Faldo’s Master Plan Is a Far Grander One : Golf: Three in a row at Augusta would be a steppingstone to four majors in one year.

AUGUSTA, Ga. — If the pressure of trying to become the first player to win three consecutive Masters championships is weighing on Nick Faldo, the British golfer doesn’t show it.

Faldo, generally acknowledged to be the world’s best player because of his success in recent major championships, was seemingly relaxed and in good spirits Wednesday.

When asked the obvious question about the pressure of repeating at Augusta National in the prestigious tournament that starts today, Faldo said: “I’m taking the same approach. I’m not thinking of defending, or repeating. It’s (just) important to play the Masters this year.”

Jack Nicklaus is the only other player to win consecutive Masters. However, after winning in 1965 and ‘66, he failed to make the cut in ’67.

Moreover, no golfer has won any one of the major tournaments--the Masters, U.S. Open, British Open and PGA Championship--in three consecutive years since Peter Thomson took the British Open in 1954-56.

Faldo, 33, apparently at the peak of his career, has a loftier goal than simply winning another Masters.

“The ultimate goal,” he said, “is the Grand Slam.”

Nobody has won all four of these tournaments in the same year. Only Nicklaus, Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan and Gary Player have won all four in a career.

But Faldo believes it can be done. “In theory, nothing is impossible, is it?” he said. “You must do everything right: Play 16 wonderful rounds of golf.”

Faldo made a significant run at the Grand Slam last year. He won the Masters in a playoff over Raymond Floyd, missed making a playoff at the U.S. Open when a birdie putt on the last hole lipped the cup, then won the British Open for the second time.

He wasn’t in contention in the PGA after shooting an 80 in the third round and finished in a tie for 19th place.

Foreign players have won the Masters four of the past six years. When asked who would be his most formidable opposition this week, Faldo named Wales’ Ian Woosnam, Spain’s Jose Maria Olazabal, Tom Watson, Curtis Strange and Australia’s Steve Elkington, who won the recent Players Championship.

Faldo made his assessment off the cuff, adding that someone else could pull a surprise. However, course knowledge is vital, especially on Augusta’s slick, undulating greens.

Only two players, Sarazen in 1935 and Fuzzy Zoeller in 1979, have won the Masters in their first appearance. Of course, that doesn’t include Horton Smith, who won the inaugural tournament in 1934.

In keeping with Masters tradition, Faldo, the defending champion, will be paired with Phil Mickelson, the 1990 U.S. Amateur champion.

Asked what he knows about Mickelson, a left-handed player who competes for Arizona State, Faldo said, with dry humor: “Not a lot. I know I’ve got to stand on the other side of the tee.”

Mickelson won the Tucson Open in January, becoming the first amateur to win a PGA Tour event since Scott Verplank won the Western Open in 1985. However, he could be at a disadvantage considering that an amateur has never won the Masters, let alone a left-hander.

Faldo was the subject of a recent article in Sports Illustrated. And although he admits he didn’t read the entire story, he was upset about quotes attributed to him concerning Paul Azinger and Greg Norman.

He was quoted as saying that Azinger had a bad technique and questioning whether Norman’s “loose” swing would stand up under severe pressure.

“I was very disappointed,” Faldo said. “I was sent a fax of the quotes they were going to use and they wanted me to double-check them. I hit the roof. They were sensationalized.

“I got stitched up on a very old trick of the writer saying to you, ‘What do you think of Greg, don’t you think he’s this, or that?’ It was turned all around into what (the writer) said into my quote.”

Faldo, a private, intense player not known for his camaraderie with other golfers on the course, says he will be even more careful in granting future exclusive interviews.

He already takes great care in preparing himself for major championships. And in his two Masters victories, he won in playoffs on the second extra hole, the 11th, beating Scott Hoch in 1989 and Floyd last year.

The 11th green was destroyed last October when Rae’s Creek overflowed during a rainstorm. But it was so skillfully reconstructed that Faldo said the new green is almost an exact copy of the original one.

Faldo is a precise player. In the 1987 British Open, he had 18 pars on the final day to defeat Azinger.

“I try to play a golf course down the middle, on the green and into the hole,” Faldo said. “I don’t have the qualities or mental state to play the way Seve (Ballesteros) plays. If I hit drives the way Seve sometimes hits them. . . . Why, he’s a danger to wildlife.”

Ballesteros, a two-time Masters champion, has been struggling with his game in the past few years. According to Faldo, many European players, in the formative years of their tour, emphasized winning because the prize money was relatively small compared to the U.S. tour.

Of course, the European tour has grown and so have the purses, but the attitude--taking risks instead of playing it safe--is the same, Faldo said.

“You hear it over here all the time: ‘He’s had a great year already--he has won $400,000,’ ” Faldo said. “But he hasn’t won yet. To have a great year, you have to win. It’s as simple as that. We (Europeans) try to beat each other each week.”

So, it’s Faldo against the field, and Nicklaus, who has won a record six Masters (the last in 1986 at 46), says it is conceivable the Briton will win here for the third consecutive time.

“The most difficult Masters to win is the first one,” Nicklaus said. “If you won it twice, you would feel it’s a heck of a lot easier, that you have a leg up on on somebody else.

“In 1966, I didn’t play particularly well, but I still won the tournament here. Faldo could very well be in that same type of position.”

Golf Notes

The field was reduced to 87 players when Payne Stewart withdrew because of a recurring neck injury.

Jack Nicklaus is coming off a victory in the Tradition tournament at Scottsdale, Ariz., a Senior PGA Tour event. He won there last year before the Masters and was in contention in the final round here while being paired with Nick Faldo. However, he faltered on the back nine and shot a 74 to finish in sixth place. “Any time you win, it has to build confidence, even if it’s a senior event,” Nicklaus said of his current status. Asked how surprised he would be to win the Masters at 51, Nicklaus said: “I won’t be surprised if I win. I feel I have a good chance. If I don’t win, I’ll be disappointed. In some other years, I couldn’t say that.”

Nicklaus on amateur Phil Mickelson: “He has terrific imagination around the greens. I think he has a realistic chance (to win).”