by Billy Foster

This’ll be the first time I’ve caddied for Lee Westwood at the Masters, but, with our combined experience, I’d like to think that we’ll be featuring on the leaderboard come Sunday.

Lee did well there in ’99 and gave himself a chance to win. His mindset is very good, he’s a solid pro and drives the ball superbly. If it’s his week and he hits lots of greens then he has every chance to be in the shake-up again. I caddied for Seve five times at the Masters from 1991 to 1995. In fact, that last one was my last week with him – Augusta is very taxing on the caddie/player relationship!

The first time I set foot at Augusta was on the Saturday before the tournament in 1991 when Seve played a practice round. I remember it took us seven hours because he hit so many approach shots and must have chipped 50 times round every green.

Seve was twice a winner already at the Masters, so I learned so much from him about the best way to play there. That first week he had five practice rounds – Saturday, Sunday, Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday – so I was ready to go home before we’d actually started. I was shattered. Am I looking forward to it? Well, it’d be great to get a first win there, but if I was honest with you, then I’d probably go along with the view of most caddies at Augusta – we look forward to Sunday night when it’s all over for another year.

The Masters is a very tough week. For the player, it’s the ultimate challenge of patience and discipline. For the caddie, it’s a tough walk and mentally exhausting.

Augusta is very tricky as any caddie will tell you. The elevation changes are severe and the wind can move around all over the place. It’s a caddies’ nightmare because there’s such a fine line between a great result and a poor one. Experience is a massive advantage and I reckon for both Lee and me the time is right.

	Hole 1 – Tea Olive The bunker on the right of the fairway has been extended over the years and it’s now 320 yards to get over. The big hitters used to fly it for fun and hit a sand wedge in, but now you’re landing on the upslope with little run, because they cut the grass towards the tee. It can be a 6 or 7-iron or perhaps more into the wind.
	Hole 2 – Pink Dogwood Another hole where it’s very hard to fly the fairway bunker in the way that players used to. It must be 330 yards out there and most of the time you’re looking at short of the sand, leaving a 3-wood into the green.
	Hole 3 – Flowering Peach For most it’s a 3-iron off the tee leaving a wedge in. If the pin’s back right, you might take a driver down into the swale leaving a chip up the green.
	Hole 4 – Flowering Crab Apple Seve used to hit a 5 or 4-iron here, but the hole is longer now and they’re hitting small woods sometimes. It’s a very severe green with a big ridge. It’s hard to stop the ball on the correct tier.
	Hole 5 – Magnolia It’s been lengthened and there are now two big bunkers on the left. If it’s downwind you’ll see guys hit 3-wood because it does narrow in. You’ll be looking to hit it 280 to 300 yards leaving a 7 or 8-iron.
	Hole 6 – Juniper A mid-iron off the tee, it plays eight to 10 yards downhill. Easiest pins are on the left, but they also place two flags in the week on the plateau to the right which is virtually a green within a green.
	Hole 7 – Pampas Always used to be a 2-iron and a sand wedge, now it’s a driver and a 7-iron. The green is designed for a wedge because it’s 12 yards deep on the right and 18 deep in the middle.
	Hole 8 – Yellow Jasmine Again, it’s now very hard to carry the fairway bunker, so you’re going to need two very good hits to get up there. The second shot is about 20 yards uphill. Front right is a good miss, but left leaves a difficult chip because the slopes are severe on that side.
	Hole 9 – Carolina Cherry A good driving hole, quite tight. How far you get down there will dictate how much the second shot is uphill. There’s a plateau off the tee at around the 300-yard mark where it’s an 8-iron, but a big hitter can get to the bottom of the hill where it’s a wedge.
	Hole 10 – Camellia You’ve got to sling it off the tee and if you don’t get it going right-to-left enough it can be at least three clubs’ difference. Not sure why, but the fairway on 10 is often wet, so it’s possible to get mud on the ball.
	Hole 11 – White Dogwood They’ve added a lot of trees on the right making this a lot tighter and the second shot is about 10 yards downhill which represents about a half a club to a club difference.
	Hole 12 – Golden Bell You’re hitting in the region of an 8 or 9-iron and my feeling is to listen to what Jack Nicklaus said: ‘Aim over that front bunker every time for the main reason that if you come up a hair short then you’re in the bunker and not the water.
	Hole 13 – Azalea You used to be able to get away with a 3-wood off the tee, but now, more often than not, it’s a driver. You have to play a 10-yard draw at least, but it’s the second that’s tough as the ball is above your feet.
	Hole 14 – Chinese Fir Got to hit a draw off the tee and then we’re talking an 8-iron or so. You mustn’t be short and it’s 14 yards from the front of the green to the ridge in the middle.
	Hole 15 – Firethorn Another hole that has changed a lot over the years. Left side of the fairway will leave you blocked out by the trees and the second is a good 10 yards downhill. It’s a tough green to hit and the right-hand bunker is a good miss.
	Hole 16 – Redbud It’s two greens within a green. The middle to back right half is a plateau that’s only five yards wide and anything landing on the ridge moves to the left edge.
	Hole 17 – Nandina It used to be a lob wedge or sand wedge in here, but now you’re looking at a 7-iron. Quite a severe green especially to the right hand pins.
	Hole 18 – Holly Lots of length added again. Bunkers are well in play, although it’s 300 yards to reach them. You’ll see some guys play 3-wood off this tee and then a 5 or 6-iron.