This pro’s Masters heartbreak is (almost) too painful to relive

Marcel Siem has played in 14 majors (and counting), but he’s never finished it at the Masters in Augusta National Golf Clubwhich of course is the holy grail of degrees and also the hardest to get into.

But the 44-year-old German did THINK he had qualified for the Masters at one point in his career, before later finding himself out in pain in what turned out to be one of the craziest weeks he’s ever experienced.

In the latest episode of DP World Tour’s Life on Tour podcastSiem explained that crazy week in 2013 when he was convinced he was connected to Augusta … until he wasn’t.

On March 31 of that year, Siem won the DP World Tour’s Hassan II Trophy in Morocco, which boosted his world ranking from 72nd to what was projected to be in the top 50. Timing was also crucial. A week before the Masters, the top 50 in the Official World Golf Ranking automatically qualify for the event.

Siem thought he was inside. People were congratulating him in the country, and he even called his wife home to report the good news. She celebrated from afar, celebrating at home thinking she and her husband were off to the Masters.

But about five hours later, Siem got a call. Turns out he dropped out of the top 50 because of a finish at the PGA Tour’s Shell Houston Open. Henrik Stenson bogeyed the last two and shot a 66 to tie for 2nd, which moved him from 53rd on the OWGR to 42nd, securing a Masters berth. It also moved Siem to 51st, one place out of qualifying, just 0.0251 points behind No. 50 Russell Henley.

(Ed. note: In the podcast, Siem Stenson said AND Daniel Berger had strong finishes to knock him out of the top 50, but Berger was not in the field at the Houston Open, was not ranked in the OWGR top 1,500 and did not start a PGA Tour that season. Regardless, Stenson was in, Siem was out.)

The PGA Tour noticed Siem’s ​​rough layoff, and they invited him to next week’s Valero Texas Open. But to get a Master’s invitation now he had to win Texas Open. But first he had to get there – and fast.

Since getting to the United States from Morocco is far from easy, Siem had to use some of his first-place winnings to book a private jet to Frankfurt, Germany, stop over at home, and then take off to Texas. He arrived home around 3am on Monday but was locked out. He knocked on the door and started calling his wife’s phone, but there was no answer.

He was starting to get nervous too. His flight from Frankfurt was scheduled for 6:40 a.m., and he still needed a 90-minute drive to get there.

“So I don’t have any keys, nothing,” he said. “So I’m ringing the bell, no one answers. I’m like knocking, ‘Come on! I have to hurry!’”

Finally he walked to the back of the house and looked out the window to see his wife sleeping on the couch, having celebrated what she thought was her husband’s first bed for the Master.

“My wife passed out, drinking so much champagne, rum, whiskey and everything,” he said.

Eventually Siem got in and made his way to Texas, where his last chance to qualify for the Masters was off to a promising start.

He carded 10 and 11 in the final round and was one behind with seven to play, but he triple-bogeyed 7 on the par-4 12th hole to spoil his chances. (Siem remembered it was a 9, but neither score was useful in winning a golf tournament.)

He tied for 10th place, seven behind the winner, and earned $155,000.

“Big check,” he said. “At least it paid for the stupid private jet from Morocco to Germany.”

“But that was intense, you know?” he continued. “The Sunday after the round you’re in the Masters, and five hours later you’re out. All of a sudden in Texas you got the chance again, and you go out again. Yes, it was difficult. It was really hard.”

You can listen full podcast with Seim here.