THE MASTERS

Facts

* When: Today-Sunday.

* Where: Augusta (Ga.) National Golf Club (7,290 yards, par 72).

* Purse: TBA (2003, $6 million). Winner’s share: TBA (2003, $1.08 million).

* TV: USA (today-Friday, 1-3:30 p.m.) and Channel 2 (Saturday, 12:30-3:30 p.m.; Sunday, 11:30 a.m.-4 p.m.).

* 2003 winner: Mike Weir, 281 (70, 68, 75, 68); beat Len Mattiace on the first playoff hole.

* 2003 runner-ups: Mattiace 281 (73, 74, 69, 65); Phil Mickelson 283 (73, 70, 72, 68).

* Next week: MCI Heritage at Hilton Head Island, S.C.

*

Farewell to the King

Arnold Palmer will play in his 50th and final Masters tournament beginning today. A look at the most consecutive Masters appearances:

*--* No. Player Years 50 Arnold Palmer 1955-2004 46 Doug Ford 1956-2001 44 Sam Snead 1937-1983 40 Jack Nicklaus 1959-1998 40 Ray Floyd 1965-2004 35 Billy Casper 1957-1991

*--*

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Tee Times

Today’s first round. All times PDT:

* 5 a.m. -- Tommy Aaron, Charles Coody, Sandy Lyle

* 5:11 a.m. -- Fred Funk, Peter Lonard, Jonathan Kaye

* 5:22 a.m. -- Chris DiMarco, Justin Rose, Rocco Mediate

* 5:33 a.m. -- Gary Player, Ben Crenshaw, Larry Mize

* 5:44 a.m. -- Tom Watson, a-Gary Wolstenholme, Briny Baird

* 5:55 a.m. -- Rich Beem, Jerry Kelly, Paul Lawrie

* 6:06 a.m. -- Nick Faldo, Scott Verplank, Angel Cabrera

* 6:17 a.m. -- Fred Couples, a-Brandt Snedeker, David Toms

* 6:28 a.m. -- Ben Curtis, Michael Campbell, Fredrik Jacobson

* 6:39 a.m. -- Arnold Palmer, a-Nathan Smith, Bob Estes

* 6:50 a.m. -- Shaun Micheel, Jay Haas, Colin Montgomerie

* 7:01 a.m. -- Craig Stadler, Stuart Appleby, Kenny Perry

* 7:12 a.m. -- Phil Mickelson, Shigeki Maruyama, Darren Clarke

* 7:23 a.m. -- Vijay Singh, Padraig Harrington, John Daly

* 7:34 a.m. -- Bernhard Langer, Sergio Garcia, Zhang Lian-Wei

* 7:56 a.m. -- Jonathan Byrd, Craig Parry, Ian Poulter

* 8:07 a.m. -- Chris Riley, Tim Clark, Jeff Maggert

* 8:18 a.m. -- Jeff Sluman, Stephen Leaney, Paul Casey

* 8:29 a.m. -- Brad Faxon, Trevor Immelman, Steve Flesch

* 8:40 a.m. -- Tim Herron, Phillip Price, Bob Tway

* 8:51 a.m. -- Raymond Floyd, Stewart Cink, Craig Perks

* 9:02 a.m. -- Ian Woosnam, Len Mattiace, Todd Hamilton

* 9:13 a.m. -- Fuzzy Zoeller, Kirk Triplett, Eduardo Romero

* 9:24 a.m. -- Nick Price, Charles Howell III, J.L. Lewis

* 9:35 a.m. -- Chad Campbell, Adam Scott, K.J. Choi

* 9:46 a.m. -- Jack Nicklaus, Toshi Izawa, Alex Cejka

* 9:57 a.m. -- Mark O’Meara, Ernie Els, Robert Allenby

* 10:08 a.m. -- Jose Maria Olazabal, Davis Love III, Retief Goosen

* 10:19 a.m. -- Mike Weir, a-Nick Flanagan, Justin Leonard

* 10:30 a.m. -- Tiger Woods, a-Casey Wittenberg, Thomas Bjorn

* 10:41 a.m. -- John Rollins, Brian Davis, Tim Petrovic

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