Millions of golf fans dream of visiting the Masters or playing Augusta National, and former NFL cornerback Patrick Peterson has made the most of his trips.
The eight-time Pro Bowler has played Augusta National four times, but it was his first that was the most memorable.
Why? Because he shot 74 and made six birdies.
Peterson was the guest on this week’s GOLF Subpar podcast, and during it he talked about his favorite golf courses he’s played (hint: they are international), rounds with his buddy Larry Fitzgerald, the best college football atmospheres and more. But much of the conversation focused on his trips to Augusta.
The first time there was with Fitzgerald, and Peterson opened his round with birdies on 1 and 2. He doubled both 3 and 4, but the single-digit handicap settled down and put together a good round.
The most memorable hole, Peterson said, was the par-4 7th. Fitzgerald, using a Vertical-Groove Driver, nearly drove it onto the green and his ball came to rest in the rough. Peterson found the fairway, wedged on and made birdie.
Fitzgerald had trouble navigating the tricky back-left pin location, though.
“So you know if you get it anywhere on that green it’s going to continue to slide down,” Peterson said, “so Larry gets it on the green, it slides down and he walks away with a bogey. I walk away with a birdie.”
Fitzgerald wasn’t thrilled. Later that night at the club for dinner, giddy members kept coming up to Fitzgerald saying they heard he drove the 7th.
“I said Larry, just go ahead and tell them what you got,” Peterson said. “Everyone burst out laughing.”
As GOLF.com’s managing editor, Berhow handles the day-to-day and long-term planning of one of the sport’s most-read news and service websites. He spends most of his days writing, editing, planning and wondering if he’ll ever break 80. Before joining GOLF.com in 2015, he worked at newspapers in Minnesota and Iowa. A graduate of Minnesota State University in Mankato, Minn., he resides in the Twin Cities with his wife and two kids. You can reach him at joshua_berhow@golf.com.