Former teammates together at Augusta

When they were in college at BYU together 15 years ago, Mike Weir and Dean Wilson might have dreamed of playing in the Masters together, but it wasn't a very realistic goal, considering how difficult it is to get into the Masters Tournament, let alone onto the PGA Tour.

Yet the two are among the 97 golfers who will be playing this week at Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Ga.

Weir, who still has a home in Draper, has been playing in the Masters regularly since 2000 and thanks to his 2003 victory has the right to play in the tournament for the rest of his life. However, this year he'll be joined by Wilson, his former teammate and good friend. The two played a practice round together on Tuesday.

Wilson qualified for his first Masters by finishing 22nd on last year's money list with $2.5 million in earnings.

"I'm excited to play there for the first time," Wilson said.

"It should be a lot of fun."

Wilson, a native of Hawaii who now lives in Las Vegas, tees off in the fourth group of the day today at 6:33 a.m. MDT with former champion Sandy Lyle and Bradley Dredge.

Weir, who tied for 11th last year, tees off at 10:23 with K.J. Choi and Henrik Stenson.

"There aren't many weeks on my calendar that I look forward to more than Masters week," said Weir on his Web site. "It's a very special time of the year for me, and this edition is no exception. I'm heading to Augusta with a lot of anticipation for the tournament and for my game. Although my scores lately haven't shown it, I'm feeling very good about the state of my game right now."

Weir has only played in six tournaments this year, making the cut in five and earning just under $200,000. He plans to play more this spring and summer after the Masters and try to qualify for the President's Cup.

Wilson won his first PGA Tour event last summer at The International in Colorado. However, he won't be able to defend his title because the tournament was dropped from the PGA Tour schedule at the start of this year. So far this season he has won $417,634 in 10 tournaments.

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The Masters on the air

When: Today through Sunday

Where: Augusta National Golf Club, Augusta, Ga.

On TV today: GOLF, 10 a.m./5 p.m.

USA, 2 p.m./9 p.m.

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E-mail: sor@desnews.com