Can You Wait?
The first major of the year is upon us and frankly, we’re as excited as a bunch of sugar-fuelled, hyperactive kids on Christmas morning. We’re not the only ones. The world’s best players are champing at the bit to get out onto the azalea-lined fairways of Augusta to stake a claim for one of the greatest prizes in golf – no – one of the greatest prizes in sport.
The British and Irish contingent is stronger this year than last, Padraig Harrington is looking to double his major trophies come Sunday evening. The Open champion believes that getting his first under his belt has taken the pressure off slightly, allowing him to feel, “a little bit more relaxed” when the heat is on. Padraig’s been looking forward to the tournament for a while, as it’s not just rugged, British links courses that the Irishman loves to play, "Coming back to Augusta, it's always a magical place, and it's somewhere that you can't wait to get to," he said. "I would say a lot of my practice is done with the idea that I want to improve my golf swing so I can manage to play Augusta.”
The likes of Justin Rose and Lee Westwood are eager to go better than their respective best finishes of tied 5th and 6th also. Westwood believes he is “closer than ever” to winning a major, and cites improved fitness as one reason why. "Now when I come off the course I feel I can play again. I feel stronger, and it's easy to get my body into positions where I can control things."
We all know a deft touch is essential when trying to work the ball around the lightning-fast greens at Augusta, and Justin has been working hard on his short game to prepare for this. He played a nine-hole practice round with just two wedges and a putter. He also agrees with Westwood however that personal fitness is crucial in not just this tournament, but for the whole season. "I wanted to spend nine weeks working on my fitness, getting myself fit and strong to make sure I'd have an injury-free season."
So it all starts tomorrow. We’ve got permission to stay up late to watch it, have you?
4/9/2008 11:08:43 AM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00) 
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