to open an exhibit Friday on the precious mineral. "Gold! Natural Treasure, Cultural Obsession" will continue through Aug. 7. More than 1,000 glittering items will be shown in eight sections covering, among other aspects, the history, culture and geology of gold.

I was perplexed and appalled by John Corrigan's article ("Hooked on June Lake," June 17) about his trip to June Lake, which was really a superficial discussion of food and massage. He treats the outdoors as if it's a misery to be avoided. He goes on to grumble that, before the Double Eagle's arrival, June Lake's "public accommodations were wanting." Why does he even bother driving the 300 miles to June Lake? Palm Springs is 200 miles closer and will accommodate his preference for resorts and distaste for nature's chill just fine.

Former Greater Greensboro Open champion Steve Elkington made an 85-foot putt on the 17th hole Saturday and moved into a tie with Mike Sullivan heading into the final round of the $1.5-million tournament at Greensboro, N.C. A highlight of the third round was a rare double eagle by Tom Sieckmann on the par-5, 574-yard ninth hole, the longest hole on the Forest Oaks Country Club course.

Don Walsworth of Stanford shot a final-round 71 Wednesday to overhaul favored Sam Randolph of USC, the reigning U.S. Amateur champion, and win the individual title in the Pacific 10 golf tournament at Wood Ranch Country Club in Simi Valley. The Trojans, however, ran away with the team championship, finishing 12 strokes ahead of runner-up Oregon. Randolph held a three-stroke lead after each of the first three rounds but struggled to a 75, three over par, in the final round.

Tiger Woods eagled the par-five 18th hole twice Wednesday to tie and beat Vijay Singh in a playoff in the PGA Grand Slam of Golf. Woods, also the 1998 and 1999 winner in the 36-hole tournament for the year's major champions, hit a six-iron approach from 231 yards to eight feet to set up his tying eagle on the final hole of regulation. In the playoff, Woods put his second shot in almost the same spot on the green and holed the putt to claim the $400,000 first prize.

Bruce Fleisher, John Jacobs and South African Hugh Baiocchi matched the first-round record with seven-under-par 65s to share the lead in the Senior Players Championship on Thursday at Dearborn, Mich. Tom Kite, Bob Murphy and Jesse Patino were a stroke back under almost perfect conditions at the TPC of Michigan. Leonard Thompson, Allen Doyle and Jerry McGee shot 67s. Defending champion Hale Irwin, still trying to settle down after his victory two weeks ago in the U.S.