And I was like, “OK, great, we’ll see who wins.” He seemed overly excited. I didn’t put it together yet. I thought he was just really eager to watch the release of the names with me, and then it unfroze the next slide. I was there. Bottom right. My name.
I was kind of in disbelief. At first, I laughed, just because of my lack of golf experience, this being my first Masters. This is kind of hilarious, kind of absurd and I didn’t really process it until probably the next day. Oh no, actually I’m gonna come back here to Augusta and play a round of golf.
JH: So, once you did process it, what were you thinking?
NC: I was thinking this will be really cool and I know so many people that would kill for this opportunity, so I’m very appreciative of that, and I was like, “I’ll just go out there and I’ll just have fun.” I’ll be loose and easy, you know? I won’t care how I play. I’ll just soak up the experience. So that was, like, kind of the next wave of reaction, and then last night into this morning lots of nerves. If you ever played a sport, pre-game nerves. I went out and I bought golf shoes this morning because I didn’t have any.
JH: What did it feel like to drive down Magnolia Lane?
NC: That’s very cool. Another place where I felt like I wasn’t supposed to be there a little bit after watching what happened at the Masters all week. I’m driving down Magnolia Lane and they go and take my car and they park it for me. It’s a little bit of imposter syndrome. Then just sort of shock and awe going up in the Champions Locker Room and seeing everything there and all the plaques on the walls and everything like that.
JH: Whose locker were you assigned?
NC: Patrick Reed and Herman Keiser’s.
JH: How was your warm-up? Did you make solid contact at all? How were you feeling?
NC: The first couple of swings were pretty bad contact, and then I met my caddie, Shane, who was really awesome. And he said, Try this and do that and this and this, and I made a couple of decent swings that showed the potential for mediocrity is there.
JH: Which leads us to the course. How did you fare on the first tee?
NC: You couldn’t script it any better! I topped it, 12 feet to the left.
JH: Embarrassing?
NC: Oh, incredibly embarrassing! But everyone’s so nice and cordial on a golf course, especially at the Masters. There was a gentleman who was helping to organize all of us. He was like, “Just go again!” Very friendly about it, and then I hit the next one, it was fine, but it was very much indicative of the day.
JH: What was the biggest challenge for you out there?
NC: Easily just trying to adjust and work on my golf game in real time on such a difficult course. My caddie would graciously give me grip, swing and technique advice, that I’d then have to try and implement in real time. So it was a challenge to try and learn and improve while also just doing the things I’m already comfortable with, just so I can get by.
JH: Augusta’s greens are famously brutal. Did you have any, say, 6- or 7-putts?
NC: No 6- or 7-putts that I can remember, but there definitely were opportunities for some. If I was on putt number 4 or 5 and I’d get to within a couple feet of the hole, the caddies would just say “nicely done” and pick it up and move on. But if given the chance, I’m sure I could have screwed up a few tap-ins.
JH: Did you keep score? Did you feel pressure to keep up?
NC: I don’t think I was ever rushed. I started to keep score, but then the holes played out for me where my score didn’t matter, so I stopped after a couple of holes. I was constantly picking up, following the lead of my caddie, but doing so to keep pace with the rest of the group whenever I’d shank one pretty good. Since I realized my “score” was irrelevant after the first three holes, I was fine just keeping it moving.
But on 17, I made 6, and I drilled a long putt. It felt amazing! That was the only long putt I made all day that wasn’t a tap-in.
JH: I think I can see where this is going. Was that your moment of the day?
NC: I think just for the people I was with, Cam and Victor — they were from two other local TV stations — they both had a couple of pars between them. Seeing those guys make par and their excitement, and to see them be able to say, “Hey, I parred No. 7 at Augusta” or whatever, it was cool to just watch that for them.
JH: But can you pick a standout moment for yourself?
NC: Making that putt on 17. It would be a routine putt for a Masters champion, a solid to pretty good putt for an average golfer, but for me, on that course and the day I was having, it was a moment I’ll cherish forever.
JH: Did you play any shots from spots where McIlroy played from on Sunday?
NC: Yes, I believe it was on 14. I sliced my drive right, as I did all day, and it landed in the trees. When we walked up to find my ball, my caddie pointed out that Rory’s ball was in a similar place on Sunday and actually pointed to the divot in the ground where he believed Rory’s swing was. That was a super-surreal moment. Walking the course all day, knowing the professionals were here just 24 hours ago, was surreal itself. But finding myself in a less than ideal spot or situation, and then realizing the literal Masters champion was in roughly the same spot, put into perspective how unique my situation was, and also how damn hard and unpredictable golf can be.
JH: When you played your approach into 13, did you think about McIlroy splashing his wedge in the tributary to Rae’s Creek?
NC: Of course! But first things first: On 12, I not only sent my first shot into the water, I sent my second in as well. A nice high shot that plopped in the water louder than the first. By the time I got to 13, I had thought about Rory but had also experienced what felt like to me a similar level of embarrassment at 12.
JH: What most surprised you out there?
Two things: one, how different the course seemed without the patrons. I had walked the course for nearly a week while covering the Masters, but now playing it without any people around, each hole felt wider and with more ground to cover. The second was the expertise of the caddies. Wherever any of our balls would land on the green, the caddies would reach back into their mental Rolodexs to think about how a similar putt from this spot has played out in the past and how to approach it. I get that’s their job and may be commonplace, but to see them flex their experience firsthand was a treat.
JH: What would you say to more established members of the golf media who might be irked to hear a first-timer got to play Augusta National without having played golf before?
NC: Well, if you had asked me yesterday, I would’ve said, “Get over it.” It’s a lottery. It’s a game of chance. If someone’s there and they win, that means they’re covering the Masters and they are as deserving as anybody, based on the rules of said lottery system. After today? While I was very appreciative of it, yeah, maybe it would be better if someone who knew how to play golf got to play there.
But I don’t know. If I were to start playing golf next year, or 15 years from now when I’m 40, and then play golf for 30 years after that — when I’m 80 and I knew I had an opportunity to play golf at Augusta and didn’t, I would regret it forever. So just because I’m not a golfer now and I’m not great and obviously didn’t play well and probably didn’t belong there, I still think it’s worth going to have this experience, because in the long run, if I were to turn it down, I would regret it. It’s just an opportunity that if you could do it, you would, regardless of your experience, level or interest.
JH: And now that you have had possibly the most epic first round of golf possible, are you going to become a golfer? Do you have the bug? You do own golf shoes now.
NC: I do own golf shoes! So that’s an excuse. But it’s twofold for me. Because Augusta is so beautiful and it was so pristine and I had a caddie, it’s hard to know I’ll never have that again. But because I’m an athlete and a competitor and I played so badly at the most prestigious course in the country, there is a part of me that’s like you gotta go improve. You’re better than that. So, yes, it’ll probably kickstart a little bit more of a golf interest activity for me.
