Big Four Kept Apart in Masters Draw

In time-honoured fashion, the curmudgeonly men in green jackets who run the Masters resisted all temptation to pander to the public - and media - appetite for instant gratification in deciding the draw for this year's tournament.

With the entire golfing world awaiting a showdown between the so-called big four, the groupings for tomorrow's first round, as well as Friday's second, were issued yesterday and were most notable for keeping apart Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Ernie Els and Vijay Singh.

Instead, Woods has been paired with Darren Clarke and Paraguay's Carlos Franco; Els with David Toms and Adam Scott; Singh with Lee Westwood and Chad Campbell; and Mickelson with Stuart Appleby and the US amateur champion Ryan Moore.

The British amateur champion Stuart Wilson will play alongside Tom Watson and Jim Furyk - an exciting diversion, no doubt, from his regular job as a golf club salesman.

The honour of being the first European on the course tomorrow falls to David Howell, who will tee off at 8.05am local time alongside the American Jonathan Kaye. They will be followed by a group which includes Europe's Ryder Cup captain Ian Woosnam.

Sandy Lyle will also have been heartened by a draw which sees him return from Augusta's land of the living dead. Last year the 1988 champion was sufficiently insulted by being drawn alongside two ageing former champions that he made the cut. This year he has a more respectable grouping with Ryan Palmer of the US and Australia's Robert Allenby.

Another eye-catching group includes the former Open champion David Duval and Paul Casey, currently in the doghouse on this side of the Atlantic for his remarks about "properly hating" the US Ryder Cup team. Luke Donald, whom many consider Europe's best chance of winning a major since 1999, has been drawn alongside Charles Howell and Davis Love.