AUGUSTA, Ga. – He’s the No. 1 player in the world, winner of the last two majors and star of a poignant new Nike commercial he admits to having watched – but only once.

If this was any other Masters, Rory McIlroy would be the talk of golf and the biggest story of the week. That he’s not – at least right now – is only because a guy named Tiger Woods decided to embark on his latest comeback on the undulating greens of Augusta National.

And that’s not necessarily a bad thing as McIlroy prepares for the seventh Masters of his young career. For all his success, the biggest hole in his resume is that he has yet to win a green jacket.

“Does it give people something else to talk about? Yes,” McIlroy said. “But I’m not necessarily listening to anything that anyone is saying, so doesn’t really make a difference to me.’

That McIlroy is coming into the Masters with blinders on is little surprise. He’s got a chance to become only the sixth player to win a career Grand Slam with a win here, and he’s prepared meticulously for his attempt to conquer a course that seems made for his game but has consistently given him fits.

He did it mostly out of the tournament spotlight, working on his game the last few weeks near his Florida home.

“I just really felt like spending a couple of weeks away from this, I guess,” McIlroy said. “Just preparing at home and in private and not really having everything critiqued and analyzed and overanalyzed. So I just wanted to get away from it all, and I feel like it’s been a good thing.”

McIlroy offered a few different theories Tuesday on why the Masters is the one major he has yet to win, including trying too hard to make eagles on the reachable par-5s on Augusta National. Last year he had 9-iron in hand for his second shot on both Nos. 13 and 15 in the final round, only to come away with bogeys on his way to a tie for eighth

There were also times, though, that McIlroy thought not being aggressive enough cost him strokes because he didn’t commit totally on shots to safe parts of the green.

What’s especially frustrating to McIlroy – aside from shooting 80 in the final round in 2011 to blow a four-shot lead – is that his game seems ideally suited for both the course and conditions here.

“It’s the one that should set up the best for me just with my ball flight and being comfortable off the tee here, especially being able to turn the ball over from right to left and all that,” he said. “If I can play the way I know I can around here and just have a good week on the greens, then there’s no reason why I shouldn’t have a good chance.”

No reason indeed, even if a win in Dubai is the only time he has hoisted a trophy this year. McIlroy has played only five times so far this year, clearly pointing his game toward the Masters instead of trying to collect more hardware along the way.

“Just trying to keep my game where it is and do some quality work, not overdo it,” he said. “Just do the right amount so that when I got here yesterday for the first time, again, I was ready to play and just needed to go see the golf course. Wasn’t working on anything in my game, my swing. Wasn’t thinking about technique at all. Just all about hitting the shots I need to and thinking about how to manage my game and get it around here for the next four days.”

The preparation this year isn’t the only thing different for McIlroy. Last year he had tennis player Caroline Wozniacki, his former girlfriend, carrying his bag in the par-3 contest, while Niall Horan from the boy band One Direction will do the honors this year.

And then there’s the commercial, which uses a young actor to trace McIlroy’s beginnings in golf. He is shown with a poster of Woods in his room and chipping balls into a clothes dryer after watching Woods win a major on TV.

“I did have posters of him on my wall and I did idolize him, really,” McIlroy said. “I think if you ask a lot of golfers that are my generation, he was the benchmark. He was the inspiration for us to go out and try to be the best that we could be.”

AUGUSTA, Ga. – This is one competition Tiger Woods doesn’t mind losing. He’s playing in the Par 3 Tournament at the Masters.

Woods typically skips the Wednesday afternoon tradition at Augusta National. But he had a couple of reasons to play this year.

One is named Sam. The other is Charlie.

Woods said his daughter and son would be caddying for him Wednesday afternoon. Seven-year-old Sam and 6-year-old Charlie were at Augusta National on Tuesday, going onto the green at the practice area with Woods’ girlfriend, Olympic ski champion Lindsey Vonn.

“My two little ones are going to be out there with me,” Woods said about the Par 3. “It’s special. As I said, this tournament means so much to me in so many different ways.”

He looked back to 1997, when his father nearly died of heart issues at the start of the year, and then was behind the 18th green for a bear hug when Woods polished off his record-shattering victory at the Masters.

“To now have come full circle and to have a chance to have my kids out there and be able to share that with them, it’s special,” Woods said. “Charlie has seen me win a golf tournament before. Sam, actually she was there at the U.S. Open in 2008, but doesn’t remember it. It’s nice to be able to share these things with my family and it just means the world to me. They are excited, I’m excited and can’t wait to go out there.”

Winning the Par 3, however, is the last thing he wants to do.

No one has ever won the Par 3 and the Masters in the same week.

