I first heard the news while attending the PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando in mid-January. I ran into Tom Carpus, former Chairman of our PGA of America Rules Committee and now full-time Rules Official for the PGA Tour who greeted me with "Hey, I heard you're going to Augusta!" Each year, about 7 or 8 Members of our PGA Rules Committee are selected to serve as a Rules Official at The Masters, but that distinction is usually made up of our past Chairmen and other veterans of the Committee. With only about six years tenure on the Committee, I am still a "rookie" for all practical purposes. So needless to say, the news took me by surprise. I kept the news quiet until I received the actual Committee assignments, which came in early February. Sure enough, there I was listed among the lucky seven who would be awarded this distinction!

The following is a recap of the week at The 2019 Masters Tournament... a behind the scenes look at what it was like being a part of what many feel is golf's greatest Major! I had every intention of producing a daily recap, but quickly fell asleep each night with iPad in-hand, so here is the post recap of the experience. Enjoy!

SUNDAY & MONDAY
ARRIVAL IN LOVELY AUGUSTA AND CHECKING IN

Susie and I arrived in Augusta late Sunday evening after driving from Atlanta. Since we couldn't move into our PGA Rules Committee House until Monday, we stayed at a lovely home on the hill not too far from ANGC, courtesy of our friends at EZ-GO. Monday at The Masters was a reasonably quiet day, except for a thunderstorm, which ended our day a little earlier than planned. Most of the Rules Officials had yet to arrive, so Susie and I went to the Monday practice round as Patrons, but with a bonus...we had tickets for Berckmans Place. Named after the family who owned Fruitland Nursery which formerly occupied the grounds of Augusta National Golf Club, Berckmans Place is an incredible facility built for the Patrons and used only once a year for the Masters tournament. Berckmans Place requires a special ticket in addition to the coveted Masters ticket...a Club within a Club if you will! We had a lovely breakfast (the grits were outstanding), did a bit of shopping in the Berckmans Place Golf Shop and then walked the Golf Course of Augusta National Golf Club. After the walk, we checked in at the Masters Tournament Office where we greeted by a warm and welcoming staff and several Augusta National Members. I was taken to my locker, and right then it hit me...the names on the lockers were a virtual Who’s Who of Rules Officials from around the world! In my locker along with my Masters Rules Bag and rain suit were my assignments for the week:

Thursday - Round 1: Greenside of Hole 2 (Pink Dogwood)
Friday - Round 2: Hole 17 (Nandina)
Saturday - Round 3: Hole 12 (Golden Bell)
Sunday - Round 4: Left Drive Zone of Hole 18 (Holly)

The assignments were perfect for a rookie...I didn't anticipate much action at the second hole. Friday could be another story because the 17th is a tight driving hole and the close proximity of the Observation Platform near the green could result in TIO (Temporary Immovable Obstruction) relief. Saturday would be nervously exciting because the 12th is probably one of the most iconic par three holes in all of golf. And the 18th on Sunday could bring on a number of challenging rules situations, especially with the later groups and all that is at stake.

TUESDAY

On Tuesday, the remainder of our PGA Rules Committee Members arrived, and we began that morning with a breakfast meeting with the two Augusta National Members who were responsible for defining the golf course and properly marking it for the Tournament. Our PGA Rules Committee has been delegated that all-important responsibility at The Masters Tournament for a number of years. After our meeting, we set out to examine the markings that our Committee had previously painted prior to the Augusta National Women's Amateur. We touched up those penalty areas, drop zones, and out of bounds markings...yes there is Out of Bounds at Augusta National Golf Club! Growing up in Augusta, I thought I knew the golf course like the back of my hand, but I discovered a few penalty areas that I didn’t know existed. And subtle changes to the golf course that have been made since the last Masters required some adjustments to the markings and the Local Rules Card. Marking ANGC is a challenge. We paint lines through the pine trees, dogwoods, azaleas and a plethora of other exotic plants that most likely will never come into play, but we do so just in case a player’s ball finds its way into that area! And then there is the balancing act of traversing the steep slopes while trying to paint the perfect line and avoiding the ultimate embarrassment...falling into Rae’s Creek in front of thousands of Patrons! Twenty-two thousand steps later, everything was marked, and we were ready for the pint that awaited us in Tournament Headquarters.

