Masters roundup News and notes

Swing change: Ernie Els hated making the phone call. Still, he felt a coaching change was the only way to make some needed improvements in his game. After working with David Leadbetter since 1990, the Big Easy said Tuesday he switched to Butch Harmon as his swing coach because he wanted to “get a different feel, get different words coming toward me.” The timing of the move was somewhat curious, because Els won the Honda Classic just over a month ago. But he decided Harmon could help smooth out some of the rough spots in his swing heading into the first major of the year, the Masters. “He’s obviously had a lot of success with a lot of players, and I love the way he changes people’s games,” Els said after a practice round at Augusta National. “I’ve seen it with Stewart Cink and I’ve seen it with Justin Leonard and a lot of other players. I like the way they swing.” But to sign on with Harmon, Els had to make the difficult step of breaking up with Leadbetter, who helped craft a swing that won two U.S. Opens and a British Open. The news was delivered in an emotional phone call. “David Leadbetter is a very good friend of mine. He’s been a friend of mine for a very long time,” Els said. “Obviously it’s tough breaking up with a guy like Lead, but he’ll be a friend of mine forever.”

A tradition like no other: Phil Mickelson loves to play the Par 3 Contest, feeling the raucous event is a great way to relieve stress on the eve of the real tournament. Tiger Woods? Not such a fan. “It’s changed over the years,” he said. “It used to be, I thought it was a lot of fun to play. But now it is a little bit distracting to get ready and be ready for the tournament.” The Par 3 Contest, which began in 1960, is one of the Masters’ quaint traditions, a fun little competition on Wednesday afternoon that allows players to show off their lighter sides. The younger players bring their kids — nothing’s cuter than seeing a 6-year-old in those white coveralls the caddies wear — and fans love to see the best in the world trying to ace every hole. The kids part is what makes it so appealing to Mickelson, who loves having his three young children tag along. “It’s a great way to relieve some of the stress or pressure you feel heading into a major,” Mickelson said. “Guys really have fun on those nine holes and someone like myself, who has little children who caddie, we as parents look back on those pictures and those memories and sharing that time together.”

Traffic jam: Retief Goosen has only one thing on his mind before he tees off at the Masters: Get to the course on time. Goosen rents a house near Augusta National, but he still gets stuck in traffic that overwhelms this rather sleepy Southern city during Masters week. “I’m about a mile away,” he said, “and it takes you 45 minutes to get here.”

Associated Press