“I had an opportunity to do that once, remember that?” Woods said.

That would be the last time he played. He shot a 4-under 23 in 2004 and got into a three-way playoff with Padraig Harrington and Eduardo Romero.

“It was raining,” Woods said with a smile. “Didn’t show up for the playoff.”

Harrington wound up winning.

Woods recalls making birdie after birdie in the Par 3 and having a chance to win another year.

“And for some reason, the wind came up and I hit two balls in the water,” Woods said to laughter. “Just so happened to be that way. Just one of those weird things.”

Does that mean he’s superstitious about the legend of Par 3 winners never winning a green jacket in the same year?

“Yeah, no one’s ever done it,” he said. “I don’t want to prove it wrong, so just have a good time.”

The Mulligan International factory on the outskirts of Montreal was ravaged by an intense fire this past Saturday. While thankfully, the 20 or so employees of the sporting goods manufacturer and golf ball recycling plant escaped without sustaining major injuries, the same cannot be said for the four million golf balls being processed in the facility.

Thick columns of black smoke caused by the burning plastic enveloped the area and a nearby highway, forcing authorities to close off the major artery into the city. The factory, which annually recycles approximately 27 million balls, will unfortunately have to cease all operations.

Video on this story, courtesy of CBC.ca:

Dollard St-Laurent passed away April 6 at the age of 85 in Beloeil, Quebec – a community on Montreal’s South Shore. He was rightfully acclaimed by the Montreal Canadiens and the entire National Hockey League for his fine career.

St-Laurent, a former Canadiens defenceman whose 11-year NHL career included four years with the Chicago Blackhawks, was one of the founders of the NHL players union, along with Ted Lindsay and Doug Harvey. It was a pivotal development in the sport’s history, considering the current strength of the players’ association.

Along with his contributions to hockey, St-Laurent had a significant impact on golf, the sport to which he devoted his attention after hanging up his skates.

St-Laurent was an influential captain and president at the Beloeil Golf Club and along with the former Club pro, Jean-Paul Alary, he was a firm believer in junior golf.

St-Laurent was one of the pioneers in setting up this level of play for Quebec golf prospects, along with Jack Bisseger, Luc Brien, Jean-Guy Périard, André Gagnier, André Maltais, Phil Giroux and a host of others.

“Dollard St-Laurent was an outstanding person,” said Daniel Talbot, the long-time Quebec golf pro who is a product of the junior system in Beloeil. “He never had a bad word to say about anyone and he did a lot for our sport.”

Dollard’s son, Michel, is a former Golf Québec President.  He was also a past member of the Golf Canada Board of Directors and a former Golf Canada Governor.

On behalf of the entire Québec golf movement, I join René Noël, Guy Fabre, Mike DeFalco, Robbie Jackson, Bruce Heuchan, Michel Pépin, Daniel Talbot and so many others in thanking Dollard St-Laurent for the example he set and the positive influence he exerted.

Our heartfelt sympathy to Michel St-Laurent and his family.

AUGUSTA, Ga. – Jason Day set two goals for his career. He wanted to get to No. 1 in the world, and he wanted to win the Masters.

But if he could only reach one goal, which does he choose?

For the only time during his engaging news conference Monday, the 27-year-old Australian looked uncomfortable.

He loves the Masters, his favourite major. He was runner-up in 2011. He had a share of the lead late on Sunday in 2013 until he missed out on the playoff between Adam Scott and Angel Cabrera, with Scott becoming the first Aussie in a green jacket.

But there’s an appeal to be No. 1 in the world, too. And four members of Augusta National in their green jackets were in the room.

“It’s tough,” Day said, leaning back and shaking his head. “This is the tournament that got me into golf. And being No. 1 has always been a lifelong goal of mine. Just to be able to say you’re No. 1, you are the best golfer on the planet, just for one day, would be the best thing ever. Knowing that you were the best in the world would be pretty neat.”

So the answer is to be No. 1 in the world? Hang on.

“But to be able to slip on a green jacket … I don’t know,” he said. “That’s a difficult one, mate. I’m dancing around the question.”

Here’s the easy solution for Day. He can’t reach No. 1 in the world this week if he were to win. But at No. 5 in the world, and healthy and determined as ever, he is among the favourites to win the Masters this week.

Old School:

Day has decided to take the 1-iron out of the bag for the Masters and use the 2-iron.

That led to one question: Who uses a 1-iron anymore?

“I was just talking to (Nick) Faldo the other day … and he was looking at my 1-iron and I said, ‘It’s not like the old days where you had a butter knife. These things are big, old thick things that you can get up in the air.’ It’s modern-day technology. It certainly has changed a lot.”