WEDNESDAY

Wednesday Morning was the Rules Committee Breakfast Meeting, conducted by Tournament Chairman Jim Hyler. More grits! To start the meeting, the Rookies on the Committee were called upon to stand and introduce themselves, identify their respective Association and where they were from. After the meeting, I was greeted by several Committee Members and Augusta National Members who knew of and had visited Mayacama, all with accolades about our Club...pretty special to hear in that environment! In the meeting, we heard from several ANGC Members who headed up the various Committees necessary to make the tournament happen. There you have a great awareness of how involved the ANGC Members are in making The Masters Tournament operate. We talked about some of the new rules, some of the changes to the course and how those might affect the play from a rules standpoint, and our responsibilities as Rules Officials. There are "Zone" Officials who cover a specific hole or part of a hole, and there are "Rule Rovers" who back up the Zone Officials where needed. Each nine has about 5 Rovers...mostly PGA Tour and European PGA Tour Officials. After the meeting, we took a group photo and then proceeded to the first hole to review the relief options for TIO’s, aka Temporary Immovable Obstructions ... things that are not normally part of the challenge of playing the Golf Course like TV Towers, Observation Stands, Concessions, Leader Boards and the like. Relief from these structures not only includes physical interference but also "line of sight" relief, when the structure is on a direct line from the players ball to the hole. The relief procedure can be quite complicated, especially in the heat of the moment on the world’s biggest stage! Following the TIO session and lunch (great fried chicken in the Tournament Office Dining Room, along with the customary pimento cheese sandwiches) the 7 of us on the PGA Rules Committee took the 18-hole walk, stopping to pay particular attention to each of our assigned holes for the week. The veterans on our Committee shared their knowledge on what to expect on certain holes...welcomed information for the three rookies on our Committee. Wednesday evening was a special reception hosted by the Augusta National Members on the clubhouse lawn for all of the Rules Officials and their guests. The reception was a fabulous experience, starting with the slow drive down Magnolia Lane, a rare opportunity for a photograph (cameras and cell phones are forbidden during the tournament) and the ambiance under the big oak tree as the sun set over the golf course. It was truly special to experience how the Augusta National Members opened their Club to us, and truly special to experience their hospitality with Susie!

