alte orwtgttn atold SPORTFS ONDAY Sports desk: 763-2459 sportsdesk@umich.edu SECTION B s : s~s a s : t ' E Baby Transfer Brinton shows progress in the pocket steps AP PHOTO Tiger Woods rejoices after winning his second consecutive Masters. Woods *repeats at Augusta AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) - Tiger Woods' march toward Masters histo- ry could not be stopped by the best golfers in the world nor a tougher Augusta National course. Woods made short work of the tournament's redesigned course yes- terday, and had an even easier time against a collection of top-ranked players who s scrambled for the side- lines. He became only the third player to win back- to-back Masters. An early burst of birdies gave him control, and Woods never let anyone loser than two strokes the rest of the way. He closed with a 2-under 70 to claim a three-stroke victory over U.S. Open champion Retief Goosen. Despite all the course changes, the scene was familiar: Woods walking up the 18th fairway in a victory parade, tugging on his cap to acknowledge the applause. He finished at 276 and won a green jacket for the'third time in just five years. He became the first player to repeat as Masters champi- on since Nick Faldo did it in 1990. Jack Nicklaus was the only other, in 1965-66, and Woods' victory put him halfway to Nicklaus' mark of See MASTERS, Page 813 The fight for second Since Tiger Woods won the Mas- ters (again), you probably didn't pay attention to who finished sec- ond, right? Never fear - here's the leaderboard. 1. Tiger Woods -12y 2. Retief Goosen -9 3. Phil Mickelson -8 4. Jose Maria Olazabal -7 5. Ernie Els -6 Padraig Harrington 7. Vijay Singh -5 8. Sergio Garcia -4 9. Adam Scott -3 Angel Cabrera Miguel Angel Jimenez By J. Brady McCollough Daily Sports Writer When spring practice began just three weeks ago, Michigan's quarterbacks had nowhere to go but up. The incumbent, junior John Navarre, struggled at the end of last season, throwing nine intercep- tions in his last five games. Meanwhile, sopho- more Jermaine Gonzales is remembered mostly for the snap that flew over his head in Michigan's 26-20 loss to Ohio State. And finally, when he was inserted into the opener against Miami, junior Spencer Brinton overthrew a screen pass - his only attempt of the season. "(The coaches) would say, 'You guys are horri- ble right now,' " said Brinton of the beginning of spring practice. "But we've gone from the ground to a little bit of horrible. We just need to keep get- ting better." Brinton took the first step in that direction in the annual spring game at Michigan Stadium on Saturday. The junior transfer from San Diego State, who was on a Mormon mission for two years prior coming to Michigan, connected on 11- of-18 passes for 126 yards and one touchdown and got in a rhythm as the game progressed. "You have 15 practices, and then it all comes together, and the cobwebs start to get out," Brinton said. "I'm starting to understand the offense and what we're trying to do with the ball." Round one Given how inconsistent Michigan's quarter- backing was last season, everyone in the program had to be looking for signs of hope from the spring game. The verdict? Mixed, at best. "He needed this winter and this spring to really get his feet on the ground and learn the system," offensive coordinator Terry Malone said. "Two years out of the country not touching a football - that'll put some rust on you." The highlight of Brinton's day came when he dumped the ball to tailback B. J. Askew for a 31- yard pickup - the longest gain of the day for a sluggish Michigan offense. Later, after leading the Wolverines into the red zone, he fired a pass to tight end Bennie Joppru for the score. "I'm starting to understand the mental part (of being a quarterback)," Brinton said. "Before about two months ago, I couldn't tell defenses from defenses. I didn't have a clue what was going on. I've been taught a lot from (new quarterbacks coach Scot Loeffler about) understanding defens- es and blitzes." Loeffler was impressed with the lefthander, but both he and Brinton. are not letting the quarter- back's success Saturday overshadow the fact that there is a lot he needs to improve upon before Michigan opens the season against Washington. "I made a lot of reads that I shouldn't have," Brinton said. "I broke a lot of progression rules. I need to get those things out of my system." Gonzales returned to quarterback after a stint at wide receiver, played well in limited action Satur- day. The sophomore hit