A Bit Southern Gentlemanly Hospitality At The Masters Tournament

Why do players help each other at Augusta?

AUGUSTA, Ga. – Masters practice rounds are now group efforts.

On any given day here, players young and old, grizzled and green, technical and instinctive, will join forces to tour Augusta National. The three- or four-man groups are essentially a meeting of the minds, with players and caddies exchanging tidbits of information about where to miss, how putts break and why different wind directions affect club selection.

Each player’s preparation is different, but most agree that it’s crucial to log plenty of practice rounds and to pick the brains of Masters veterans.

That’s why Matt Fitzpatrick, 21, practiced with Bernhard Langer, 58.

And why Jin Cheng, 18, took a spin with Tom Watson, 66.

And why Derek Bard, 20, hooked up with Larry Mize, 57.

At Augusta, sharing is caring.

Which is a bit unusual, of course, because in no other sport would world-class athletes help their competition succeed.

Can you imagine Steph Curry giving LeBron James tips on how to defend him?

Or Clayton Kershaw showing Bryce Harper exactly how and when he throws his filthy curveball?

Or Novak Djokovic telling Roger Federer how to return his lethal forehand?

Of course not.

Yet it is commonplace at the Masters for players to help each other on the most demanding course in the world – a venue that, Jordan Spieth’s recent success notwithstanding, typically requires a tremendous amount of course knowledge.

Pressed about the unselfish culture that exists here, Watson bristled.

“It’s the right thing to do,” he said.

After all, it’s how Watson learned the course back in the mid-1970s, when he relied on advice from Ken Venturi and Byron Nelson. Now, Watson is paying it forward, inviting Robert Streb, first-timer Troy Merritt and Cheng, the Asia-Pacific Amateur champion, for a Tuesday practice round.

As an amateur, Tiger Woods practiced with Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, Raymond Floyd,Seve Ballesteros, Greg Norman, Fred Couples and Jose Maria Olazabal. They went through all of the necessary checkpoints – the proper places to miss, the different chip shots, the subtle breaks on the notoriously difficult greens. Woods, of course, went on to claim four green jackets.

Even Spieth, who at 21 became the youngest Masters champion since Woods, needed some help along the way. Last year, he played nine holes with two-time champion Ben Crenshaw and Woods. Spieth’s caddie, Michael Greller, spent 45 minutes with legendary looper Carl Jackson (who was on the bag for both of Crenshaw’s titles) before the weekend rounds, talking about every hole. Greller compared it to meeting Michael Jordan and breaking down the NBA Finals.

(GolfChannel.com)