A Trip To The Masters - Memories That Last Forever

New Yorker Cover April 2011           Bruce McCall 

My Masters memories were made in 2011, during a sweltering week that finished with a flourish. 

That year eight players, including Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy, held a share of the lead in the last round, and the collective excitement was beyond anything I'd experienced at a sporting event anywhere. Charl Schwartzel was the champion that year, not the most memorable winner, but one who produced an amazing finish under tremendous pressure.

With The Masters, it's the details you want to remember... the details that make it so distinct: The lushness of the course and the total absence of any commercialism are two that surprised me.  Then there was the otherworldly quality that hangs in the atmosphere around Augusta National Golf Course.  Experiencing it all, expecially for the first time, is likely to be an emotional experience.  

I'm on my way back tomorrow to Augusta National tomorrow, and I'm delighted, though I suspect I won't be so overwhelmed as I was the first time.  I'm also guessing I'll notice things I didn't on that first visit, and that's what I'm looking forward to.