Faldo

AUGUSTA, Ga. -- As The Masters gets under way, the attention focuses on Nick Faldo, who endeavors to reach a position of Masters renown that has been approached only once, and never achieved.Faldo, a man defined as having an "athletic" golf swing, wants to be the first player to win three straight Masters, which would give him a luster even Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Ben Hogan and all the other illustrious players found to be far beyond their grasp.The only previous two-in-a-row Masters champion was Nicklaus, who won in 1965 and 1966 but failed to make the cut in his attempt to make it a triple.

LYTHAM ST. ANNES, England -- All day long he had worked his way through hostile territory. In the company of a thoroughly dangerous man, wending through a sea of bunkers, and in an ocean of fans who screamed for his playing partner and rooted openly for his demise, Tom Lehman labored.So as he stood in the rough at the final hole of Royal Lytham and St. Annes yesterday, an 8-iron in his hand and a lifetime of hard, hard road behind him, Lehman looked like the perfect winner of this British Open.

POTOMAC -- There will be no fans trembling with excitement at the prospect of his handshake or autograph. There will be no players in contention feeling snubbed by a lack of attention. There will be no hype and hoopla and hysteria that has been evident the last three weeks on the PGA Tour.You-know-who won't be here.But there will be something unusual about this year's Kemper Open.It's not merely a field of dreamers.Even without Tiger Woods, this week's tournament will have enough high-profile players to bring out crowds estimated to reach 50,000 for each the last two rounds.

GULLANE, Scotland - The last time a British Open was held here at Muirfield, Nick Faldo played the role to which Tiger Woods has now ascended. A decade ago, Faldo was the No. 1 golfer in the world and the most intimidating figure at a tournament he had won twice. "I came here as the favorite. I was here with the intention of winning," Faldo said yesterday. "So that's very similar to what Tiger is thinking right now. He's the man to beat, and he's just got to be comfortable with the way he prepares."

AUGUSTA, Ga. -- The smell was unmistakable. As Tiger Woods and Retief Goosen of South Africa stepped onto the first tee yesterday at Augusta National Golf Club for the final round of the 66th Masters, there was a hearty stench from the muddy path nearby on which most of the huge gallery was standing. They were there to witness history in the mucking. Woods had a different scent altogether, the kind that the world's best golfer has experienced many times. While sharing the lead with Goosen after three rounds, Woods and nearly everyone else here understood what was going to transpire.

ST. ANDREWS, Scotland - His eyesight is failing, the result of a degenerative condition that prevents him from seeing any shot farther than 50 yards. His legs are wobbly, the result of taking medication more than a year ago that caused them to swell to more than twice their normal size. Sam Snead turned 88 on May 27 , yet remains one of golf's most irascible and irreplaceable figures. He still has nearly the same ability to swing, and zing. The man many consider the most naturally gifted player in history, the man whose 81 victories spread over six decades are PGA Tour records, has returned to the Old Course.

Dinner of championsIt is traditional at the Masters for the defending title-holder to host a pre-tournament dinner for all former champions, and it is his responsibility to set the menu for the ultra-private affair held at the Augusta National Golf Club.Nick Faldo was asked what he'd selected in the way of English gourmet delights for his fellow winners this year."Fish and chips," Faldo said.The quoteRoman Gabriel, coach of the World League of American Football's Raleigh-Durham Skyhawks, recalling advice given him by his former coach, George Allen: "Leisure time is the five hours you sleep at night."

AUGUSTA, Ga. -- On Saturday night at Augusta National Golf Club, Bernhard Langer was talking about why foreign players in general and Europeans in particular have played well in recent years at The Masters.Foreigners have won seven of the past 11 Masters titles:Year ... Winner ...... ...... Country1983 ... Seve Ballesteros ... Spain1985 ... Bernhard Langer .... Germany1988 ... Sandy Lyle ......... England1989 ... Nick Faldo ......... England1990 ... Nick Faldo ......... England1991 ... Ian Woosnam .....

What: 55th Masters championship, today through Sunday.Site: Augusta National Golf Club.Yardage: 6,905.Par: 36-3672.Format: 72 holes (18 daily) stroke play.Playoff (if necessary): Sudden death.Probable starting field: 88 -- 66 American pros, 3 American amateurs, 17 foreign pros, 2 foreign amateurs.Defending champion: Nick Faldo.Former champions in field: Tommy Aaron, George Archer, Seve Ballesteros, Gay Brewer, Billy Casper, Charles Coody, Ben Crenshaw, Nick Faldo, Ray Floyd, Bernhard Langer, Sandy Lyle, Larry Mize, Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, Gary Player, Craig Stadler, Tom Watson, Fuzzy Zoeller.

4 p.m. [ESPN] Mike Tirico hosts and the ESPN signage will be popping up, but otherwise it's the CBS version of golf's revered championship - with Jim Nantz, Nick Faldo, Verne Lundquist and the gang. Oops, I'm sorry. "Gang" is an inappropriate word to use in any reference to what's happening at Augusta National. Somebody might just snatch away my pimento-and-cheese sandwich.