Dearest Hokies:

Here comes my last official post in the press room of the 72nd Masters tournament, and I can tell you, as much of a joy as it was for Drew Weaver to get to play here, it was my pleasure to cover it. It’s not the first time I’ve been here, at least, that’s what I’ve been told by my parents. I have the occasional odd memory that sprouts out the recesses of my brain , but usually only sparked by something I remember seeing once before, like the “big oak” or the driving range. I slightly remember the beds of pine needles, but only because, if I am actually recalling a memory, I played in them and got really dirty.

What I can say though, is the week here has been quite the experience. I’ve been extremely fortunate enough to have had the opportunity to witness some really great golf in my lifetime. I’ve been to St. Andrews, Malaga for the Ryder Cup, Turnberry, Carnoustie, Augusta, Congressional, Robert Trent Jones, I even went to high school where there was a Donald Ross original on grounds (Golf Nuts, at this time, may now go get a new pair of socks.) Point being, I’ve seen some of the nicest courses in the world, shook hands and shared breathing air (yes I was that close) to several reknown golfers.

But never have I been more impressed, or more humbled, than watching Drew Weaver in a massive embrace with his family. Months of pent up emotions flowed from his eyes. Preparing for a Major Championship, spending literally hundreds of hours on the golf course took over Weaver’s life for four months. For all of that, to collapse in what he believed to be embarrassing fashion (it really wasn’t) crushed him.

Just this year, I’ve seen NFL stars with tears in their eyes. I’ve seen race horse Jockey’s ball their eyes after being nosed out at the wire. I’ve seen grown men weighing 300 pounds cry like little babies when they lose to the Hokies (ahem… certain UVA football players).

But none deserve them more than Drew Weaver.

On my side, let me say once again, it’s been an honor to sit here among some of the most talented writers in the world, and feel like my word is appreciated and respected. It’s been a dream, to cover the Masters.

To commemorate my trip, a “here’s to:”

Here’s to: All the Hokie fans who cheered along the ropes when Weaver or Wagner walked by, always with a voce bravisimo “Let’s go Hokies!”

Here’s to: The old guy I saw wearing Blue Knickerbockers, a red and white argile sweater, pringle socks, and a beret. You sir were truly the smile of my week!

Here’s to: All the golf patrons lining the beer stand at 10 am EVERYDAY of the week. Hokie Tailgaters: you’s guys wouldn’t stand a chance next to these corporate folks who’s Rolexes were sticky with beer foam by noon.

Here’s to: the guys I saw laying out on the grass beside the fairways, toe up at 2 in the afternoon taking a nice nap. What a way to spend your money, eh? I hope they were at least dreaming of Augusta.

Here’s to: Watching Tiger Woods almost eagle a hole IN PERSON.

Here’s to: Coming within an arm’s length of Arnold Palmer.

Here’s to: The seriously self control I summoned from the depths of my journalist soul to resist the urge to touch Arnold Palmer when he was only an arm’s length away.

Here’s to: The flocks of sorority girls visiting from the University of Georgia that flocked to greens whenever Camillo Villegas got an inch off the ground to inspect his putts. They were all right there with him…

Here’s to: Watching grown men get a fit of the giggles like wee little toddlers being tickled whenever a shot came remotely close to the pin off an approach shot.

Here’s to: The sunburn I got on my face while wearing a hat. I mean, HONESTLY! (The things I do for good journalism…REALLY!)

Here’s to: Everyone who checked up on this blog. YOU are the coolest. I hope you felt well informed!

Here’s to: My first tall cool one as a legal eagle. I’ll give you a hint: it’s gonna bubble and fizz, and perhaps after a few too many I will too!

-TREES

The wrap up:
It appears our trip at the Masters is coming to a close. Drew Weaver finished 12 over par with a total score of 156 over 36 holes. His average score is 4.3 per hole. Johnson Wagner is projected to make the cut expected to be set at 3 over par. Wagner finished even par yesterday, and today went two over 74 today. He is tied for 29th place, at 10 shots behind the current leader Trevor Immelman who shot four under par two days in a row, and is at eight under overall.

Tiger woods practically guaranteed a win this weekend saying on his personal website a grand slam (four majors in a row in a single season) is “easily within reach.” Had you asked any avid golf fan on the ropes of the second fairway the validity to Wood’s statement, they would have told you something along the lines of “You’re Nuts!” Woods’ play continues to travel on a sporadic (for him) trail. He started the day off with a birdie on the first hole, and then less than 20 minutes later was back to even again. The world’s number one golfer made a tremendous mistake inconsistent with his stature. On what should have been a gimme 40 yard chip, Woods turned into a very, excuse the expression Hokie fans, Amateur chunk. Woods wimped the shot and it landed right into the mouth of a bunker. Woods pitched out of the sand but then missed a ten footer for par. In my opinion, hardly the handywork of a grand slam contender.

