Apr2 Masters diary
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The Masters seems to be a tournament full of clichés, and until you experience the event first-hand, you don’t know which ones are true, and which ones are made-up.
Well, having spent a morning here at Augusta National, I reckon most of the things you hear about this incredible place are true. Here are some of my first impressions:
Boy, it’s hilly. You’ve heard Peter Alliss say it a thousand times on TV, but the hills – especially those on the first and 10th – are massive! The green on number nine must be about 40 feet above the fairway, while the green on number 10 must be 60 feet below the tee!
These greens are lightening fast. Here’s an example – I just watched Brit Kenneth Ferrie play into nine. He missed the green by about two feet through the back, but was faced with a downhill chip to a flag about 60 feet away. He landed the ball about two feet on the putting surface… and it ran 15-feet past the flag. And that’s on a practice day!
Some of the holes are truly terrifying. I spent half-an-hour watching groups play the 13th – a 510-yard par-5. It calls for a big draw off the tee, to a fairway that slopes to the left. If you want to go for it in two – as most players will this week – they’re hitting a long iron into a tiny, tiny green with water in front of it. It’s scary enough on Monday morning – let alone if you have a one shot lead on Sunday afternoon!
The crowd is fantastic. I’ve stood behind numerous patrons this morning who have Masters badges on their hats going back to the 1960s! The crowd seem to give the Masters a unique atmosphere – it’s like a giant country club, where everyone is an invited member (which I suppose they are, because if you’re names not on the patrons’ list you won’t get a ticket).
The condition of the course is like nothing you’ve ever seen before. Again, it sounds like another cliché, but the fairways here are probably the greenest I’ve ever seen. Even the walkways are in better condition that most UK fairways.
I’m not surprised they needed to build a giant catch-net at the end of the driving range – JJ Henry was almost hitting it with his three-wood this afternoon!
