Tiger in his element as he stalks history

The Masters: Course that brings the best out of the best is made for Woods in quest for third successive green jacket

If the build-up to the 67th playing of the Masters seems to have been going on forever, that's because it has. From the moment Tiger Woods claimed his third victory, and second in a row, at Augusta National 51 Sundays ago, the scene was set. Could Tiger become the first player ever to win a third consecutive title?

But contemplation of such an historic moment is not the only reason Augusta has been constantly in the news over the past year. In June, Martha Burk, head of the National Council of Women's Organ-isations, wrote to the Augusta chairman, Hootie Johnson, to ask why there were no women members of his club.

Johnson, in an aggressive response, went public with his reply and said the club would not be changing their policies at the "point of a bayonet". Augusta like to think of themselves as a private club that put on a great show for one week a year. Though the latter remains true, the club have had to live in the public spotlight. It is not their style to resolve matters through the media, so the inevitable conclusion has been reached, with Burk ready to protest this week, the main demonstration set for Saturday.

Others have got involved, such as Jesse Jackson's Rainbow/Push coalition. Then came the ominous news that a tiny chapter of the Ku Klux Klan was entering the fray. There is the hope that the matter has been put in perspective by the war in Iraq. "It may be a good cause, but with everything else going on you would think there were more important things," Nick Faldo said. "You hope people are not spending more than five minutes on it."

There will come a time when women get to add the slightly gaudy green jacket to their wardrobe. The question for the moment is whether Ernie Els, Phil Mickelson or Sergio Garcia ever will. Woods, who had to be helped into his jacket by the club chairman last year, appears unwilling to put a jacket on anyone else, as the tradition of the previous champion dressing the new one demands.

Woods, who has joked about parachuting into Augusta each day to avoid the fuss, was not quite his normal flawless self at the Players Championship, and there remain courses like Sawgrass, and Muirfield during last year's Open, where he needs to be at his best to win. But other venues – Bay Hill, where Tiger recently won for the fourth consecutive year, is one – are set up in such a way that not only helps Woods to play his best but also allows him to find a way to win even if he is having an off day. At Bay Hill, and also at Muirfield Village, where he has won the Memorial three times, Woods likes the way the course looks to his eye off the tee. Now, having won at these venues a number of times, he draws strength from winning in different ways, with his "A" game or his "C" game.

He must get the same feelings at Augusta. He is comfortable off the tee, but his biggest asset is his course management. Augusta always was the thinking man's layout, and the lengthening and strengthening of the course in recent years has rekindled that ideal. Given that there is less thinking to be done with a wedge in your hand, the club have tried to return the approach-shot club selections to where they were a decade ago.

With the wet conditions last year, though, it became the preserve of the big hitters. In dry conditions, thinking your way round and getting up-and-down will be key and may mean that the equivalents of Faldo, Langer and Olazabal will still contend. The only change to the course is at the fifth, where the right-to-left dogleg has become more pronounced and the fairway bunkers have been moved forward, making the carry over the corner some 315 yards.

Woods won last year because he avoided the disasters that befell the others, like Els's eight at the 13th and Vijay Singh's nine at the 15th. With three victories, his form and fitness following last winter's knee operation are where he would want them to be. He left Sawgrass certain that a week's practice would leave him tuned up perfectly for Augusta.

Only two other players have ever won back-to-back green jackets. Jack Nicklaus missed the cut in 1967 going for the hat-trick. Back problems were not helped by the vaccinations he got just before the event after coming into contact with children who had mumps. He scored a second round of 79 and "what's wrong with Jack?" was the question everyone was asking. He won the US Open two months later.

Faldo was going for the "three-peat" in 1991 and finished 12th. Faldo said his biggest problem was dealing with the media – or "you lot", as he put it. If Woods could cope in 2001 with the attention of going for his fourth straight Major, he can probably handle anything that the media can throw at him.

What, though, will his fellow competitors provide in terms of competition? Els was in scintillating form until the wrist injury caused by bashing his punch bag. A Tiger-Ernie head-to-head has been anticipated all year, so it must be hoped that the injury will not affect the South African's swing, as it did at Bay Hill.

Davis Love, after his thrilling final- round charge to win the Players, is suddenly the form challenger but, like Els, must prove he can go toe-to-toe with the Tiger. Phil Mickelson has been on paternity leave and only returned this week. Sergio Garcia is undergoing swing changes and Singh has just got over a chest injury. David Duval has disappeared off the radar, and was recently diagnosed with vertigo. It was not caused by being at the top of any leaderboards.

Arnold Palmer is back, despite saying farewell last year, so too is Nicklaus on the 40th anniversary of his first win. The challenge from this side of the water will be led, however, by the persevering Padraig Harrington and the now less- tempestuous Darren Clarke. As Irishmen, they would look good in green.

The next generation of Masters

Charles Howell III

Dresses like Jesper Parnevik; coached by David Leadbetter; like Justin Rose, hits the ball a mile; but, like Adam Scott, suspect on short putts. The 23-year-old grew up in Augusta and was a member of the Augusta Country Club. Finished 29th on debut last year and went on to maiden US Tour win. Lost to Mike Weir in a play-off at the Nissan Open in February. Has said: "I would give anything to wear a green jacket. I would trade all the US Open, British Open and US PGA for the Masters in a heartbeat."

Justin Rose

On his first full stint in the States. A sign of the 22-year-old's expectations is that he was dissatisfied with making the cut in three successive tournaments but not featuring thereafter. Played Augusta for the first time last week with Howell and Scott. "It was amazing," he said. "Looking out from the clubhouse, it surprised me how close the ninth and 18th greens are, and the feeling standing on the 10th about to embark on the back nine was pretty special. I can't wait for next week."

Adam Scott

Introduced himself to America by reaching the semi-finals of the World Matchplay at La Costa, where he took Tiger Woods to the 19th. Similar physique and swing to the world No 1, and lost little in comparison apart from missing a few short putts. The 22-year-old Australian has won three times on the European Tour and was ninth on his debut at Augusta last year. "I drove the ball beautifully and did most things well, but I putted off the green at the 17th on Sunday."