AUGUSTA, Ga. — Phil Mickelson called playing in a Masters without Tiger Woods “a weird feeling.’’
“He’s been such a mainstay in professional golf and in the majors,’’ Mickelson said Tuesday. “It’s awkward to not have him here. I hope he gets back soon. I mean, I hope he’s back for the other majors. As much as I want to win and I know how great he is and tough to beat, it also makes it special when he’s in the field and you’re able to win.’’
Rory McIlroy delivered a good-natured tweak at Masters first-timer Patrick Reed, with whom he will be paired the first two rounds along with Jordan Spieth, another Masters rookie.
“Yeah, there’s going to be no top-five players in that group,’’ McIlroy said jokingly, referring to Reed’s contention at Doral he felt like he was a top-five player in the world even though his ranking (23) does not reflect that. McIlroy is ranked No. 9 and Spieth No. 13.
“Actually, I played a few holes with Patrick [Tuesday],’’ McIlroy said. “It’s the first time I’ve ever spent any time with him. Seems like a nice guy.’’
As is tradition, Adam Scott, the defending champion, is paired with the US Amateur champion, Matthew Fitzpatrick, who played a practice round with McIlroy on Tuesday. Recalling his first Masters, Scott said he played with Fuzzy Zoeller.
“He was whistling off the first tee,’’ Scott said. “I wasn’t quite sure what to make of it, but it was certainly a little more lighthearted than I thought. Unfortunately for Matthew, I’m not going to be whistling off the first tee, so he’ll have to find another way to calm down.’’
One of the perks that comes with being a Masters champion is having a locker in the exclusive champion’s locker room, where Scott is sharing a locker with Gary Player.
“He gets a lot of mail, so there’s not a lot of room for myself in there,’’ Scott said jokingly. “My stuff’s kind of scattered around a bit on the floor. I haven’t seen him here this week, so I don’t know how he feels about that yet.’’
As the host of the annual champion’s dinner Tuesday night, Scott went with an Australian barbecue theme, featuring lobster flown in from Australia.
“I picked nothing too exotic, because I didn’t think any of the other guys would appreciate it, [like] kangaroo and crocodile or anything like that,’’ Scott said. “It’s along those lines of surf and turf, and it will be off the barbie, which is what I like. I picked bugs [lobsters] because I like them. They are one of my favorite foods back home. I thought it would be nice to have something really local to serve.’’
Mickelson was involved in his usual Tuesday practice round money game, paired with Rickie Fowler against Jason Dufner and Dustin Johnson.
“Rickie Fowler and I were partners and he went on a tear, shot 30 the front nine, eagled 13, he birdied 17 and 18, threw another one on 15,’’ Mickelson said. “Just played remarkable golf. It was fun to have him as my partner.’’
Though Mickelson and Fowler clipped Dufner and Johnson for a few bucks, Mickelson lost $5 to a spectator who bet him he wouldn’t get up-and-down with a chip and putt off the sixth green.
“He was mouthing off about ‘hard shot, get this up and down, no chance,’ blah, blah, blah,’’ Mickelson said jokingly. “And it wasn’t that hard a shot, and I should have gotten it up and down and I did hit a good shot. I had a 7-footer straight uphill and I missed it, and I had to pay him. That’s what happens when you lose.’’
When someone asked him if he carried any small bills, Mickelson, who is known to hand out $100 bills to fans he hits with errant shots, joked, “I had to get a five from a caddie.’’
Funny moment on the veranda at the Augusta clubhouse: Mickelson was lunching with some members and was a bit chilly from the cool air, wearing a golf shirt, so he had someone go into the locker room and fetch his green jacket for him for a little warmth.
The marquee pairings include: Mickelson, Erne Els and Justin Rose; Bubba Watson, Luke Donald and Sergio Garcia; Jason Day, Johnson and Henrik Stenson; and Fowler, Graeme McDowell and Jimmy Walker.
There are a record 24 first-time Masters participants playing. The last first-timer to win was Zoeller in 1979.