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Tom Shaw, Vanderbilt’s Head Men’s Golf Coach, caddied for Michael Thompson at the 2008 Masters. Thompson played for Shaw at Tulane before transferring to the University of Alabama prior to last season. He earned a spot in the event by finishing second at the 2007 U.S. Amateur. VUcommodores.com would like to thank Coach Shaw for contributing exclusive content from Augusta all week.
SATURDAY, APRIL 12
(Final thoughts after Friday’s second round)
EXPERIENCES
Mmmmm… One of the great things about the Masters is that they sell delicious egg salad and pimento cheese sandwiches for $1.50. That price hasn’t changed since I first started attending 25 years ago. They make them fresh daily (how many can that be? 100,000?) and donate the extras to charity. Coke is $1.50 as well (beer is $2.00), so you can definitely get by on a smaller food budget than normal events of this magnitude.
For those of you that have never been to Augusta National, the television broadcast does not do justice to the elevation changes. From its lowest point in Amen Corner to the first tee is a difference of at least 500-700 feet. It is a difficult walk up #8, #9, #17, and #18. The greens are similar in their undulation and you can probably double what you see on TV. That’s what makes them so hard to read.
That is what I had trouble with today. We had no problem with the sweeping breaking putts – it was the fairly straight 5-6 footers that maybe break a little this way or that. Rae’s Creek down at Amen Corner influences many of the putts and they will break opposite what you swear to be true. It seems to defy gravity sometimes.
Michael got off to a great start, birdies on #1 and #2 – could an amateur win the Masters??? Whoa, easy now – a bogey on #3 followed by bogies on three of the next five dashed the victory speech and jeopardized him making the cut. He played Amen Corner flawlessly, making solid pars on holes 10-14. We had a chance to go for the green in two on the par-5 13th (only 204 to the front of the green), but yesterday’s bogey was fresh in our minds and we laid up to a good wedge distance and gave ourselves a decent look at birdie.
We had the momentum now, maybe needing one or two more birdies to be the only amateur to make the cut this year. Michael played 15 well, putting a wedge about 8 feet for a good birdie opportunity. That’s when bad luck reared its ugly head. As Michael grounded his putter behind the ball, the ball moved imperceptibly, maybe a millimeter or two. In the Rules of Golf, that is a one-shot penalty. He was the only one who saw it happen and he immediately notified his fellow competitor Ben Crenshaw and a rules official nearby. To Crenshaw’s credit, he was doing everything possible, short of telling Michael he was hallucinating, to make sure he was indeed in breach of the rule. And to Michael’s credit, he did not waver. He stuck to what he saw and called the penalty on himself.
This is what distinguishes golf from all other sports. It is a game of honor where participants are required to police themselves. In some other sports, deception and trickery are overlooked or even encouraged, but golf still demands integrity in its highest form. Michael was the only person who saw the ball move and could have easily “overlooked” it. But he was groomed under the rules of the game and the concept of fair play, so he responded as he was trained – to do the right thing.
Bobby Jones had a similar incident happen to him in his playing days and was lauded for his integrity and honor in calling a penalty on himself. He quickly dismissed the attention saying, “you may as well praise a man for not robbing a bank.” It is no coincidence that the notion of fair play as prescribed by Augusta National’s founder Bobby Jones was demonstrated perfectly by another young amateur at The Masters on Friday. Unfortunately, the focus of the press was on “the incident” and not on the fact that Michael played extremely well for a first-time amateur at The Masters.
His spirits were dashed somewhat by the whole thing and though he kept his head high, I could tell he was very disappointed to see the opportunity to make the cut disappear. He ended the week with a spectacular 2-putt on the final hole which brought the gallery to their feet.
It was an unforgettable experience for me to be able to do this and I thank Michael for that. He evidently thought enough of our relationship to include me in a special event for him and his family. I am eternally grateful.
It is back to Nashville now and preparation for the SEC Championship next week – another “major” for Coach Shaw. But first I will be tuned in to the telecast of The Masters this weekend with a new appreciation for the course and what it takes to win the tournament. Speaking of that, let’s all root for a green jacket in 2008 for Vanderbilt great Brandt Snedeker! He is playing great and is just a shot off the lead.
Thanks for reading!
Tom Shaw
Men’s Golf Coach
Vanderbilt University
www.vucommodores.com
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