:: April 08
15 April, The Masters
The Masters is such an amazing week. The golf course is obviously very special and a thrill to play every time you step on the tee. Also the atmosphere from the 'patrons' as they're called at Augusta is unique. They are very knowledgeable and next to the Open Championship are the best crowd in golf. You also have the par 3 event which is a nice tradition on the eve of the tournament. It's very relaxed and they encourage family and friends to caddy. This year my good friend Matt Dawson carried the bag and we both had a great time. Another thing that is fun during practice rounds is that players skip the ball over the lake on 16 from the very front edge of the tee. Commonly known as the Barnes Wallace! The crowd really gets into this and cheers if you manage to hit the green.
After all this fun it is time to get down to business! The 1st round once again was very good to me. I've been leader or joint leader after the 1st round the last three years I've played. This year I actually got off to a slow start being 2 over after 5 but then got hot and birdied 6 of the next 8! I shot 68 and tied the lead with Trevor Immelman who played great golf the whole week. From the 2nd round my week went in the opposite direction to his! On Friday I played actually pretty well but scored horribly! I was 2 over with 6 to play and feeling like I could pick up a couple of shots and stay in touch. I three putted the 13th for par and then missed a 6 footer for birdie on 14. On 15 I was in between 3 iron and 5 wood for my second shot and decided to lay up...wish I hadn't now!! I made the cardinal sin and layed up too close to the green and chunked it into the water from 63 yards. What makes this shot so tough is the steep downslope you play off and the fact that they mow the grain of the grass into you which makes it easy for the leading edge of the club to dig in and get stuck in the turf causing you to hit it fat. I ended up making a tournament ruining 8! Shell shocked, I three putted 16 and then ended up making 2 good pars to make the cut with a shot to spare.
I tried to come out on the weekend and bounce back as there was still a lot to play for. But I felt a little frustrated and not as patient as I needed to be and more mistakes followed. I birdied 3 of the last 5 to shoot 73. Sunday the wind picked up and the course really showed its teeth. It played as tough as it did last year. I knew if I played a great round I could pick up some ground, but I found it as tough as everyone else and shot 76. I finished in a tie for 35th. Very disappointing! I went back to the house we rented and watched Trevor win. He looked so focused and earned his win. There has been talk for a while about which one of the young guns will break through and win a major. Trev has done it and that has definitely made me more determined to break through and win one too. Once again my 1st round has proved I can play the course and the week has given another hard but valuable experience. It is a tournament I believe I can win one year. Thanks for following me. Justin