Day did not know of any other players who carried a 1-iron. Some have driving irons, but it’s not the same.

“Not with the old ‘1’ on the head,” he said. “I’ve never see another guy have that.”

AUGUSTA, Ga. – Tiger Woods arrived later than usual Monday for a Masters that is different from all the others he has played.

No one was sure what to expect from him.

Woods offered a quick glimpse that it could be just about anything. He hooked his tee shot so far left that it nearly went into the ninth fairway. And then he hit a shot to about 6 feet and rolled in the putt for birdie.

More relevant than any of his shots – including his chipping, which looked fine – was the atmosphere.

The first official day of practice at Augusta National was filled with warmth and optimism for the first major of the year. Rory McIlroy, No. 1 in the world and going for a career Grand Slam, played 18 holes with British Amateur champion Bradley Neil. Steve Stricker is playing for the first time all year. Jason Day took four hours on the back nine alone, letting groups through so he could chip and putt, the key to winning a green jacket.

And then Woods arrived.

Fans ran to the side of the practice area when his cart pulled up, with one man holding a digital camera high above his head for a picture. Fittingly, Woods headed straight for the chipping area and went through two bags of balls before heading to the first tee with Mark O’Meara.

Woods is playing for the first time since Feb. 5. He was off nearly five months when he returned at the Masters in 2010 following the scandal in his personal life, but he was No. 1 in the world back then. His last competition was a victory in the Australian Masters.

Now he is No. 111. In his last tournament this year, he walked off the course at Torrey Pines after 11 holes. Before that, he shot 82 and missed the cut in the Phoenix Open. In both events, he played 47 holes and hit chips that either didn’t reach the green from 5 yards away or went some 25 yards over the green.

That’s when he stepped away, saying his game was not acceptable and he would not return until it was.

The real test comes Thursday, when the shots count. What he showed Monday certainly looked acceptable, and it was a treat for the fans who normally would be headed home after a long day at Augusta. The first hole was packed when Woods and O’Meara teed off at 4:20 p.m., and more than 2,000 kept following him. Dozens of fans raced over from the second fairway to the fourth tee to get a good spot.

Remember, you’re not supposed run at Augusta National.

“I hope he’s happy. I hope he’s fine,” U.S. Open champion Martin Kaymer said. “I hope he will play well this week. But what would bother me a lot is all the speculation. You don’t have a choice. You will read about it somewhere. You will hear about it because you socialize with people. So mentally, it must be quite exhausting, and we know how important the mental part is in golf.”

“So it’s difficult, and some things I don’t find very fair,” he said. “You should just let him be. Let him play golf, what he likes to do.”

The last image of Woods was the best player of his generation at his worst, especially with the chipping. That led to rampant speculation – some coaches, including former swing coach Hank Haney, said he had the yips. He was said to be practicing hard at home in Florida. When he showed up at Augusta National last week to practice, one report said he shot 74. Another said he was playing better than ever at home.

The fans who stuck around the Masters got to see for themselves, at least in practice. The real show starts Thursday, and everyone is curious.

“We’re all waiting with baited breath what Tiger is bringing,” three-time champion Nick Faldo said. “He’s got to believe he’s got a bit more game than that. This is not the place. These are the toughest chipping areas, but off perfect lies, anywhere in the world. … It’s all nerve. That’s what the Masters is. It’s nerve. It’s the most nerve-wracking golf course.”

Most of the cheers late in the afternoon came from the par-3 16th, where players were skipping shots across the water and onto the green. The other cheers followed Woods, especially that shot over the pine trees and at the flag for his birdie. Woods then tossed a few balls short of the green to chip.

“Fore!” one fan jokingly said from behind the green.

He hit two at a time to where caddie Joe LaCava was standing. Woods moved around various sides of the green and chipped to different pin positions. Most of them were reasonable. Some were good.

Woods reached the par-5 second hole with ease on his second shot. He smashed a drive down the short par-4 third and hit a flip wedge that trickled a few inches by the hole.

“Golf internationally needs Tiger Woods. He does make a difference,” three-time Masters champion Gary Player said. “People say – I hear this all the time – `Well, they won’t miss Tiger Woods. There’s so many young guys that will take his place.’ There is nobody in the world today that can play like Tiger Woods at his best. Nobody yet. I’m not saying in time to come, a Rory, Jordan Spieth, Jason Day.

“As of today, there’s nobody playing like Tiger at his best.”

Extraordinary athletes serve as idols to the next generation. Their greatness inspires, and in turn, the inspired become role models themselves.