THE MASTERS TOURNAMENT - DAY ONE

The day started as it always does, with the drive down Magnolia Lane...not a bad way to go to work each day! We park in the officials/members parking lot and shuttle to the tournament office where another wonderful Southern breakfast awaits. More Grits! We then load up on the paperwork for the day…hole location sheets, weather forecast, addendums to the notice to players, local rules and hole by hole notes. The room is filled with interesting conversations among Rules Official from Associations all over the world...PGA Tour, European Tour, R&A, USGA, South Africa, Asia, Australia, Mexico, Canada and more as we prepared to take our positions on the Course for the opening round. Then it was time to head out to my assignment for the first day…The second hole. I cannot begin to describe the wave of emotions that overtook me as I left the tournament office, walked past the first tee wherein less than an hour Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player would begin this year‘s Masters Tournament as Honorary Starters. Growing up in this town, and then years later, returning in this capacity was overwhelming, as was the thought of what I was about to do for the next four days. The thought of screwing up on the worlds biggest stage crossed my mind, but I quickly wiped that one away! Heading down towards the second green, I looked out over the pines in the direction of the house where I grew up, and the Augusta Municipal Golf Club (aka "The Cabbage Patch") where I learned to play the game. The emotions took me by surprise, as did the nerves that I felt, but once I arrived at the green, it was time to get to work. I parked my chair and Rules Bag down so that I would not be picked up by the cameras, pulled out my Hole by Hole Notes and began the exercise of walking around the green and surrounding areas in anticipation of anything that could possibly come up during the round. I visited with the Hole Captain and the CBS camera crews in the lay-up zone and behind the green to ask about common occurrences, the best places to stand so that I would be out of the camera view, relief from TIO interference and anything else that might come up. This was a practice that I would follow at the start of every round on every hole and with every crew. Then at 8:50, the three-ball of Andrew Landry, Adam Long and Corey Connors hit their second shots toward the second green and my first Masters Tournament as a Rules Official was underway. It ended up being a quiet day from a rules standpoint and a nice way to ease into the tournament. The main issue was pace of play ... what else is new! We record the finish time for every group on every hole so that we know if there are any slow groups, and then report it so that the Rovers can take care of it right away by warning the groups. Just like in the Club Championship! Once the final group passed through the second hole, I was able to meet up with Susie and enjoy a little time on the lawn before returning to Tournament Headquarters to hear about various rulings that took place throughout the day. The evening function for Thursday was a PGA of America party hosted by our Officers at a private home in Augusta... a nice evening but personally we were ready for a good nights sleep!

DAY TWO ON THE SEVENTEENTH

With the 17th as my round 2 assignment, technically I could sleep in ... but no chance of that! Another good breakfast with more grits, a visit with my friends in the Members Golf Shop, a peek in the Patron's Golf Shop and a little time at the Practice Tee took up my morning. I then I headed out to the 17th for my second round assignment. Unlike Day One where I had another Rules Official covering the drive zone, the 17th was all mine! I did have PGA of America Vice President Jim Richerson with me as a Rules Observer, so Jim covered the drive zone on the players right and I took the left side drive zone and putting green. The 17th once had Ike's Tree, a huge Loblolly Pine right in the middle of the drive zone. The pine was named after President Eisenhower because his tee shot always seemed to find a way to hit the tree. But sadly a few years ago the iconic pine was lost in a storm. Still, the 17th is a tight driving hole, and because of the heavy rains that had fallen overnight, the areas outside of the drive zone where the Patrons were walking had potential issues for rulings ... namely temporary water and ground under repair. And the hole location on Friday was back left ... only 4 paces from the left edge of the green, steps away from the Observation Stand and TIO interference. Anything over the green will likely be in, on or under a Patron's Chair, so it would likely be a busy day with relief situations. At 12:35 and slightly ahead of schedule, the three-ball consisting of former Masters Champion Sandy Lyle, former Cal player Michael Kim and Patton Kizzire stepped up on the 17th tee and round two for me was underway. Kim's second shot finished over the green and against a spectator's chair. Anticipating my first Masters Ruling, I stood nearby in case I was called and waited. Nearby I spotted Mayacama Member Robert Pang who offered some words of encouragement ... "Don't screw this up!" But those Cal kids are smart and Kim took the appropriate action of marking his ball and removing the obstruction without moving the ball and played on. Other rulings were pretty simple ... Martin Kaymer from temporary water, Rickie Fowler who asked about relief but didn't get it. And my favorite ruling of the day done with hand signals with Japan's Shuho Imahira for TIO relief. Once we determined the relief area, Imahira then attempted to drop from shoulder height but I gave him the universal signal for dropping from the knee. Several other players asked about potential relief situations but instead chose to play the ball as it lay because of the good lie/angle that they had. All in all, a very good day, made even more so by Susie hanging out with me for a while. After two rounds, a record 65 players made the cut, including 4 of the 6 amateurs who were invited to this year's Masters. Our evening function for Friday was a wonderful reception hosted by the USGA at Augusta Country Club.

DAY THREE ... AMEN CORNER!

