Mikes Diary - Masters Day 1

I was pleased with my opening round at the Masters, which was played in good conditions on a golf course that I thought was very tough. There were some exceptionally tough pins for the first round and patience was imperative.

I started off with what I thought was a great shot into the first green, but it landed about a foot too far and rolled off the back. I decided to use my putter to get it back to the green, because the back of the green was all shaved down, but I left the ball just on the top of the mound, barely on the green. It may have looked as if I was really short, but if that ball went another inch or so, it could have easily been past the hole. That's just how quick things are on these greens. I did manage to make the next putt for a par. I also made another eight footer on the second for a par.
Two holes and two good putts gave me a good shot of confidence. It was nice to make a couple of knee-knockers out of the gate. The thing is, if those didn't go in, it wasn't that big of a deal because there was a lot of golf still ahead. Also, you know you're going to miss some of those over four days so you have to accept it and stay patient. I felt I did that well today.
 
My first birdie came on the third hole after a nice approach to about four feet. I also made another when I chipped in at the ninth. My only real hiccup of the day was on the 12th. I hit my tee shot with an eight iron just as the wind died down and I ended up flying it in the back bunker. There's not much sand in that bunker and coming out of there, I knew I had to land it in the rough to hopefully stop it. It's always a bit of a guess how that ball is going to come out of the rough. I was hoping for a little bounce, but didn't get it. I ended up with a double bogey there, but came right back with a birdie on 13, which was a good way to rebound. I ended up with one more bogey on 17 for a score of 73.

Today was a long day on the course, over five hours. You always think you should be able to play this course in four or four and a half hours, but it's so exacting. Most of the time is spent around the greens where you have to work so hard on every shot because the margin of error is extremely fine. One extra ounce of energy or a couple of inches off line and a small mistake can turn into a big one. That's the way the greens are at Augusta so you have to be sure before you hit the shot.

At the end of the day, I'm happy with the first round. I made a couple of mistakes out there but if I can eliminate those, I think I can improve on that 73. I don't know what Mother Nature has in store for us, but I think that if you're right around par, you're going to be right in the game. That's not an easy task, but I'm up for it.

As always, thanks for your support.

Mike