The men in green stood together, a defiant show of support for Augusta National Golf Club and its steadfast belief that only men should wear those coveted jackets.

　　With Tiger Woods set to pursue an unprecedented third straight Masters title, Augusta National got another chance to make its case forshavingsan all-male club.

　　With the spotlight on Hootie Johnson, the club chairman used his annual state-of-the-Masters address to make a no-apologies statement about the exclusive membership policy.

　　"Men like to get together with men every now and then, and women like to get together with women every now and then," the 72-year-old Johnson said on Wednesday. "That's a simple fact of life in America."

　　Martha Burk wants to change that part of American life, at least at Augusta National, though a federal appeals court turned down her request to protest Saturday outside the front gate.

　　Burk and her supporters will be relegated to a grassy field about a half-mile from the main entrance to Mag-nolia Lane - unless she defies local authorities.

　　Johnson said his club isn't breaking any laws: It is simply a private club that has the final say on who gets in - and who stays out.

　　To dramatize the club's position, more than 60 green-jacketed men - about 20 percent of the member-ship - flanked the chairman during a news conference dominated by questions about membership policy.

　　"If I drop dead this second, our position will not change on this issue," Johnson said. "It's not my issue alone."

　　And anyone who thought Augusta National might cave in to pressure and allow a woman to wear a green jacket was met - again - by utter defiance.

　　"There may well come a time when we include women as members of our club," Johnson said. "How-ever, I want to emphasize that we have no timetable, and our membership is very comfortable with our present status."

　　Players have been draggedsintosthe debate, too. Instead of being asked about the slick, contoured greens and the tricky 12th hole planted behind Rae's Creek, they are grilled on whether women should belong to the club.

　　Woods would like to see Augusta National admit women members, although the world's No 1 player con-cedes he has no influence on club matters.

　　Johnson could not have agreed more. "I won't tell Tiger how to play golf if he doesn't tell us how to run our private club," Johnson said.

　　Woods certainly doesn't need any lessons. Already the most dominant player in golf, Woods looks better than ever after taking two months off for surgery on his knee.He can movesintosunchar-ted territory: three straight Masters victories. Only Jack Nicklaus (1965-66) and Nick Faldo (1989-90) have won two in a row.

　　He has played five tourna-ments in the last two months and won three times, includ-ing at Bay Hill.

　　The club already has said players won't be able to lift, clean and place their balls in the fairway. Mud on the ball makes it difficult to controlswheresit's going, and control is everything at Augusta.

　　"Let's face it," said Ernie Els, a four-time winner this year and expected to be one of the top contenders. "Tiger's going to be there."