You can't get a bad assignment at The Masters, but the 12th on Saturday has to be near the top of the list for good ones. You sometimes have three Officials on the 12th, but I shared the duties with Jimmy Duncan, VP Rules & Competition for the Web.com tour. I got out to the 12th green early and scouted the area. It was perfect except for one area behind the green directly over the hole location, which was front left. Because of the rain the area behind the grreen was soft and there was a little area that almost looked like a French Drain, from which the player would be entitled relief. But after probing we determined that it was not a drain and that the player would have to play the ball as it lies. And for back-up, we called in a Rover who agreed with our assessment. Jimmy took the right side of the green and I took the left. Patrons are not permitted beyond the teeing area of the 12th so it was just us, the players, caddies, camera crew and the clean-up crew who is present to blow debris off the green and clean up sand deposited on to the green after bunker shots. Saturday was warm, humid and not a breath of wind, so players were mostly hitting wedge shots close to the hole. I was positioned just on the green side of the Hogan Bridge in order to have a clear angle on where balls would cross the edge of the penalty in the event they hit the other side and rolled back in. It's a tricky area because "back on the line" relief could take the player back toward the 11th green, and they would likely not be aware of that. So if a player dropped a ball in the wrong place, we would need to step in and have them correct the drop. Fortunately under the calm conditions, only three players found Rae's Creek. Two proceeded without incident and I was called in to assist with Bernhard Langer after his tee shot found the water. After some discussion he decided to use the Drop Zone but I quickly had to remind him to drop from the knee as he was about to let it go from shoulder height. Fortunately the area behind the green that we were certain would come into play did not. The only issue there was Jimmy Walker whose ball was embedded. Under the 2019 Rules, the relief procedure for an embedded ball has changed, so I was called over for clarification on his relief option. So another good day without being challenged too much. Shortly before the round was over, Chairman of the Masters Tournament Competition Committee and Rules Committee advised us over the radio that because of the forecast of severe weather moving into the area, Sunday's final round would be played in groups of three and we would be using a 1 & 10 Tee start beginning at 7:30 am. This was yet another historic occasion at the Masters Tournament, which has never utilized the option of a 1 & 10 Tee start on Sunday and never played in groups of three. Yet the safety of the players, the patrons and the staff is of paramount importance and the decision was applauded by everyone. Our evening function was a dinner with Kerry Haigh, Chief Championship Officer of the PGA of America and our Rules Committee and spouses ... a nice quiet evening before an early start of the final round.

MASTERS SUNDAY

This was it … Masters Sunday! And what a leaderboard. Obviously with my assignment on the drive zone on the eighteenth, I was intending to spend the morning watching some golf with Susie and hanging out at the range watching the greatest players in golf warm up. But the schedule change took care of that. One last serving of Masters grits and then I headed down to the left side of the 18th fairway. On the way, I took some time and walked on to the 18th green (because I could) and studied the Sunday Hole Location … 9 paces on and 5 from the left. I walked down the fairway to my spot, just beyond the last magnolia and just short of the two fairway bunkers. There I met Johnny Powers, the spotter on the 18th who has been occupying that position for 18 years. And he was good at what he does! I scouted the area as normal … potential ground under repair, TIO’s in the form of restrooms and concession area, and another potential TIO from the 18th fairway camera tower. I then took a walk to the 18th tee to look back up the fairway and that narrow chute, and it seems to grow smaller every year. With the 1 & 10 tee start, players arrived at the 18th tee around 9:20 and we were underway. From my spot, the angle is such that you cannot see the ball once the player hits it. You have to rely on the flagman on the tee to alert you of the direction. When he tilts the flag to his left, you have to take cover. First ruling of the day was with eventual Low Amateur Viktor Hovlund, whose tee shot came to rest in an area of ground under repair. Later in the day, Phil had line of sigh intervention from the camera tower just left of the fairway bunkers. Relief was offered but he chose instead to play over it, which he did with ease … easy game! Although we had several shots off the fairway, nothing required any relief and it was a pretty quiet day … until the final group neared the tee. Patrons seemed to come out of nowhere to line the fairway and see Tiger, who now had a two-stroke lead with one hole to play. As they reached the tee, I had but one thought … please hit this fairway! I had avoided the camera thus far and did not wish to end that streak now. After the drives came to rest, it seemed like the tournament was all but done and Tiger would have his 5th green jacket. Not sure what happened on Tiger’s second shot … it looked and sounded like he hit it well. Yet it came up short and right of the green but with a two-stroke lead there seemed to be no harm in that. Once the players cleared the drive zone, I was finished. I decided to stay right there and watch the walk up 18 and the finish from my spot … 162 yards from the front of the green. The ovation was overwhelming, as was the reaction when Tiger’s ball was holed. Everyone seemed to rise in unison and the roar was deafening! I watched the handshakes and embraces and then strolled up the fairway for one last time. In the Tournament Headquarters, it was touching saying goodbye to the AGNC Members who welcomed us into their home for the week and to my fellow Rules Committee Members. We all felt a tremendous bond for the week and it was tough to say goodbye to them and to the wonderful staff at Tournament HQ. One last piece of fried chicken and one last pint and then we were on our way … stopping along the way to thank every AGNC Member that we saw for a wonderful week.

