April 6, 2001

By EDDIE PELLS
AP Sports Writer

AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) - They pressed against the ropes, wearing Masters hats of all different colors, each with the name "Driscoll" specially embroidered in yellow on the back.

This roving crew of 30, maybe 40, friends, siblings, cousins and parents of 23-year-old amateur James Driscoll - the James Gang, if you will - got a much better show than they expected Thursday.

Helped by a chip-in for birdie from the bunker on No. 16, Driscoll shot 4-under-par 68 to post the lowest first-round score by an amateur at the Masters since 1983. That put the U.S. Amateur runner-up squarely on the leaderboard, three strokes behind leader Chris DiMarco.

"It's the best round I've ever seen an amateur play here," said Driscoll's playing partner, Tom Watson, who has seen plenty.

With his great round, Driscoll quickly found himself in the company of Sergio Garcia, Tiger Woods and Matt Kuchar, all of whom have made their mark at Augusta as amateurs in the past decade.

But none of them have taken the place by quite as much surprise as this former University of Virginia star, who played a lot of soccer, hockey and baseball as a kid, and didn't really start paying attention to the Masters until about 10 years ago.

Even the family was surprised.

"It was some of the most unbelievable golf I've seen him play," said Driscoll's brother, Paul, one of seven kids in the Driscoll family.

The chip on 16 brought a jokingly nonchalant "Ho, hum," from Watson as the two waited on the next tee box, Driscoll had done so much over the previous three hours that Watson could have hardly been surprised anymore.

Driscoll saved par on No. 12, the heart of Amen Corner, with a 10-foot putt. He made a 5 footer on No. 18 to save another par and keep his wonderful round in tact.

Before that, he birdied No. 9 by rolling a 25-footer downhill - the cup collecting the ball and stopping it from sliding all the way down the deeply contoured green. Earlier, there was a slippery 25-foot putt from the back fringe on No. 4 for birdie that sent caddie Marion Herrington jumping for joy.

Last week, Driscoll hired Herrington, a local looper, after learning he had carried for past champion Seve Ballesteros in the 1970s and 1980s.

"When I heard that, I was pretty much certain I was going to pick him up," Driscoll said.

Going with a local guy is supposed to save youngsters like Driscoll strokes. Still, there remains a question as to exactly who is getting the better of this deal.

"Each day I caddie for him, he inspires me more and more," Herrington said. "I watch him and I'm like, `This kid's got game."'

He showed it most of all on the greens, needing just 23 putts to get through his round, which matched the first-round score posted by James Hallett in 1983.

Driscoll was the only amateur to break par.

Greg Puga, the L.A. caddie who won the U.S. Mid-Amateur to make the Masters, shot 76, U.S. Amateur Public Links champ D.J. Trahan shot 78, Paired with Tiger Woods, British Amateur champion Mikko Ilonen shot 72, Jeff Quinney, the Arizona State player who beat Driscoll in a 39-hole final at the U.S. Amateur, shot 80.

Like many amateurs, Driscoll has been staying at "The Crow's Nest," the small dorm-like apartment situated above the clubhouse at Augusta National. On the night of the champion's dinner, he left to see his family. He moved downstairs quietly, hoping to stay out of the way of the luminaries in the dining room.

"As I turned the corner, Seve was walking right out," Driscoll said, relaying his embarrassment. "I was like, `Oh, sorry."'

The surprises were just beginning.

One day, he walked out to practice and saw his name on the starter's board next to Arnold Palmer's. The next day, it was a trip around the hallowed grounds with Jack Nicklaus.

Maybe that's why a round with Watson didn't jar him as much as he thought it might.

"I was a little nervous, but I wasn't nearly as nervous as I thought I would be," he said. "I've been pretty calm in the practice rounds and I thought all of a sudden Thursday morning, I was just going to be shaking."

Then again, maybe the real pressure comes from performing in front of scores of family members who spent their time and money to come down for the week - maybe the weekend, too - to watch Driscoll play.

"It can help or hurt, because if you are playing badly, you feel bad," he said. "But if you're playing well, there's nothing better."

Surely, the James Gang would agree.