Golf: March 28, 2007

Augusta National is expected to change its criteria so that PGA Tour winners -- at least some of them -- would qualify for the Masters. There were eight tour winners since the previous Masters who are not eligible, and it's tough to feel sorry for any of them except John Senden of Australia.-- PGA.com

Rest assured Phil Mickelson misses Atlanta right about now. Not only is Mickelson the BellSouth Classic's two-time defending champion, but considered it an integral part of his Masters preparation. With its hilly fairways and undulating greens, several pros considered the TPC Sugarloaf the closest thing available to Augusta National. But when tour officials put together the 2007 schedule, the BellSouth was pushed back into May.-- Miami Herald

The LPGA's first major came too soon for Michelle Wie. The 17-year-old pro is sitting out this week's Kraft Nabisco Championship as she continues rehab on her injured left wrist. The Kraft Nabisco, with its desert layout, is commonly thought to be Wie's best shot at a first major title.-- Miami Herald

Tiger Woods fired an 8-under-par 64 on Tuesday to win individual honors at the $2.6 million Tavistock Cup, but his Isleworth team got creamed by Lake Nona to the tune of 22-8.-- PGA.com

Brett Wetterich became the 50th player to be runner-up to Woods on the PGA Tour. The 50 victims include 21 major champions and 18 of the top 30 players in the world ranking, a list that goes from A (Stuart Appleby) to Z (Paul Azinger) when allowing for nicknames (Zinger).-- PGA.com

No matter who wins this week's Ginn Championship, the course could still wind up being the star. Based on practice-round critiques from an elite field of Champions Tour players who began arriving and preparing Tuesday, the Ocean Club at Hammock Beach will offer a stern, but fair and scenic, test-- Florida Times-Union