AUGUSTA, Ga. – Fred Couples stood at the podium and bowed, thinking about what might have been.
“I mean, I had a good time,” he said. It was clear he meant it. It was also clear that he was still thinking about Augusta National’s 15th hole, where he would be done 9 on Thursday and 6 on Friday, single-handedly missing his chance at the cut line.
“I never put it in the water there,” he said. “Now it’s water, water, water every time I look at the damn thing and I don’t know why.”
He shook his head.
“What’s a nine? Is that a square? Four-double-double, wow.” That was about his deflating finish on Thursday. When he dropped to 15, he was two under par. When he left 17 he was six over. “That’s 8-over (in three holes). I think it’s almost impossible to do, but I did it.”
But he made something clear despite his frustration.
“You would have to be an idiot not to love Augusta National,” he said. “There are great courses all over the world, but there are none like this one.”
THE BEST, SOFTEST THING that only happens on Friday at the Masters is this: we actually hear from players who miss the cut.
In a typical week the players who shoot the lowest scores are the ones who talk to the media. Those who don’t? They are generally allowed to crash in peace. But this week there’s more media, infrastructure and fallout for a missed cut, so it’s worth a listen. It’s probably a lot more cruel than the pros of a week ARE asked about their missed cuts is the week missing the cut hurts the most — but so goes one of the three small podiums outside Augusta National’s scoring area.
There, on Friday morning, you could have heard a heartbreaking admission from Andrew Novak, who had just bogeyed two of his last three holes to give himself a weekend.
“Yeah, I mean, I was turning 18 thinking, ‘This might be the last time I ever play here,'” Novak said.
In the long run, he said, returning to this country and earning a place in this tournament will be motivating. But in real time?
“Yeah, this is my favorite week of the year. This is the best tournament I’ve ever played in. It just makes it a little bit more disappointing that I won’t have two more rounds to play in it,” he said.
Tom McKibbin followed shortly after, having just signed off for a second-round 76 that cut short his first ever Masters. The Northern Irishman admitted he wasn’t sure what he felt, exactly. But he felt a lot.
“I don’t know. A little annoying. Fun. Yeah, it was a little bit of everything. Maybe a little bit of every emotion,” he said. Mostly he described it as feeling different.
“I think it’s probably the first time I’ve ever come to a place and had that kind of feeling of trying not to lose it again,” he said. “It’s definitely the best golf tournament I’ve ever played.”
Anyone who has ever been to Augusta National may speak of its dream-world quality. For a week, you’re at the center of the sports world—with unlimited chicken sandwiches at your fingertips and an immaculate golf course in every direction. It is a much smaller brotherhood that actually reaches play event, and nobody’s dream week ends halfway through.
“Yeah, I don’t know. I mean, the build-up was unbelievable,” Min Woo Lee said in disbelief after 78-77. “You’d think I’d win the tournament the way I was (playing) before the event.”
BEFORE THE MAGIC NUMBER IS SETthose in the bubble hoped they had done enough.
“I mean, it’s hard to say. It should be good,” Danny Willett said after posting his two-day total of five over par. “Fingers crossed, we get a bit of wind and we should be fine.”
“It’s not over yet,” Harry Hall said a few sets later after he also posted five times. He called his chances 50-50. “Hopefully I’ll be there at the weekend. I’ll stay positive and see how it goes.”
But Willett’s wind never arrived. The greens stayed open. The cut was set at four over par, sending both of them – plus 35 other players – home early.
Like them, Aldrich Potgieter was forced to switch to the other. It seems impossible that there can be another tournament in just one week. But surely…
“I’m just going to enjoy time with (my family) and then they’re going back to South Africa on Monday and then we’re going to RBC,” he said. “We’re looking forward to an elevated event next week, so we’ll try to get the game ready for that.”
Honestly, no everyone spoke. As the day wore on and the property’s attention turned to the six-shot lead that belonged to Rory McIlroy, two professionals saw their tournaments suddenly go up in smoke. Akshay Bhatia needed to level at last and made it a double. Bryson DeChambeau needed a bogey and made a terrible three. But Bhatia was not asked to speak, and by the time a reporter made a request for DeChambeau, he was already out of sight, speeding back to the parking lot.
The end of their tours came suddenly, and fittingly, so did their exits. But others seemed happier to linger and reflect, even disappointed.
“Special place to be. I had a lot of fun there,” Casey Jarvis said. “Obviously a frustrating day, trying really hard to get the result. Unfortunately, that’s golf, but yeah, very happy to be here.”
What about his weekend plans?
“I’ll come and watch. I’ll watch Rory. Maybe I’ll learn something, I know.”
Some amateurs were able to separate the good from the bad, even in real time.
“We talked a good amount and he’s such a nice guy,” said high school senior Mason Howell, who played alongside McIlroy. “Yeah, I mean, it was such a special moment for me to play with my idol. Other than making the cut, it was everything I dreamed it would be.”
“I think it exceeded my expectations. I had a blast,” said Jackson Herrington, who has long-term plans for his return. “I’ll go back and wear one of these green jackets.”
In the short term?
“Maybe if I’m allowed to come out and practice, I’ll be here tomorrow,” Herrington concluded. “It’s the best place on earth. I know that.”
Dylan Dethier welcomes your comments at dylan_dethier@golf.com.
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