on 8-of-10 tosses for 85 yards and two touchdowns. Gonzales said that playing wide receiver helped him when he came back to be a signal-caller. "Knowing (how to run) routes and knowing what to do in certain situations from the receivers point of view really helped me out," Gonzales said. While Brinton and Gonzales advanced to the "little bit of horrible" stage of development, Navarre stayed close to the "ground" for most of Saturday's game. The junior was 6-of-18 for 63 yards on the day and was victimized by several batted-down passes at the line of scrimmage. "(The batted balls are) a combination of a lot of things," Navarre said. "They're shorter routes, and UANNY M IVULUQR'Jfl/UOI1y Michigan quarterback Spencer Brinton played well Saturday, completing 11-of-18 passes for 126 yards and one touchdown. The junior transfer is competing with John Navarre for the starting position. the defensive line is tremendous." Loeffler and Malone are planning to look at tape to see if Navarre's low release point is what is hampering him. But the bigger issue may be his confidence after the bad ending to last season. "(Navarre's) had a fresh start," Malone said. "He's got a new coach and a new coordinator. He's the incumbent. He needs to be confident, and we need to make sure that he's confident." Michigan head coach Lloyd Carr has deemed his quarterback situation a "competition," not a controversy. Brinton and Navarre are both trying not to worry about anything except their own indi- vidual performances. "Before (my mission), I'd watch and see how the other quarterbacks would play," Brinton said. "(I would be like), 'Oh, he had a good pass' or 'he did really bad,' and I'd let how (my competition) played affect myself. "(Getting the job) is going to depend on me - how much time I put into it, taking what I learn in the film room out to the field." John Navarre Jermaine Gonzales Spencer Brinton 6-for-18, 63 yards 8-for-10, 85 yards 11-for-18, 126 yards ----------- i Bellamy unsatisfied with last season, ready to take next spot in cycle' By Joe Smith Daily Sports Editor Don't tell Ronald Bellamy that this year's Michigan receiving corps lacks a go-to guy. Unless you want to get burned. "When an article in the student newspaper claims that the receiving core is weak just because Marquise (Walker) is gone, that lights a little fire inside you," Bellamy said. The senior wideout, who's coming off an admittedly dis- appointing season, is primed and ready to "take over" and make up for Walker's grad- uation. "Last year was horrible for me," said Bellamy, who had just 14 catches for 252, yards and two touchdowns last season. "I couldn't get DANNY MOLOSHOK/Daily, healthy at all last year. Michigan receiver "Now it's time for me Ron Beliamy to step up, and I have to take over. I'm going to do any- thing to take over and help Wthis team win." Walker exploded last season, racking up more than is fair share of the slack after David Ter- rell went pro by grabbing a career- high 86 catches for 1,143 yards. Walker also made the big plays, whether it was on offense or special teams, and scored 11 of Michigan's 19 receiving touchdowns. This year, Bellamy says it's his turn. "It's a cycle," said Bellamy, whose career numbers are 21 catches for 358 yards and four touchdowns. "Marquise stepped h up when Dave (Terrell) left, and now I have to do it since Marquise is gone. It's the cycle, and I'm ready for it." Bellamy said he's bigger, stronger and faster than he was last season, and ready to flourish in a "receiver-friendly" offense installed by new offensive coordinator Terry Malone. Utilizing crossing routes - which are the bread and butter of the new offensive scheme - Bellamy led all Michigan receivers Saturday at the spring game with four catches for 54 yards. "Ron Bellamy is going to be the leader of our group because he's got the most experi- ence," Michigan receivers coach Erik Camp- bell said. "These guys have to do it by committee, chip in together to carry the load." Bellamy won't have to do it alone, since Michigan's receiving group should have some depth. This was evidenced by the performance play of a few underclassmen. Sophomore Braylon Edwards was quick, elusive and hard to take down on Saturday, catching two passes for 20 yards. Redshirt freshman Tim Massaquoi used his 6-foot-4, 220 pound frame to add another dimension to Michigan's offense on Saturday. He made two catches, with his last one a 21-yard touchdown pass from Jermaine Gonzales. Massaquoi snagged a short pass over the middle