It might be eight years since a European won any major, but there is another group of players who are fighting even more against history at Augusta this coming week.

This will be the 71st staging of the Masters, but the list of champions includes not one Australian.

The seven attempting to break the duck this time are a pretty impressive bunch - reigning US Open champion Geoff Ogilvy, world number five Adam Scott, Robert Allenby, Stuart Appleby, Nick O’Hern, Rod Pampling and Aaron Baddeley.

Ogilvy points to the impact of compatriot Greg Norman, a nearly man in Augusta in his own playing days, for the current depth of Australian talent, one of whom he hopes will come out on top next Sunday.

“We had the best and most notable player in the world (Norman) and he made a lot of kids pick up golf 20 years ago,” says the 29-year-old from Adelaide.

“I mean, he was Tiger Woods before Tiger Woods came along. He was the big gallery draw and had that aura whenever he went anywhere.

“We all wanted to be Greg Norman. He made golf cool in Australia - before him it wasn’t.

“He had success and then Finchy (Ian Baker-Finch) came along and had success and (Steve) Elkington won a major.

“Winning promotes winning. You play against a guy in Australia and you beat him and then he goes to the US Tour and wins a tournament you think ‘if he can do it, I can do that’ and it snowballs.

“Sport is just life in Australia. All of Australia is happy when the cricket team is winning and the football is going well and the golfers are doing well.

“It’s just part of the culture. The government puts money is and the coaching is great. No stone is left unturned and it’s showing.

“We’ve got 20-something guys on the (US) Tour and it seems to be growing every year. When you see one win you might see another in the next few weeks just because they’re jealous.”

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Hole 16 at Augusta National

Hole-by-hole guide to Augusta National, with how the course played in last year’s Masters (key to rank: 1=hardest, 18=easiest) and what Phil Mickelson scored to win:

1st (Tea Olive), 455 yards, par 4: no easy starter. The tee was moved back 15-20 yards last year and more trees added down the left. The bunker on the right is now a 327-yard carry. Avoid long or left when playing to the testing green.

2006 average: 4.24 (rank 4). Mickelson: 5-4-3-4

2nd (Pink Dogwood), 575 yards, par 5: big-hitters come into their own here, but long or left are bad again. Nick Faldo once holed a 100-foot eagle putt on this treacherous green.

2006 average: 4.83 (rank 15). Mickelson: 4-4-4-5

3rd (Flowering Peach), 350 yards, par 4: shortest par four on the course and a real teaser. Ask Woods - a double bogey in 2003 put him out of the hunt. The pear-shaped green with steep slope in front allows for some wicked pin placings.

2006 average: 4.00 (rank 14). Mickelson: 4-4-3-4

4th (Flowering Crab Apple), 240 yards, par 3: Unchanged since 1964 the back tee - not always used - went back 30-35 yards last year. the green, guarded by sand, slopes from back to front. Jeff Sluman achieved the only hole-in-one here in 1992.

2006 average: 3.20 (rank 7). Mickelson: 3-3-4-3

5th (Magnolia), 455 yards, par 4: Jack Nicklaus twice holed his second shot in 1995. The fairway bunkers down the left have been enlarged, making it more of a dogleg. It is a 315-yard carry over them. Another devilishly difficult green.

2006 average: 4.22 (rank 5). Mickelson: 4-5-5-4

6th (Juniper), 180 yards, par 3: From an elevated tee down to a vast green with a huge slope in it. Jose Maria Olazabal took seven in 1991 and lost by one to Ian Woosnam. Chris DiMarco achieved the fourth hole-in-one here three years ago.

2006 average: 3.12 (rank 12). Mickelson: 3-3-3-3

7th (Pampas), 450 yards, par 4: What used to be a real birdie chance had a further 35-40 yards added last year and the green was re-shaped to allow for a new rear right pin position. Trees were also planted left and right.

2006 average: 4.21 (rank 6). Mickelson: 4-4-4-3

8th (Yellow Jasmine), 570 yards, par 5: The right bunker, about 300 yards out, pushes players left and from there it is harder to make the green in two up the steep hill. Bruce Devlin scored an albatross two in 1967.

2006 average: 4.77 (rank 16). Mickelson: 4-4-4-4

9th (Carolina Cherry), 460 yards, par 4: The tee was pushed back 30 yards in 2002, leaving a longer approach to a raised green which tilts sharply from the back. Anything rolling off the front can continue down for 50-60 yards.

2006 average: 4.17 (rank 9). Mickelson: 4-4-4-4

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Augusta National has become an abomination. Here’s to hoping Billy Payne can begin to right Hootie’s wrongs.

Golf Digest has a number of Ariel Photo’s of Augusta Including this one -

Source - www.thesandtrap.com