Its Moving Day at the Masters
On The Course at the Start
This is the day when the players are doing their best to move up the leaderboard and to be in, or near, contention on Sunday. Keep in mind, Rory McIlroy starts the day with a six-shot lead; however, golf has a way of rearing its ugly head at the most inopportune times, and the other players are not just going to hand him the title. I predict a fight and some drama. After all, this is Augusta, and it historically produces gut-wrenching drama on the weekend. Why should this weekend be any different? By the way, here is what is at stake monetarily.
This is the prize money by order of finish: CLICK HERE
Curtis and Othello
As usual, I go on my morning walkabout to get the vibe of the crowd and to make some new friends. So, I station myself at the 150 mark on hole 1 and just observe the crowd. After a while, I turn around to look in the other direction, and this young man yells out my name. Only then do I realize that I have been standing near Othello and Curtis from Omaha. It turns out they had connections for tickets and made the trip for their first visit to the Masters.
We talked about viewing and walking strategy to maximize their time at the course. I have taken the liberty of providing some background on these young men from Omaha—where I also live.
Curtis Marshall
Involved in a marketing company, he was Nebraska’s Mr. Basketball of 1991. Curtis is the fifth-leading scorer in Class A history and was Nebraska’s Gatorade Circle of Champions Player of the Year. He accepted a scholarship from North Carolina State, where he started for the Wolfpack his last three years, surpassing the 1,000-point mark and finishing in the school’s top ten in assists and three-point baskets. Curtis also played professionally in Germany.
Othello Meadows
Managing Director, Places at Blue Meridian Partners, and former President and CEO of Seventy Five North, a nonprofit organization proudly rooted in the historic Highlander neighborhood of North Omaha, one of the city’s oldest communities. Since its founding in 2011, it has been dedicated to working to overcome the impacts of redlining and disinvestment. It is a member of the Purpose-Built Community Network, a national coalition of communities driving neighborhood revitalization. Warren Buffett, also an Omahan, was a major investor in this project. My understanding is that Mr. Buffett is a member of Augusta National.
GOLF IS THE ULTIMATE NETWORKING TOOL
Keita and Rad
Keita Cline is in financial services from Florida and Rad Burns is a firefighter from Bozeman, Montana. They are also first-time attendees to the Masters and was soaking it up watching players in the putting area warm up before their tee time. They also obtained tickets from “A Friend”. I asked for their description of the course and the experience. Their responses, Surreal, Meticulous ,Traditional, Etiquette. Their advice was to take in as much as you can.
Even Martha Stewart is in the house
On The Course at the End of the Day
As I stated yesterday, either the field catches Rory or he comes back. Today was little of both. He shot a 1 over 73 to give his fellow competitors an opportunity. So, I am guessing that the winner will be one of these 7 players
- Rory and Cameron Young are tied for the lead
- Sam Burns is just 1 back
- Shane Lowry is 2 back
- Jason Day and Justin Rose are 3 back
- Scottie Schefffler is 4 back
Rory was scheduled to conduct a press conference this evening. I and others went to the interview room ready to ask a few questions only to be informed that he would not be coming. Instead, he headed to the practice area to work on some mechanics. He is doing what he thinks needs to be done to get ready for this dogfight tomorrow. Will it be enough? Tune in tomorrow.
Masters Hats of the Day
Heck of a day today. Tommorow is it, someone will be the 90th Masters Champion. Who are you picking?
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