On Par: Masters Ratings Slip

 Bill Pennington writes the On Par column and stars in the related video series on nytimes.com. Pennington, who covers a number of sports in addition to golf, joined The New York Times in 1997 from the Bergen Record, where he was a sports columnist. A longtime golfer, Pennington grew up near some of New England’s historic golf courses, but hasn’t been able to get his handicap below 11. A six-time winner of the Associated Press Sports Editor’s writing award, Pennington is a graduate of Boston University. He lives with his wife, Joyce, and three children in Warwick, N.Y.

Larry Dorman, who covered golf for The New York Times from 1993 to 1997, rejoined The Times in 2007 after a decade as vice president at Callaway Golf. Dorman also worked at The Palm Beach Post, the Miami Herald, the Sun-Sentinel and National Sports Daily. He received a B.A. in journalism from Loyola University in New Orleans. He and his wife, Christine, live in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.

Karen Crouse has written about a number of sports, including golf, since she joined The New York Times in 2005. Crouse was raised in California by golf-mad parents who never did forgive her for choosing, despite her Fred Couples-esque swing, to become a competitive swimmer. She graduated with honors from Southern California, where she was a member of the swim team, and covered men's golf for the Daily Trojan. Much to the chagrin of her husband, Roderic Millie, Crouse has eschewed the opportunity to play Augusta National each of the five times she covered the Masters.