Well, I didn’t hit the lottery but it was the next best thing. This story is proof dreams do come true.

Now that I have become this well know local non-profit author for this prestigious newspaper you like many others enjoy each month, I must confess I struggle finding new material each month that obviously keeps you glued to your seat with much anticipated reading. Well not this month. As you may recall my article last month, I reached out in such a tactful and humble way to any of my dedicated and highly educated fans requesting Master’s Tickets. Ok so I was begging, well it worked. Let’s dive into my Wednesday at Augusta.

Yes, this was my ride to Augusta. An exhausting 20 min flight in our G450.  As you know the par 3 tournament is held on Wednesdays when most of the field participants let their friends and family walk with them for fun . As soon as we left the gift shop, we started walking around in awe and finding our way to the par 3 course where we randomly picked which hole to watch. We saw everybody from Tiger Woods and Lindsey Vonn to Fuzzy Zoeller and Hubert Green. On the very next tee was Condoleezza Rice holding Patrick Reeds baby while he hit.

Every hole was a new story but none like the one that will always be stored in this writer’s memory banks. We made our way around the beautiful lake where we were standing between number 3 and 4 when we notice three balls on number 3 green. Unannounced to us the threesome was Jack Nicklaus, Ben Crenshaw, and Gary Player. We are all saying, “Man it just doesn’t get much better than this.”  Well it did. Ben putts first and drains a 40 foot putt for birdie.. Then it was Gary’s turn where he drains a 20 foot putt for the second birdie in the group. Then it’s Jack’s turn where he had a 10 foot putt.  The pressure was on and the crowd let him know it. Yes, he drains it. The crowd goes nuts and we can’t believe what we just saw. So we decide to watch them play number 4. Great decision. First Ben hits and then Jack tee’s it up and gave us a thrill of a lifetime when he makes a hole in one. That’s right we saw Jack hit a hole in one. How cool is that! First hole in one Jack ever had at Augusta.

I found watching this year’s Masters so much more meaningful knowing I was there just a couple of days before.  I not only witnessed history but remembered how the holes looked and the feeling you get just being there. We did see Jordan Spieth and loved watching this 21 year old dominate the field. Once there was another youthful American, just a few months younger at the time Spieth is now, winning this same tournament at 18, under par just as Spieth did. That of course was Tiger Woods in 1997.  Spieth doesn’t succumb to the upper fist pumping and extracurricular swearing of Tiger, so he is far less flashy and outwardly intimidating than Woods.  But he’s even more impressive as a person.  He reminds me of someone named Phil.  If Spieth’s victory becomes the eventual changing of the guard in American golf, it’s a big win for the good guys.

Till Next Tee Time