Alan Hedley and Dean Bailey look ahead to the first men’s major of 2022 and share the stories of some of the region’s finest players and caddies, and their visits to Augusta National
An invitation to compete in The Masters remains one of golf’s most coveted items. This year, like each of the previous 85 tournaments, the best players in the world will gather at Augusta National Golf Club to compete for the Green Jacket and the first men’s major championship title of the season.
This year’s tournament, which takes place April 7-10, will feature one player from our region – Lee Westwood.
Lee, who has been attached to Close House since 2011 and now calls Newcastle home, will compete in his 21st Masters. The 48-year-old will be looking to build on his six top 10s and three top fives in the event when he tees it up at Augusta.
“I’m looking forward to The Masters, it’s a special week,” said Lee. “People look forward to watching it and I certainly look forward to playing in it. It feels familiar, we all know the golf course and it signifies the start of the golfing season for all of us.”
The Masters is essential viewing for golfers, occupying a must-watch position alongside every Ryder Cup and Open Championship. For a lucky few, it is also a must-visit event. Just a handful of the North East’s best golfers have walked the fairways of the Dr Alister MacKenzie-designed golf course, accompanied by their caddies or a reporter from our region. As we look ahead to this year’s event, we caught up with some of people who have been part of The Masters…
Alan Hedley – Golf writer, 2000
The approach to Augusta National was not what I’d expected. As I turned into Washington Road, having flown into Atlanta and driven to Augusta for the 2000 Masters Tournament, a bustling eyesore of gaudy restaurants and bargain stores greeted me. ‘This can’t be right,’ I thought, just as the signpost appeared.
After an inspection of my credentials, I was allowed through the security barrier with a warm “Welcome to Augusta, sir”. The drive up Magnolia Lane – the tree-lined, magical approach to the clubhouse – left me in no doubt I was in the right place.
My first stop was the clubhouse, where I met media manager Glenn Greenspan. If I’m completely honest, it left me rather underwhelmed. A site of great history and a comfortable place to relax, it is by no means ostentatious. The tour included a visit to the Crow’s Nest, a clutch of rooms at the top of a near-vertical staircase where the amateurs playing in the Masters may stay – among them was Hartlepool’s Graeme Storm, invited following his win in the 1999 Amateur Championship.
The tour headed outside, passing the giant oak tree which is a popular meeting place during Masters week. The vista around the clubhouse is surprisingly vast – the 10th tee to the left and par three course beyond did catch my eye though.
We drove down the hill at the 10th and into Amen Corner – where the majestic beauty of Augusta is revealed. It’s simply a breathtaking riot of colour with Rae’s Creek sparkling in the Georgia sunshine. Having failed to impress this Geordie making his first visit to Augusta so far, my tour guide took great delight in watching my jaw drop as I drank in the view at holes 11, 12 and 13.
Green is my abiding memory of the week, not just the green jackets worn by the members and the winner, but the overwhelming prevalence of that very specific shade – it’s everywhere.
Souvenirs are much in demand outside the gates and I recall being offered $20 in a bar for, of all things, a green pencil. I parted with it in return for a beer… it seemed the least I could do.
For Graeme, then 22, it was a memorable week. It was also a week to remember for his mum, Jane, who became the first player’s mother to caddie in a major championship. While Graeme didn’t make the cut, a step into the professional ranks followed soon after and the rest, as they say, is history.
David Curry – Player, 1987 & 1988
Prudhoe’s David Curry, the Amateur champion of 1986, was one of the final winners of the Amateur to earn a pair of Masters invites for his 11&9 victory over Geoff Birtwell at Royal Lytham & St Annes. On his first visit, in 1987, he missed the cut by five shots with two rounds of 78. The following year, he opened with a round of 74 to lie in 16th place before slipping back through the field with a second round of 80 as he chased the cut mark.
“Getting to play in The Masters as an amateur from Northumberland was an amazing experience,” said David. “In those days, we didn’t have funding and I had to take a week off work. I begged, borrowed and stole to make it across.
“Playing Augusta National after months of golf on winter greens in Northumberland was never going to be easy and I was very proud of how I played in ’87. In ’88, I was better prepared and shot 74 in the opening round. It was going well on the back nine on Friday too, but I made bogey at 13 in a howling wind – a much tougher hole when you’re hitting two woods rather than a drive and a short iron like they do these days! I dropped another shot and then had to chase it on 17 and 18 to make the cut, which didn’t work out.
“Playing those two tournaments was tremendous fun and I have no regret about how I played. It’s a long time ago now, but I’ve got some amazing memories and stories from those trips and it’s great fun to watch it still – though they play it very differently with modern equipment.”
Graeme Storm – Player, 2000
For Hartlepool’s Graeme Storm, the invitation to play in The Masters in 2000 was one of many prizes on offer in 1999’s Amateur Championship, which he won with a 7&6 victory over Aran Wainwright at Royal County Down. That week, Graeme’s last as an amateur, he took a local caddy for his practice rounds before his mum, Jane, took the bag in the tournament – a role she had taken many times before, including for Graeme’s win at The Amateur. While he didn’t make the cut following rounds of 83 and 76, the event was an important step in his golfing career.