He made up for his early shenanigans on the (very) back nine. Woods slammed a drive right up the gut of the 17th fairway about 325 yards. THEN the magic happened… The 440 yard hole is a par four. The very same par four Drew Weaver three putted only hours earlier. Woods was six inches short of NO putting. He threaded a chip shot straight as pool cue right to the pin, where it dropped, rolled about a foot back, and then politely stopped only just missing the cup, and a second eagle for Woods in the tournament.

Woods, like Weaver, spent a lot of time resting his tired feet in pine needles, but mainly to their dismay. It seemed both of their drives honed to the cushy surface that wreaks destruction on a player’s scorecard. But both though, made incredible saves when it counted most.

Weaver’s water to wine moment came on the 8th. Throughout the front nine, Weaver hit perhaps 2 fairways from the tee, and was familiarly outside the ropes off his drive on the uphill par five of “Yellow Jasmine.” (8). His sightline out of the woods was the gigantic tree trunk of a 100 year old pine tree. But with the finesse of a pele corner kick, banana’d the shot between a plot of trees, and perfectly up the hill and onto a clear spot of grass with a view of the green.

Woods’ abracadabra move came on the 18th. Forced with only one option. Woods punched out of a thicket of trees onto the tenth fairway which borders the 18th green. The skill? You try and hit a ball between a gap two feet wide from 30 yards away without getting a ricochet to your face. I (almost) dare you. The hit out of the woods set him up for his final par of the day, kept Woods at one under for 36 holes.

-TREES

Langston Hughes’ famous poem of the consequence to fallen dreams perfectly summarizes Drew Weaver’s Masters debut, as the young Virginia Tech amateur’s chances of making the cut exploded today after an 8 over par 80 second round.

Weaver came in to the scorer’s box soaked in sweat, and depleted of all energy, as he tried to fanagle the once again most difficult course he’s ever faced in his career. He also made the round more difficult for himself, as he fought to control his swing speed. The nervous feelings Weaver had missed yesterday had caught up with him today sitting just a few strokes back from the cut. With each hole that he played, his weekend planner became more and more open. He started the round with two bogies on the first two holes. He managed to settle into an even pace by the third hole, after he barely missed a birdie from a stubborn ball that dipped into the hole and spun out. Weaver stayed even through the easy par three at four, which was considerably shortened from yesterday’s round from 250 yards to about 185. He ended the opening nine at three over par, and 7 over par overall.

Yesterday, Weaver was haranged by difficult pin positions and drifting drives. Today the situation was no different. He bogeyed three consecutive holes twice on the back nine. The first came on hole ten where a putt got away from him, and swung left around the hole. Next on the par 5 13th he bit the bullet and instead of laying up for a chance at an easier birdie and at worse par, under shot an iron that landed his ball into a small creek that encircles the front green. The pin was placed on the deep right corner. Weaver took a one stroke penalty and dropped a ball. Weaver then hit a perfect wedge shot which landed about six inches from the hole. Weaver smiled for the first time in a long while, and walked up to the green to tap it in. But when he did, the ball hit the back of the cup and spun out. He had just missed saving a penalty stroke off his card, but ended up with another bogey. Unable to keep his composure off hiss emabarrasing two putt on the last green, Weaver three putted on 14 after an ideal approach shot, and went up another stroke.

Coming around the turn for the 18th, Weaver began to really lose it. He bogeyed again from a two putt, and expunged his emotions in a touching hug with his girlfriend and mother.

While Weaver’s Masters is over, his golfing season is just beginning. On Wednesday Weaver heads to North Carolina to defend the Tech Title at the ACC Championships. After is the NCAA Regionals, and providing a good weekend there, the NCAA’s in May. Weaver has been exempted into the final round of the US Open Championship as well, but is undecided of whether he will compete. In June, it is also possible he will defend his status as the British Amateur Champion, and could also compete in the Memorial Tournament in honor of Jack Nicklaus in the beginning of the summer.

-TREES

If anyone has any questions about the Masters, or anything you’d like to know specifically about Augusta and the tournament, feel free to drop me a line on my email: shaptr@gmail.com

I’ll be on all day and promise to respond/answer to anything you want to know!

-TREES

The golfers’ spikes have begun to tickle the greens at Augusta despite a one hour “fog delay.” Earlier this morning when ceremonial starter Arnold Palmer teed off, his ball shot like a rocket off into the fairway and then…Was lost. No one saw where it went! After an extra hour of sunshine, the moisture has burned off, and the groups are finally away.