RANDOM NOTES

Rules Officials – One of the interesting aspects about golf’s four Major Championships is that each one is conducted by a different association, or in the case of The Masters, by the Augusta National Golf Club. Accordingly, each Major Championship recruits its own group of Rules Officials. This can sometimes be disconcerting to the players when faced with an unusual rules situation. PGA Tour player are accustomed to their own group of officials who work their tour week in and week out. Same scenario on the European PGA Tour. But at the Majors, Rules Officials are recruited from organizations from around the world. It’s like if you have the same umpiring crew throughout the major league baseball season, but then an entirely different group for the World Series. At The Masters, for consistency, the “Rules Rovers” are largely made up of PGA Tour and European PGA Tour Rules Officials. In the event that a player asks for a second opinion as a result of an unfavorable ruling by one of the “Zone Officials”, players will usually feel comfortable when seeing a familiar face when the Rover arrives. They may not get the outcome that they like, but they will usually accept their fate when confirmed by someone that they know. Fortunately for me, I had no requests for a second opinion.

ANGC Members – One big takeaway from my behind the scenes Masters Tournament was how involved the Augusta National Golf Club Members are in conducting the tournament. Every Committee is chaired by a Member and it’s clear to see that it’s their tournament. You can feel the sense of pride that they all have in their Club and The Masters Tournament. They uphold the culture that Bobby Jones and Clifford Roberts created so many years ago. Their hospitality, not just to the Players or those of us on the Rules Committee but to the Patrons as well was evident from the moment that we stepped on the grounds until our final good-bye. And as soon as the Champion departs the Club down Magnolia Lane, they begin the process of looking at ways to improve the experience for everyone. Hard to beat perfection, but they always do!

I’ve been asked by several Mayacama Members if this was a one-time opportunity and I truly do not know the answer. Our PGA Rules Committee sends 7 or 8 Members every year. If I were to guess, I’d say the chances are good, and should I be fortunate enough to receive another invitation, I will be there in a second. But if I do not get the call, the experience will always be something that I will cherish. There’s something about Augusta in the Spring. On Monday after the Masters I was grateful to show Susie some of the places from my upbringing there, from the Greek Section of Magnolia Cemetery where many of my relatives rest to the Academy of Richmond County, my high school that was founded in 1783. And though I’d rather be there as a Player, I had a great sense of pride representing Mayacama Golf Club as a Member of the Masters Rules Committee! I look forward to sharing my experience on my next stop at golf’s second Major Championship … The PGA Championship next month at Bethpage State Park in New York!

With all good wishes,

Teddy