“The whole week was so memorable,” said Graeme. “I didn’t perform to the best of my ability and didn’t make the cut – I just wasn’t ready – but it was an eye-opening experience and undoubtedly helped when I turned pro.
“Though I’d been unwell in the build up, nothing would have stopped me playing in The Masters. I practised with Tim Herron, Paul Lawrie, Darren Clarke and Thomas Bjorn before playing with Brent Geiberger and Mark O’Meara – who I’ve been lucky enough to catch up with at tournaments in the years since.
“Playing in the par three tournament with Jean van de Velde and Loren Roberts was magical with so many people packed onto such a small course. My girlfriend, Sara, who is now my wife, caddied for me and she loved it too.
“Having my mum on the bag for the tournament was really special. She caddied for me at The Amateur and in the Walker Cup, and travelled everywhere with me, so it was the right way to end my amateur career.
“The big difference playing the course, rather than watching on TV, was the hills. There are big elevation changes and it’s a tough course to walk. You have to be able to position the golf ball precisely and that takes time to get your head around. You also need to know to play away from certain flags and use the slopes – it’s not just at the 16th on Sunday. There are lots of holes that require that knowledge and creativity to play well, and avoid those really quick downhill putts.
“When I look back, I actually played better golf in the first round, though my score was higher. You learn to minimise mistakes quickly at Augusta, even after just one tournament round.”
Garrick Porteous – Player, 2014
The region’s most recent winner of the Amateur Championship, Garrick Porteous competed in the 2014 Masters – shooting rounds of 76 and 80 on his Masters debut.
“Driving through Augusta, you’d never expect this world-famous golf course to be there.
“Once you make it past security, the drive down Magnolia Lane is just as special as you’d think and the whole occasion really hits you.
“One of the most nerve-wracking parts of the week was the Amateur Dinner on Monday night. I had to give a speech to the members and as I stood up, I noticed Condoleezza Rice [former US Secretary of State] was sitting at the table. That dinner is something I’ll always remember.
“I’ll also remember skipping balls across the water on 16 in the practice rounds, and playing with Mark O’Meara in the par three tournament when he made a hole-in-one on the second.
“The delay in the cheers reaching the green when I birdied the 12th on Friday is something you’d never understand until you’ve stood on that green and looked back to where all the fans are gathered around the tee.
“I was lucky enough to play the course a couple of times in the November and February before the event – including being the first person to play the course after the Eisenhower Tree was taken out after being damaged – and got a feel for the undulation changes everyone is so surprised by on their first visit. However, most of that preparation went out the window on Thursday morning as the golf course is very different after they’ve done their work on Wednesday night. You definitely need tournament rounds, not just practice rounds, to play well at Augusta.”
Michael Burrow – Caddy, 2014, 2018 & 2019
Tour caddy Michael Burrow has made three trips to Augusta for The Masters, caddying for Garrick Porteous in 2014 and Haotong Li in 2018 and 2019 – when he finished T32 and T43.
“Growing up watching The Masters on TV, Augusta National was this magical place which didn’t really exist. I was 10 years old when Tiger Woods won in 1997 and I remember thinking I’d never be able to visit the golf course like I could the Open Championship venues.
“It was a little surreal to go for the first time with Garrick – it’s very odd to work on a golf course you feel you know so well. Going with Haotong was a little different as he went in with high expectations – he’d won in Dubai earlier that year and was climbing up the world rankings.
“Ultimately, it’s a golf course like any other. You can work it out and you can hole putts. They do make it tough for the caddies though. They’ll speed up the greens from practice to tournament rounds. They also switch the direction they mow the fairways, so the ball doesn’t roll out. On holes like the 11th, you’ve got a lot more club to hit over the pond on a tournament day. All the banks are cut back towards the water for the first time too, so balls don’t cling on to slopes on holes like 15 like they did. You learn about all that really quickly on the Thursday of your first visit.
“I can confirm the boiler suits are very hot – I’ve worn every combination I can think of under there and still not worked it out.
“The highlight of my three trips has to be being paired with Tiger Woods in 2019. It’s not very often I feel like a kid at a golf tournament these days, but shaking his hand on the first tee at Augusta is an experience I’ll never get over.”
Sir Graham Wylie – Par three caddy, 2015
Close House owner Sir Graham Wylie caddied for Lee Westwood in 2015’s par three tournament and faced a nerve-wracking putt on the ninth.
“To caddy for Lee in the par three tournament was fantastic – from going in the clubhouse to get my overalls to being inside the ropes on the practice ground,” said Graham. “Lee played very well, hitting it to 2ft on the first two holes. At the ninth, he hit it to 3ft – another great shot on a very easy day for caddying – and then handed me the putter. The greens were just as fast as the main course and I was terrified. I made it, got a cheer after Lee encouraged the crowd a little bit, and then got out of there as quickly as I could.”
