They tell me I am one of only two players to have led the Masters after the first round on four separate occasions – and that the other was Jack Nicklaus. They also tell me that only Chris DiMarco and I have led or shared the lead after each round at Augusta, in different years, including the last round – and lost the play-off.
In some ways these are nice things to hear, because it shows I have almost perennially played well in the season’s opening major and to own a little slice of Masters history cannot be bad. However, my prevailing emotion is, “damn, why haven’t I won one of these things yet?” and yes, the recurring image in my mind is of me with one arm in the Green Jacket.
It feels funny looking back over my two decades at Augusta. Obviously the play-off loss to Sergio García in 2017 stands out and there was another runners-up, bridesmaid’s slot, two years before when I tried to catch that inspired young pacesetter called Jordan Spieth, but just could not get to him.
I remember my second Masters in 2004 and leading by two after the first round, shooting a 67 with two three-putts, and sleeping on that and being able to maintain that two-shot advantage going into the weekend.
I was only 23 but recall having the same mindset as at the Open Royal Birkdale in 1998, when I finished fourth as a 17-year-old, and playing with that innocent freedom.
“There’s nothing at stake, really,” was my mantra. But I knew deep down that I could not kid myself to the end. As you get closer to the finish line, you know what is up for grabs, and it duly got tougher and tougher. I came 22nd.
Three years later I was in contention right up until the 17th when, off the tee, I hit the Eisenhower Tree on the way to a double bogey. That huge pine was named after the president, because he hit it so often. He tried to persuade the club to cut it down. They refused. But in 2013, “Ike” finally got his wish when it fell victim to a winter ice storm.
And then there was last year when, on a fast and fiery opening day, I was two over after seven and played the last 11 holes in nine under. Only 12 players broke par in that first round and I was on seven under, four clear.
It was a total outlier and fellow pros afterwards were saying, “How on earth did you do that?” I actually asked to be left alone for a minute in the locker room to process what had happened.
Augusta can exhaust and overwhelm you
It is a strange feeling because it is fantastic to know that stuff is in there, but also you accept that level is impossible to maintain. That is what Augusta does – it plays with your emotions and, unless you are careful and can keep a tight rein of your senses, it will exhaust and overwhelm you.
It is part of the Augusta learning experience and even though I am at the point where I am not even sure what number Masters this will be for me, I recognise there are still new lessons out there.
That is why experience counts at Augusta. Not just the “knowing your way around the course” thing, where not to hit it and how you must play positively defensive sometimes, but also knowing how to stay composed and operate as near to an even keel as possible.
With all these young guys up there in the rankings – I saw a stat a few weeks ago saying it was the first time when all of the world’s top five were under 30 – it will be fascinating to see how they fare.
They are incredible ball-strikers, enormous talents, and seem fearless, but I still think there is room for the golden oldies among us, who bring a bit of guile and know-how, particularly at the National.
Tiger returning would be historic
Of course, nobody has more Augusta nous than Tiger Woods. We are in the same management camp but I honestly have no inkling if he will play or not. What a tale it would be if he does come back, just over a year after that car crash that had us all so worried, and what a tale if he is up there on the final day. It would be one of those historic moments and if I am not in contention, I will be rooting for him. It would surely be one of the greatest sports stories ever, if not the greatest.
But my plan is to be there in the hunt. I have fallen outside the world’s top 50 and some will look at my ranking and write me off. But I am not overly concerned with that. Really, my goal is simply to make sure my game is good enough to believe I have a chance to win a second major. That is what is important to me now at 41.
I feel I made a big step forward in the WGC Match Play two weeks ago. I did not get through to the knockout stages but I beat Jordan and that was good for my confidence and I can take that to Augusta, a place that never fails to inspire. I have come close before and all I wish for is another look at the glory. Maybe this time the other arm will poke through.