1997 Masters First Round

So Tiger averaged 338 yards with a 43 inch steel shafted driver and a titleist balata.

He was out driving Faldo by 70 /80 yards at times. Faldo was a medium range distance wise.. Talk about a change of the guard...but ultimately, it was Tiger's putting that won it but cannot discount power.

Now Tiger has to watch the younglings do to him to some degree what he did in those days to others..they just don't have the depth all round to dominate like he did.

I'll say it. Faldo underachieved off of the tee.

Maybe Tiger should go back to that combo?

Tiger didn't use a balata ball in 1997. He was playing the Titleist Professional 90 which was a wound urethane covered ball.

Can’t dispute that but to be fair, Titleist balata to professional is like comparing two different kinds of apples. Comparing either of them to the balls they have now is like apples and pears.

The wound balata and wound professional balls by Titleist were very similar when compared to the solid tour balls that came out a few years later.

The Tour Balata and the Tour Professional were nowhere near similar. And where did the discussion turn to comparing those to two balls to today’s balls?

actually they were like for like performance wise. They just lasted longer however. Balatas were pretty much done after a few holes for the pros

Pro 90 was a longer And straighter ball than the Tour Balata.

First Major TW played as a pro

Sets the tournament record and wins by 12 shots.

Tiger Woods set or tied 27 Masters records in 1997. So how many of them have held up? - Golf Digest

I remember tuning in as a kid and seeing that Tiger was struggling and I thought he was already out of it before he hit the back nine. Then he went on that tear to right the ship and the rest was history.

The Masters put together an Official Film this year.

You can see about five minutes of highlights from Tiger's first round.

Also John Huston's eagle at #18 that day.

Yeah, pretty crazy numbers. A lot of talk about the changes to the golf ball, even above, but it's amazing how different he was versus everyone else back then. He wailed at it when no one else did. Times certainly have changed since then, and it's definitely not just the golf ball.

Nicklaus was outdriving Faldo in the 1990 Masters final round by 30 yards.

Nicklaus was 50 years old.

Why was Faldo such a short-knocker? He surely didn't have to be. He appears to me (never seen him in person) to be a guy of at least average build and is 6'3" according to Wikipedia.

I get wanting to keep it in the short grass but I can't wrap my mind around him having an issue with that given how good his iron play was.

Pretty sure it was by design. Everything about his game was about control and precision, rhythm and repetition. Overpowering the course back then was a thing, but nothing like it is today. You could be a medium to short hitter and have lots of success, not quite as easy in today's game.

Nick was never long..before he joined Leadbetter for his majors winning swing change he was still an average knocker..but... he was always very good through the bag. He could hit his 4 iron inside many wedges of other pros..and the holes typically weren't that long in his era...now there are many par 4s 450/460 plus on tours.

Today you see players hit 330 then miss a green with a wedge or hit an average approach. Faldo wasn't long but could play a 5 iron to 20 feet like clockwork.

Tiger was a great wedge player and putter too though, the whole package. Probably the longest a player has ever hit the ball relative to the field in a major. Maybe John Daly in 1991 would be up there. But the numbers he hit with that equipment was amazing. Would be like someone averaging 350+ for a whole week at the Masters today.

Son, we live in a world that has long golf holes, and those holes must be driven by men. Who's gonna do it? You? You, Nick Faldo? Tiger had a greater responsibility than you can possibly fathom. You weep for Faldo, and you curse the equipment manufacturers. You have that luxury. You have the luxury of not knowing what I know -- that Faldo’s lack of length, while surprising, probably progressed the game; and Tiger’s length, while incomprehensible to you, progressed the game.

You don't want the truth because deep down in places you don't talk about at your public golf course, you want long hitters -- you need long hitters. We use words like "smash," "path" "and speed." We use these words as the backbone of a life spent defending long hitters something. You use them as a punch line.

I have neither the time nor the inclination to explain myself to a man who rises and sleeps under the blanket of the varied equipment that both Faldo and Tiger provided and then question the manner in which they provided it. I would rather that you just said "thank you" and went on your way. Otherwise, I suggest you pick up a 7 iron and play your shot. Either way, I don't give a DARN to what you think about Balata balls in 1997!

Faldo's swing was pure precision and control.

It looks like he could have swung much harder during his prime.

That third shot, I bet he was one of few, maybe the only, that was left of that hole location. Ballzy. Though he didn't exactly play the redan "by the book."

We attended the Wednesday practice round that year (my first visit to Augusta) and saw Tiger on the 10th - I believe he was with Seve Ballesteros and Gary Player that day.

He was more curiosity than anything at that point but obviously all that changed for good in a scant 24 hrs. He had his group of followers outside the ropes but not the mayhem that developed after the win and forever after.

Incidentally, Brad Faxon earned a fan (me) that day. As it was a practice round things were more relaxed. Some Northeastern guy was following Fax on the 15th hole. 'Brad! Brad! Brad!' he shouted repeatedly.

Finally, Fax stopped, looked at the guy and asked 'What?!?'

The annoying guy responded 'I drove down from XYZ, my daughter gave me a lucky nickel to pass to you.' He threw the coin and Fax caught it. The annoying guy was well pleased with himself.

Fax then immediately threw it back, saying 'I have enough luck, thanks.'

Well done, Fax. And get lost, annoying guy.

He hits the ball very low by todays standards too. no wonder he was so short.

Faldo was unbelievably impressive with control of the ball

I wasn’t surprised by many guys, but playing with him at his peak was amazing. He could flight the ball Any way he wanted

fade, draw, high, low and always the correct distance with his irons

i never played with anyone who controlled the ball better

Hank Haney says Faldo's game nosedived post-Masters when he quit practicing as much, saying he found it tough to stay motivated. It makes you wonder if he could've gotten closer to 10 majors if that had not been the case. The 1996 Open Championship was his last hurrah/chance to win.

who might you be? :)

Great question!

Cool story, bro

No, really, actually cool story ; )

Heres a good one from Steve Williams from the year before,

“It was at Augusta National in 1996 and Tiger was still an amateur. It was Raymond, Fred Couples, Greg Norman and Tiger. It was a misty, cool morning and the ball wasn’t flying very far. Tiger was a little nervous and hit a foul ball off the first tee. Well, then he got to the par-5 second hole -- none of the other three guys could even reach the fairway bunker, which was about 295 yards away at that time -- and he turns to his caddie and says, 'Can I carry that trap?' We all just looked at each other, like 'What do you mean can you carry that trap?' Tiger whipped it over the bunker and it was like, 'Wow.'"

https://www.businessinsider.com/tiger-woods-1996-masters-practice-round-2014-1

As a a aside, I love monty

Just an old used to be