Tiger Woods idolized Jack Nicklaus. Rory McIlroy looked up to Tiger Woods. And now, Woods and McIlroy compete side by side as they fuel the dreams of sport’s future greats. It’s a ripple effect.

In that vein, Nike Golf has created a new short film, “Ripple,” that captures the powerful influence of Woods on a young McIlroy.

Produced in one- and two-minute versions, the film follows the inspirational journey of McIlroy growing up, captivated by Woods’s awe-inspiring performances, his strokes of genius, his athleticism and his swing. Seeing fist pump after fist pump, victory after victory, and with posters of Woods in his room, the film shows McIlroy dreaming of one day competing against Woods – symbolic of the dream held by many young golfers around the world.

“As a kid, I looked up to Tiger,” said McIlroy, who hit a 40-yard drive at the age of just two. When I first saw him on TV, I remember being completely enamored by the energy he brought to the sport. His will to win. His determination. His fight.”

“I’ve been in that same situation,” said Woods. “Growing up, Jack was my idol. My first recollection of The Masters was 1986, when Jack won. I remember him making a putt at 17 and lifting that putter up. Fourteen years later at the 2000 PGA Championship, I got to play with and against him – someone I looked up to.”

The film begins with a reenactment of a young McIlroy intensely watching Woods win his first U.S. Amateur Championship on TV in 1994. A few years later, still from his hometown in Holywood, Northern Ireland, McIlroy witnessed Woods’s electrifying performance of winning his first Masters title by an astounding 12 shots. As the film progresses, we see McIlroy emulating Woods’s work ethic, perfecting his game in the rain, working on his putting stroke on a putting green at his house (filmed at his actual childhood home), with his mother Rosie and father Gerry supporting him all the way.

The film culminates with the two professionals competing against each other, walking side by side down the fairway–inspiration for who’s next.

“It’s been an incredible journey for me, going from massive fan to competitor,” said McIlroy. “To think that not too long ago I was that little boy watching him on TV to where I am now. It’s been a cool journey and I’m very lucky I get to compete with and against him, because he inspired me as a kid and he inspires me now. He’s the best player I’ve ever seen.”

“It’s neat because I’ve been able to be a part of different generations of competitors. Now I’m competing against the younger ones. It helps me train a little harder, because these guys are athletic,” said Woods.

Here’s the two-minute version of the film.

AUGUSTA, Ga. – Adam Scott showed up at Augusta National on Sunday with a familiar friend – his long putter.

Scott said the Masters is too important for him to keep experimenting with the short putter that he used during the Florida swing with mixed results. The anchored stroke used for the long putter will be outlawed starting in 2016, and the Australian appeared to be getting an early start in making the change.

But just not for this week. And probably not in June, July or August for the other majors.

“It just seemed like the sensible thing to do,” Scott said. “I’m not here to just see what happens. I’m here to get the job done, and the odds are more in my favour of doing that with the longer putter considering I’ve used it the last four years.”

Scott tied for fourth on the fast greens of Doral. He then missed a series of short putts at Innisbrook and missed the cut for the first time in nearly three years on the PGA Tour. His putting was suspect a week later at Bay Hill when a good start turned into a tie for 35th.

Going back to the long putter was hardly a problem, and Scott smiled when asked if it was similar to going back to an old girlfriend.

“Depends on the girlfriend,” said Scott, who got married right after the Masters last year. He didn’t start playing this year until his wife gave birth to their first child in February.

His putts – two of them actually – are part of the lore at Masters. Scott made a 20-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole in 2013 that ultimately got him into a playoff with Angel Cabrera. He then sank a 12-foot birdie putt on the second extra hole to become the first Australian in a green jacket.

He went to No. 1 in the world a year later.

Scott first went to the long putter in 2011, though what gets overlooked is that his overall game improved. He ranked among the top 30 in total driving (distance and accuracy) from 2011 through 2014, compared with only one year in the top 30 dating to 2003.

The putter became a big part of his identity, however, especially winning the first major. That will have to change in 2016, and Scott appeared to be working toward the change at the start of this year. Scott, however, is at a stage in his career where he is trying to add majors. There are only four a year, starting at Augusta.

“I certainly think I’ll be putting with the longer putter later on this year,” he said. “It’s a process. I’ve got time up my sleeve to change. If you call the last few weeks a bit of an experiment, it’s good to know that I learned things about what I was doing and what I think about and what my principles are in the putting.”

Scott was wearing his green jacket on Sunday to help present trophies to the winners of the Drive, Chip and Putt contest in its second year.

