By Bob Harig
 Special to ESPN.com
 Saturday, April 7
AUGUSTA, Ga. -- He was older than Tiger Woods is now, a rising star in the game who figured there would be more chances. A green jacket was practically stolen off his back, and Mark Calcavecchia had to believe he'd be knocking on the door to the champion's locker room again.

 Mark Calcavecchia
Mark Calcavecchia's only major championship came 12 years ago at the British Open.
It didn't exactly work out that way. Calcavecchia never again finished in the top five at The Masters, never even posted a top-10 after coming so close in 1988, losing by a single stroke to Sandy Lyle.

So here he is 13 years later, a 40-year-old veteran who did capture the 1989 British Open but never captured much Masters glory until now.

Calcavecchia's 68 at Augusta National on Saturday put him just two shots back of his good buddy Woods. He is tied for third with fellow Florida alum Chris DiMarco, with Phil Mickelson also ahead of them.

"It feels good, because I am 40, and although I do have a lot of good golf left in me, assuming my body doesn't completely fall apart, I wanted to have a shot to win another major championship," Calcavecchia said. "We've got to beat him (Woods) by two or three to win the tournament, and that's very doable. Tiger is a human being just like the rest of us and he's going to be out there nervous, also.

"However, he is the best player in the world,and he has that going for him. Which is nice."

Calcavecchia admits to being a little different, which is why he believes Woods is drawn to him. They frequently play practice rounds together and share a teacher in Butch Harmon.

That familiarity also has a way of diminishing Woods' aura.

"Tiger doesn't make me nervous, himself or his presence or anything else," Calcavecchia said.

If it weren't for a final-hole birdie by Mickelson, it would be Calcavecchia and Woods in the final group.

"I did not want to have what happened to me at Bay Hill happen again, where he knew what he had to do with a couple of holes left and ultimately came through with a birdie," said Mickelson, referring to the Orlando event three weeks ago where Woods birdied the final hole to edge Mickelson by a shot.

"I wanted to be playing with him, and know where we stand. Not only that, know where the rest of the field stands, because there's a lot of guys who potentially could win this golf tournament."

Indeed, there are 14 players within six shots of the lead, including second-round leader DiMarco (72) and Calcavecchia (68), who are at 206; two-time U.S. Open champion Ernie Els (68), David Duval (70) and Angel Cabrera (70), who are three shots back at 207; and Rocco Mediate (66) and Kirk Triplett (7), who are four back at 208.

Woods was just 12 years old in 1988 when Calcavecchia posted a total of 6-under 282 and retired to the clubhouse where he saw Lyle's 18th-hole tee shot come to rest in the gaping fairway bunker. Calcavecchia was about to head to the driving range, thinking playoff.

"Just as I was walking out the door, I caught a glimpse of the TV, and I saw that his lie wasn't all that bad," Calcavecchia said. "The moment (the ball) left his club, I saw the look in his eye. I knew he had just hit a career shot."

Lyle's 7-iron from 160 yards was hit clean, and settled some 10 feet from the cup, setting up a winning birdie putt. By draining it, Lyle became the first and only player to birdie the last hole from that bunker and win The Masters.

"I didn't know that. Thanks for reminding me," Calcavecchia joked.

Now he's 13 years older and wiser. He followed an opening-round 72 with scores of 66 and 68. He's using the claw putting grip to his advantage, as the world learned earlier this year when he set the PGA Tour scoring record of 256 in winning the Phoenix Open.

Calcavecchia shot a back-nine 29 but finished well out of contention in 1992, but didn't make the field last year, the product of poor play and personal problems. He is going through a divorce from his wife, Sheryl, but is obviously headed in the right direction now.

"I'm just using my head, and missing it in the right spots," he said.

It won't be easy with a jam-packed leaderboard that includes the top three-ranked players in the world (Woods, Mickelson and Els, not to mention Duval.

But he's overcome a case of the yips to get in this position, and has played enough golf against the best in the world to know what it's like.

"I know I'm going to have to play a great round, but I do have the chance to do that," Calcavecchia said. "The confidence that I have in my putting and my swing right now ... I get confidence in a hurry. So I have the capability to shoot a good score."

Bob Harig, who covers golf for the St. Petersburg Times, writes a column every Tuesday for ESPN.com.




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