Players agree, it's a different kind of Masters these days

AUGUSTA, Ga. -- Augusta National has always been known as the cathedral of golf, but now it's for reasons beyond the august atmosphere and beauty so majestic that every hole is named after a flower.

More than anything, it has become as quiet as church.

Someone hit the mute button at the Masters last year when Zach Johnson won at 1-over 289, tying the tournament record for the highest score by a champion. Good thing he overpowered the par 5s, playing them in 11 under, even though he laid up on every one of them.

Maybe it's time to get used to it.

For years, we were led to believe that the toughest test in golf took place every June, where players would grind away with pars until the last man standing was crowned U.S. Open champion.

Now, that might not be the case.

"Toughest test?" Steve Stricker said. "I'm starting to believe that this is more like a U.S. Open course every year. You saw 1 over par win this tournament last year, and I think that's been my misconception coming in here, because there's always been some decent scores here. Gradually, the course is becoming very difficult."

There used to be clear separation among the four majors.

The U.S. Open has a reputation for shrinking fairways, growing rough and shutting down the irrigation, making the course firm, fast and sometimes out of control. The British Open relies mainly on wind as its best defense and cares more about who wins than what he shot.

The PGA Championship was defined by its lack of definition, although now it has the reputation as being the fairest test. Considering how much players whine these days, "fair" can be translated to mean "easy."

And the Masters?

It used to be known for Jack Nicklaus shooting 30 on the back nine to win at age 46. For Tiger Woods shooting 40 on his first nine and still winning by a record 12 shots.

Former U.S. Open champion and CBS analyst Ken Venturi takes credit for coining the phrase, "The Masters doesn't start until the back nine on Sunday." And he wasn't talking about closing with pars.

"You play the back nine, and it was fun," Venturi said. "Those holes with the length now, the Masters is completely different."

Over the last five years, the Masters has the highest average winning score of the majors at 281.2.

That's still nearly 7 shots under par, but par is relative. The U.S. Open has been turning par 72 into par 70s for a half-century because of its fascination with protecting par, enhancing its image as golf's toughest test. They still award trophies based on the lowest score, not relation to par.

And maybe the U.S. Open still is the toughest test, depending on the definition of tough.

"This is the most complete test of golf because it tests all areas of your game," Phil Mickelson said Tuesday about the Masters. "The U.S. Open is just brutal. It's not as complete a game. It doesn't test all areas of your game. But it's a very penalizing test."