The CSGA Links Volume 5 Issue 1 April 2017 | Page 22

2017 MASTERS
WEDNESDAY - Practice Round

I wish I had more to talk about than the weather
and the worlds #1 golfer falling down a flight of stairs,
but I really don’t. I got to the course at around 9:00
today and by 10:00 they closed and evacuated the course
because of weather.

One interesting note - I saw Steve Williams, who
most of you know was Tiger’s caddie in his prime, and
also caddied for my Dad before moving on to Tiger.
Steve was on Dad’s bag for his two runner-up finishes
in the 90’s - the playoff loss to Faldo in 1990 (still hurts
to type that) and to Fred Couples in 1992. Steve is back
working for Adam Scott this week and told me he only
works for him the majors. He is in town for the week
and then heading back to New Zealand.

My picks: Winner - Jordan Spieth. Contenders
- Sergio, Dustin (pending), Rory, Rahm, Oosthuizen,
Matsuyama, Phil, Bubba, Rose. Worth a Shot - Haas,
Schwartzel, Hatton, Fleetwood, Pieters, Thomas,
Berger, Westwood.
THURSDAY- Round One

A sad day for Dustin for sure, as no one has
been playing better than he has, and no one has had a
hotter stretch than he has had the last 18 months. I feel
like Dustin is somewhat cursed here to say the least.

Hoffman - Holy Moly Charley pump the breaks
a little before you ruin everyone’s pools.

Garcia - Only player on the course without a
22 | CSGA Links // April, 2017
bogey which is scary good. I still like this guy to be there
late Sunday.

Stewart Hagestad - I watched him make a
bomb of a birdie on #2, and hang in there and shoot a
very respectable 74. He has a four shot lead on all the
amateurs, and I am too lazy to look it up but I would
almost bet anything that the US Mid-Am champion has
never been the low amateur at Augusta. Being a mid-am
myself with a real job I would like to see it.

A side note about the wind at Amen Corner.
Ben Hogan used to say he would always just look at the
pin on the 11th green to figure out what the wind was
doing on #12. He said he would always trust that as the
true direction of the wind above the Georgia Pines.
FRIDAY- Round Two
I had to put something in my Dad’s locker in the
Champions Room, and the guard that sits out in front
has been the same guy for at least 20 years now and
he knows me. So he let me go in, and there was one
champion in there, 2-time champ Bernhard Langer.
There is no better guy on the planet, actually got out of
his seat during his meal to shake my hand and ask how
everything was going.

What is remarkable about Langer is the shape
he is in at 59 year olds. If you didn’t know him you
would swear the guy is in his early 40’s. Unfortunately
he struggled to a 78 today and will not be joining the
weekend party.

I went to the range to watch guys
warm up this morning and for no other
reason other than that he was right in
front of where I was standing I watched
Ryan Moore warm up. Now we all know
how good of a putter Ryan Moore can
be, but he has a really Un-orthodox
swing. I watched him hit balls for 20
minutes and man I was mesmerized.

I watched a lot of golf today on
the 1st hole. I honestly do not think
there is a harder hole on the course, and
the hole today was an absolute killer on
the front left, right over the bunker. I
remember when I used to caddie for
Dad he would call it a sucker pin. He
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