was hosted when I was playing by Charlie Yates,
who was a Georgia Tech graduate and had become
a friend of mine. So to have a guy that I knew so
well and had such respect for host the Amateur
dinner gave me some comfort straightaway. Had
some great stories.
“You finish that amateur dinner, and you really
feel like this tournament is for you, as an amateur.
This is what it’s supposed to be. You feel like you
can go out and win the tournament. It feels like
this is – Bobby Jones designed it with amateurs
in mind, and they couldn’t wait to have some
amateurs have some real success.
“So it was ... I had so much excitement, and
so many great memories. I remember every day
walking up the 18th with Dad caddying for me and
kind of pulling back for a minute and just trying to
soak it all in, kind of slowing down the walk as we
got close to the 18th green saying, ‘can you believe
we played another round and made our a way
around Augusta National and the Masters? Just
try to enjoy every moment.’
“There were great memories, and ‘98, it was a
long time ago, but it feels like yesterday to me.”MATT JONES
Masters debut: 2014
“The day we arrived in Augusta I had no idea
where I was going, so I had to follow (Kevin)
Stadler, who I had stayed with the night before,
and he had to go to the caddie area so I didn’t get
to drive down Magnolia Lane my first day. I did it
the next day though.
“That first day I just walked into the
clubhouse. It’s awkward when you don’t know
where you’re going because every Tour event,
you walk in and know exactly what you’re doing.
So you walk around here, and I wasn’t quite sure
where to go or what doors I could go in or out of.”HIDEKI MATSUYAMA
Masters debut: 2011
“The first year when I came, I didn’t know
anything about the course. Had no fear. No
demons. Just went out and played.
“The second year ... that was a big diference. I
knew what was ahead and I knew the diculty
of the golf course. And each year since then,
I’ve been able to learn a little bit more ofhow to play Augusta National.”TIGER WOODS
Masters debut: 1995
“When I first came here as an amateur, I got
into Augusta late ... late night from a college
event, Georgia Tech was hosting an event, I came
into the course real late at 11 o’clock, whatever
it was. Magnolia Lane, you could barely see it, it
was dark.
“It is amazing over the years that I’ve been
here, just the feelings that you get when you
come. It’s just a great feeling to be back, and to
know that I’m going to be coming back. It’s an
even better feeling.
“I just remember being here as an amateur and
being able to play practice rounds with so many
great champions; guys telling me where to hit it,
what angles you want to have.
“But over the years, that’s changed. You
don’t have those angles anymore because you
don’t get those locations because the golf course
has changed. But it is still fun to reflect on
those times.”PREVIEWTiger Woods playing his first Masters
practice round in 1995 alongside then
World No.1 Greg Norman60 APRIL 2018 | golf australia