Wow! I just got back from 2 magical days at the Masters in Augusta, Georgia. If you're a golfer, you know 1. how hard it is to get a ticket 2. how totally cool it is to go to this "holy grail of golf tournaments" and 3. if you actually do get close enough to Tiger that it's a BIG DEAL!! Well, I'm still just in awe after already coming back to reality and Kansas. The first day was quite cold and windy and very few players showed for practice, but enough did that it was totally worth freezing for. The mere joy of walking the course and admiring the azaleas in bloom as well as watching several players skip the lake in front of 16 made my day! Didn't get to see Vijay Singh skip the lake and make the first ever skip hole in one. How cool would that have been to see firsthand!
The second day, Wednesday, still a practice round day, was much nicer and a lot more players showed for practice rounds and the par 3 tournament. Highlights were: seeing Tiger on #5 green and on his way to #6 teebox, I called out to him "Good Luck from Manhattan, Ks" and he smiled!! That truly made my whole trip! For those that aren't familiar, Tiger's father, Earl Woods, was born and raised here in Manhattan and is now buried here. I just wanted Tiger to know I really care about him not just because he's the greatest athlete of our time, and a genuinely good person but because I feel connected to him like the son of a good friend. Another terrific highlight, was seeing Greg Norman. I still remember crying and being in shock when he lost to Nick Faldo in the 1996 Masters. He looked great and hope we has a great showing! Then there were all of my other favorites including Freddie Couples. The neat thing is I get to extend my utopian feeling by watching the Masters on TV for the next 4 days and then celebrate the winner on Sunday with the rest of the world that loves this like I do.
