I always knew that if I ever got the miracle chance to play Augusta National, it would be special.
What I didn’t know were the intricacies of each detail Augusta plans for media members who are fortunate enough to hit the annual lottery and play Augusta National the day after the Masters.
But this year my name was called, and it was my time for a Monday spin around Augusta.
For starters, you get to arrive exactly one hour prior to your tee time, and mine was 1:00. I was allowed to step foot on the grounds at 12:00 sharp, which I did.
Related: Watch Dan’s reaction when he found out he won the Augusta National media lottery
Once on the grounds, I was instructed to go to my locker in the Champions Locker Room, a sentence I never thought I would say. I was assigned to the same locker as two-time Masters champion Bubba Watson.
After getting my locker, I knew I had to tackle the Augusta pro shop first. Quite literally no one except members, players and lucky media-lottery winners get to shop at this store. I spent more money than I’m willing to admit, and I don’t regret a penny.
After spending a half hour in the pro shop, I had about 15 minutes remaining until my tee time. I dropped my new merch off in my locker and rushed to the range, where I hit maybe 10 total balls. Luckily I hit a local range before I got there, knowing this would be the case.
I was then ushered to the first tee where I was told that after the group in front of us hit their approach shots, we were welcome to begin, and enjoy Augusta National. That’s a sentence I will never forget.
The course itself produced more memorable moments than I could have imagined. From getting to hit out of pine straw to save par on the 1st, to a beautiful approach shot on 14 for a tap-in birdie, I have countless memories I will never forget.
Prior to the round, I made a decision to not keep track of my score, so I could live in the moment and savor the round. However, I can remember every shot from the round, and about a week after, I added up my score.
After 18 holes, I finished with a score of 95 at Augusta National.
If you want to hear every detail from one of the best days of my entire life, tune in to this week’s episode of the Dan Evans Show. And catch up with past episodes at our home on SI Golf.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as I Played Augusta National the Day After the Masters.