I’ll give you all a quick run up of today so far:

The scores are pretty sporadic between the field. You have Heath Slocum currently in the lead after shooting a 34 on the front nine. He had 3 birides on 3, 5 and 8. He currently sits at 1 under par. Luke Donald is off to a hot start, but his pace plays into the time he teed off. Slocum started first at around 9:00 am. Luke Donald is 2 under par after just 4 holes. He left with last year’s Masters champion Zach Johnson and Geoff Oglivy at around 11:30.

Keeping a low profile, for now, is the tournament favorite (that’s a redundant idea mainly because he’s ALWAYS the tournament favorite for his consistency, and rippling muscles) Tiger Woods, who sits at even par. But any golfer will tell you, there’s nothing scarier than a Tiger in the rough, ready to pounce to the lead whenever he deems!

Just looking at the leader board in the press room, you can see the formerly soggy fairways must be drying out a bit. Scores of holes are color coordinated to status: black=even, red=birdie, green=bogey, green with yellow=over bogey.

The players who got the shaft on start time have suffered from their earlier departures. Shaun Micheel and Larry Mize both have a bit too much green behind their names to look like any predator for a chomp at the lead later today.

Of the three amateurs, two have taken off. Trip Kuehne is not looking great, coming in the first 9 at 2 over par 38, and right now sits at 3 over par after rounding out Amen Corner. Michael Thompson is looking alright, but not too pretty. He’s two over par through 8th hole, and heading toward the back nine.

Virginia Tech Alumnus Johnson Wagner bogeyed the first hole–but that could just be the jitters, too early to tell how he’ll end up doing. There’s been some whispers, albeit almost mute ones, that Wagner could possibly maybe who knows be a dark horse to finish near the lead. He lacks a lot of presence and experience on the course, but he is, by the way, the hottest contender coming into the Masters. He hasn’t lost a tournament in four days!

By the looks of it Weaver’s 12:45 tee time was completely botched. By my extremely deductive scientific reasoning, I can hypothesize Weaver is about 1 hour and 30 minutes behind schedule, but that’s not a bad thing necessarily. ESPN begins their coverage at 4:00 today which by the looks of it should be right smack dab in the middle of Weaver’s round. If you’re interested in watching any of the golf today before it’s on TV, check out espn360.com.

They are issuing a live feed from the most enjoyable angle of golf, Amen Corner. It’s a real pretty day here, but hot–so enjoy your air conditioned view while the rest of shed a few pounds of water weight! (Who am I to talk? I am at the Masters!) I’ll be walking with Drew on his round today. I’ll be sure to give everyone a solid update on his performance as soon as I get back. Just strolling around this morning after some coffee, I saw quite a bit of Maroon! On Tuesday and Wednesday he had a platoon of faithful fans. I’m willing to say today and tomorrow, his charge will expand to regimentary proportions!

Be sure to check later for an update on his performance in his first American Major Chamopionship, and also for a description from his sports psychologist/performance coach Dr. Bob Winters on how Weaver is keeping his mental game at a course that demands a water-tight strategy.

-TREES

A dense mist, looming like the apparitions of Masters Champions past, covered the course this morning, as the thousands upon thousands of patrons clambered inside the gates for the first day of tournament play at the 72nd Masters. But 50 years ago, for the 22nd Masters back in 1958, the dawn of a special era in golf began.

Masters Chairman Billy Payne welcomed famed golfer Arnold Palmer to the first tee for the celebratory inaugural drive five decades after he won his first of four Masters Championships. The ceremony proved a fitting atmosphere for such a spiritual occasion. The hanging fog spread over every fairway you could see from the club house, and limited your vision to about 150 yards. At 7:50, when Palmer walked up for his shot, a gallery of several thousand rose in unison and clapped his arrival to the altar of “the cathederal.” He is regarded in complete reverence, as the father of modern golf. He took the tee with quiet grace readying to participate in a long standing tradition some the most historical golfers have partaken in before he: Snead, Nelson, Sarazen.

He slowly walked to the box, a short practice swing, and with his Callaway driver, smoothly loosed a respectable drive, officially commencing play for the 2008 field. When asked afterwards what he thought of his drive, of how far it went, he joked, “Well you couldn’t see it because it went so far, right?” Noting you could barely see the 60 foot leader board 100 yards down the fairway, much less his tiny white ball.

It was a real religious feeling to be one of those standing on the ropes during this special event. Palmer carries so much history with him, no matter where he goes, to be anywhere near his presence is an embedded memory every time. Whether it was watching him hit the closest ball to the pin on the 1st fairway of the par 3, or the inaugural drive for the tournament, it’s always an honor to see “the king” in the realm of his “kingdom.”

-TREES