Golf: Two treats for Tataurangi as he is grouped with Palmer in Masters

By MARTIN DAVIDSON

Phil Tataurangi feels like a kid in a candy store who just happens to be sharing floor space with Santa Claus.

The New Zealand golfer yesterday learned that the draw for the opening two rounds of the Masters at Augusta National in Georgia groups him with the legendary figure of Arnold Palmer and American amateur Ryan Moore.

Tataurangi, a Masters rookie, is genuinely touched that he will be in the company of golfing royalty when the year's first major starts tomorrow.

So much so that 36 hours out from teeing off, he already considered himself a winner; not of a tournament but of the luck of the draw.

"It's very special, quite an honour. My first Masters may well be his last, " Tataurangi said yesterday from one of two houses he has rented for family and friends just 10 minutes' drive from the celebrated course.

"To get to play with an absolute legend of the game is just making my first Masters experience even more special,"said Tataurangi, who has met Palmer before, but never had the pleasure of playing with him.

"Even if I don't play as well as I'd like, the experience will certainly be memorable."

While Palmer, 73, no longer has the game to spellbind the galleries, his intimate knowledge of Augusta National may benefit Tataurangi.

Palmer has won the Masters four times and, although he has not made the cut at Augusta National for 20 years, "Arnie's Army" will be out in force.

Having contested the famous tournament no fewer than 48 times, Palmer knows every blade of finely manicured grass on the 6666m layout.

Tataurangi, 31, had been thrilled simply to make the Masters field. It has long been a dream, one he fulfilled by finishing among the top 50 on the PGA Tour money-list in 2002, thanks to his breakthrough victory in the Invensys Classic at Las Vegas in October.

"Just by virtue of getting into this tournament you've done something special or had a pretty good year. From that viewpoint, just getting in here is a reward for good play," Tataurangi said.

"But all that's history. You want to come here and perform well and add something else to your resume. I feel I earned my spot in the field and I don't feel I have to justify that.

"I look at it as a challenge to take my game to the next level, competing in the largest arena that we have against a very, very strong field.

"Having said that, my expectations are very low. I'm not putting any pressure on myself to perform."

Heavy rain which has drenched Augusta National this week left Tataurangi thankful for two practice rounds he enjoyed there a month ago.

He had previously politely declined members' invitations to play there because he wanted first to earn the right to experience Augusta National's uniqueness.

Those two rounds were hugely beneficial, particularly after the first official practise day on Tuesday was rained out.

He managed to play a full 18 holes yesterday - the last nine with German Bernhard Langer and Scotsmen Colin Montgomerie and Paul Lawrie - on a surface left very damp on the lower reaches of the course.

"Playing here with hardly anyone on the course was invaluable. If it doesn't contribute to my performance this week it was still a great way to break the ice," he said.

Tataurangi is content with the state of his game entering the biggest event of his career. "My game is there or thereabouts, and all the facets are on the slow improve."

He has had a satisfactory start to his 2003 PGA Tour campaign, making four of seven cuts, including a tie for seventh at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am last month.

He was pleased to be told he sits second in tour statistics for birdies achieved on par-five holes - with a 58 per cent rate earned by registering 40 birdies in 69 holes.

"That sounds good. I don't normally do that well on the par-fives."

Tataurangi is one of three New Zealanders in the 93-strong field.

Craig Perks has been grouped with Kenny Perry and Chris Riley for the opening two rounds, while Michael Campbell will play alongside 2002 PGA champion Rich Beem and another American in Scott Verplank.

Tiger Woods, who will be seeking an unprecedented third consecutive Masters crown, has been grouped with American amateur champion Ricky Barnes and Argentina's Angel Cabrera for the first two rounds.

- NZPA