Thursday, April 9, 2009

Thursday at The Masters


Excellent weather marked the first competitive round at Augusta National. Sunlight was at a premium and wind was scarce - quite a turnaround from just 48 hours earlier. The tranquil conditions allowed the PGA Tour professionals to score well. None better than Chad Campbell who came through my station at the 16th green scoring 9 under par - which was on pace to tie the course record of 63 at The Masters. Finishing holes 17 and 18 proved diabolical to Campbell though, and he finished the round at 7 under par, good for the Day One lead at The Masters! Galleries were full as the welcoming weather beckoned patrons to come early and stay late. Flowering azaleas and majestic pines provided plenty of aesthetic beauty in between the threesomes of golfers. A red-tailed hawk made a brief appearance of hole number 12 (where he is a regular fixture), and turtles sunned themselves alongside the pond at hole number 16, while cedar waxwings thrived back in forth amongst the treetops. The galleries were gracious, and quiet, as the golfers aimed true during the first round - producing some of the lowest scoring in years. Large roars could once again be heard around the back nine holes late in the afternoon as the competitors seemed to become "locked in" on ballstriking towards accommodating pin placements. Even older players seemed to benefit from the warm conditions, playing loose and "missing" in all the right spots because they were Masters veterans. Would they be able to keep it up through day two of The Masters?

To view a past blog entry about the Masters click here.

Photo By Jeff Dennis: Flowering Crab Apple tree. Hole number 4 at Augusta National is known as Flowering Crab Apple.

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