Sunday at Augusta National is unlike any other going into a major. Matt Every and Miguel Angel Jimenez shared the putting green with a group of kids ready to take part in the putting competition on the 18th green. Defending champion Bubba Watson presented trophies to one age group, and then headed out to play a practice round with his wife. Such are the privileges of a Masters champ.

“Hopefully, she doesn’t beat me or I might have to withdraw,” Watson said.

Augusta National members also can play the golf course, which included former Pittsburgh Steelers receiver Lynn Swann.

Two of the headliners at this Masters – Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy – were not seen. Woods played practice rounds on Tuesday and Friday before deciding he would play for the first time in seven weeks. McIlroy, the No. 1 player in the world, needs a Masters victory to complete the career Grand Slam.

Watson doesn’t mind that he isn’t mentioned as much, even with a chance to become only the fourth back-to-back winner at the Masters.

“We’ve all got to make putts,” he said. “It doesn’t matter what the headlines say.”

Scott couldn’t agree more, which is why he’s going back to a familiar putter.

AUGUSTA, Ga. – Tiger Woods stood on the seventh green at Augusta National, legs crossed and propped up on his putter, as a V-shaped line of mowers headed back down the fairway like a flock of geese.

He seemed intrigued by this routine bit of maintenance, staring at those whirring machines for the longest time.

Then again, Woods is rarely on the course at this time of day for a practice round, with the sun setting and many of the patrons already headed for home.

Yep, these are unusual times for the four-time Masters champion.

Even so, one thing hasn’t changed. Sure, Rory McIlroy is going for a career Grand Slam, Bubba Watson hopes to claim the green jacket for the third time in four years, and Jordan Spieth seems on the verge of a breakthrough victory, but Woods remains the most compelling figure at the first major of the year.

“The game is better when Tiger Woods is around,” said old pal Mark O’Meara, who joined Woods to play nine holes late Monday afternoon.

Woods normally practices early in the morning at Augusta, but his surprise appearance showed just how much has changed – and hasn’t changed – since he stepped away from the game in early February after some dismal performances, saying he wouldn’t return until he was ready to contend again.

This was the first chance for the public to check out the state of his game, and it was hard to get a read on whether he can actually making a run at his 15th major championship.

There were some brilliant shots. There were some ugly shots. Sometimes, they came one after the other, like the dicey downhill putt from the fringe at No. 9 that rolled 40 feet past the cup. Of course, he knocked the comebacker right in the hole for would have been a brilliant par save if they had actually been keeping score.

They won’t start doing that until Thursday.

In the meantime, Woods was encouraged.

“It’s been a process,” he said, “but I’m on the good side now.”

Woods insisted that his decision to play at Augusta, announced late last week and without so much as a warm-up tournament, is not a sign that he’s downright desperate to break a nearly seven-year drought since his last major win, that at age 39 he realizes he’s running out of chances to catch Jack Nicklaus’ record 18 championships.

“It’s just progression,” Woods said. “I felt like I had to get my game into a spot where I felt I could compete to win a golf tournament, and it’s finally there.”

That remains to be seen. O’Meara, a big fan but a bit more of an unbiased observer, said there’s still work to do for Woods to regain his place as the game’s most dominant player. Much of it is mental, and no one – not even Woods – knows how he’ll react when he’s actually writing a score on his card.

“Confidence is a crazy thing in the game of golf,” O’Meara said. “It can take years and year and years to gain confidence. Then, you make one, two or three bad shots, and that confidence is gone.”

Despite his struggles, Woods still casts a one-of-a-kind aura over the home of the Masters. While many fans had already left by the time he arrived at the course, word quickly spread among those who remained. In short order, there were several thousand patrons trailing Woods and O’Meara around the front nine.

“Come on, Tiger!” one of them shouted after a dead-on approach shot into No. 7. “You can win this thing!”

Woods and O’Meara used to be regular practice partners, but they grew apart when the 58-year-old O’Meara transitioned onto the senior tour. Perhaps hoping that a rekindled friendship might help turn around his game, Woods sent a text Monday morning asking if O’Meara wanted to play in the afternoon.

He jumped at the chance.

“I care about him,” O’Meara said. “I wish we could spend more time together. We don’t see each other that much anymore.”

It was like they’d never been apart. There were plenty of smiles, a few more serious discussions about swings and such, and O’Meara’s subtle attempts to boost Woods’ mental state.

After finishing up at No. 9, they embraced in a warm hug behind the green.

“His confidence is coming back,” O’Meara said, “but it’s not going to come back overnight.”

When Woods tees it up Thursday, he’ll face the inevitable comparisons to the Tiger of old.

Some things never change.

“There will be a lot of pressure,” O’Meara said. “All eyes will be on him. I hope for Tiger, and the game of golf, that he plays well.”