and then beat several members of the Michigan secondary to the sideline and in for the score. "I was relieved to get (to the end zone)," said a smiling Massaquoi. "It was my first time being there, so I'll try and get back there again." His redshirt year "helped me get stronger and know the offense better, and just concen- trate on catching the ball and getting adjusted to the quarterbacks." Along with other veterans such as Calvin Bell - who was a not-so-close second to Walker last season with 21 catches for 236 yards - and Tyrece Butler, the Wolverines feel they have a solid and deep class. "We got a good solid crew," Michigan quar- terback John Navarre said. "We don't have a superstar like we had in Marquise, but I think they're all superstars in their own right." -. Split decision: 'M' recovers from offensive shutdowns Blue unable to fend off late Illinois charge By Bob Hunt Daily Sports Writer For 11 innings yesterday, Michigan was won- dering if it would ever start hitting Andrea Kirch- berg. But then the combination of Melinda Moulden and Lisa Mack came to the rescue. The duo that drove in 12 runs total in two games against Central Michigan on Wednesday hit a pair of doubles in the fifth to start a rally that would propel Michigan to a 4-0 win in the nightcap of yesterday's doubleheader against Wisconsin. The Wolverines fell 2-0 in the opener, but swept Minnesota 11-1 and 5-3 on Friday and Saturday, respectively, to go 3-1 on the weekend. Michigan (8-2 Big Ten, 31-8 overall) went into yesterday's doubleheader alone in first place in the Big Ten after Iowa split a two-game series with Ohio State. But after their split the Wolver- ines stand tied for the conference lead with Iowa - with Ohio State right behind them at 9-3. "This was a big weekend," Michigan coach Carol Hutchins said. "I told the kids we would A~k-'l- &. U A U , _ _.r Un "x to h '_1 We ..a- With the nightcap scoreless, Moulden led off the fifth with a double off the wall in center field before Jessica Merchant bunted to move her to third in hopes of justgetting Michigan on the scoreboard. Mack hit a pop fly that. fell in the gap in right center for a double to score Moulden. Then Mary Conner, who came into the day batting .136, bunted to Kirchberg, who threw the ball away into right field, allowing Mack to score. The Wolverines never looked back. The rally in the fifth inning was the first time Michigan had scored off Kirchberg after she had thrown more than 150 pitches. After Marissa Young (17-6) gave up a two-run homer over the left-field fence to Kristin Zacher in the third inning of the first game, the Wolver- ines thought they would come back just like they did against the Gophers on Saturday. But Kirch- berg gave up just four hits and struck out five in the opener. She had given up just two singles through four innings in the nightcap before giv- ing up the double to Moulden. "T i 1i t them hit me" Virchherg gsaid "And By Charles Paradis Daily Sports Writer Yogi Berra once said, "It ain't over 'til it's over." Yesterday, the Michigan baseball team learned how right the Hall of Fame catcher was, when it fell to Illi- nois 12-11. Just when it looked like the Wolverines (6-6 Big Ten, 11-18 overall) were in control of the game, everything came crashing down. With a 10-5 lead over the Fighting Illini (5-7, 18-9), Michigan gave up/ seven runs in the eighth inning. / "We just didn't make some good pitches, (we) put some guys on and just didn't make the plays," interim coach Chris Harrison said. To start the bottom of the eighth, Tim Leveque came in to relieve start- ing pitcher Jeff Trzos. Leveque walked the first batter he faced to start the inning that would ultimately After a bunt and then a successful double play, Illinois had two outs and a runner on third. The situation looked grim for the trailing Illini, but that's when the floodgates opened. Illinois jumped all over Leveque. The Illini tore him up to the tune of six earned runs in a matter of minutes. The five-run lead the Wolverines enjoyed at the beginning of the inning quickly changed into a one-run deficit. This was enough for the Michigan coaching staff, which sent in Chad Garson to relieve the struggling Lev- eque. Garson gave up one unearned run before getting out of the inning. But the damage was done, as the Wolverines now trailed by two runs heading into the top of the ninth. With Brandon Jominy and Brock Koman in scoring position and one out in the top of the ninth, Mike Sokol stepped in to pinch hit for right DANNY MOLOSHOi i I