9PM Tuesday Night, at ANGC 12 hours later
Had to share this because it still doesn’t feel real.
Tuesday night, kids are down, wife’s out, I’m on the couch doing absolutely nothing. 9:10pm my business partner calls me and asks what I’m doing tomorrow. I say “working?” and he goes “no you’re not, I’ve got one ticket.”
So I go to book a flight… nothing. Completely sold out. Try rental cars… nothing. At this point I’m already mentally in, so there’s really only one option left.
Drive from Tampa.
My wife walks in while I’m figuring this out, hears what’s happening, runs upstairs, throws a bag together, comes back down and tells me to sleep for two hours and then leave. Then hands me a full shopping list for the golf shop like I’m being deployed.
I lay down and obviously don’t sleep at all. Just staring at the ceiling wondering how I went from doing nothing on the couch to about to drive to Augusta in the middle of the night.
Midnight I give up, get in the car, and start heading north.
Next thing I know I’m walking through the gates at Augusta on zero sleep like this is a totally normal life decision. First stop is the golf shop to complete my assigned husband duties, then I just wandered the place all day. Walked the course twice, ate way too much, made the required “you’re not going to believe where I am” calls from the phone banks. Took a piss next to Justin Rose in the restrooms next to 7 tee. Stood at 15 green wondering how the hell Rory hit that 7 iron to 4 feet.
That place is ridiculous. It doesn’t even look real. At some point I caught myself pointing things out like I knew what I was talking about, like I’ve played there before, like there’s a green jacket somewhere with my name on it.
There is not.
But for a few hours I really convinced myself there might be.
Absolutely worth it. Would make that drive again without thinking twice.