After the pressure-packed atmosphere of the Masters, this week's Verizon Heritage at Harbour Town offers US PGA Tour golfers a more relaxed challenge.
"It's like the anti-Augusta," said reigning British Open champion Stewart Cink, who is among the players in this week's field who competed at the Masters last week.
They won't have to contend with the lightning-paced greens of Augusta National, nor with the hype over the return of Tiger Woods after a five-month absence.
Cink, who won the Heritage in 2000 and 2004, said Woods' return in the wake of a sex scandal was a hot topic among players at Augusta. But once the tournament was under way, he said, the Masters unfolded much as always.
"I was expecting a raucous environment because everyone was going to be shuffling around," he said. But "it didn't feel any different to me. The crowds were very respectful and it seemed like the Masters as usual."
As has often been the case in the past, that wasn't especially good news for Cink.
He missed the cut at Augusta for the second straight year. He has finished in the top 10 at the Masters only twice in 13 appearances.
He said the fact that the Heritage seems like a chance to catch his breath may have contributed to his success here.
"When you gear up and play a major like Augusta or any of the big tournaments, it makes it a bit more relaxing and easier the next week because your game is already prepared," he said.
Masters winner Phil Mickelson and second- and third-placed finishers Lee Westwood and Anthony Kim are taking the week off.
Matt Kuchar, who played the first two rounds at Augusta in a group with Woods, admitted he was feeling the effects of a fatiguing week.
Kuchar said playing alongside Woods "was not as crazy as I thought".
But he said there were some drawbacks, notably that family members who made the trip to watch him were swallowed by the massive gallery following Woods.
"It was cool to be a part of. Maybe there were some extra highs," Kuchar said. "After some extra highs come a few lows probably."
Brian Gay, the defending champion here, is coming off his first Masters, having missed the cut.
"I think there's a lot to learn there, a lot of experience and course knowledge, guys playing there year after year," he said. "So that was a challenge."
Copyright 2010  AFP Global Edition
