You’ve witnessed the scale of the facilities and the golf course undergo dramatic changes in your quarter-century. Do you have a favourite version? Well, we all know how the pre- and post-round ex- perience, the range and the media centre and so forth have changed in ways that seemingly only Augusta National can pull off. But the on-course experience has remained the same, in keeping with the values of the tournament that I think have always been there. Playing-wise, that period of 2010 to 2016 matched up best for me. But if I had a time machine, I would love to go back and see early 1990s Augusta. There were far fewer tree- lined fairways, more width and more angles, and the ball ran a lot more. I think it played faster with balls bounding up onto greens. I would’ve liked to have experienced no first cut of rough, like, drives leaking right on 14 scurrying deep into the pine straw, whereas now it takes a very bad shot to get there. That’s what I have in my head anyway, but I can’t really know if it’s true. I understand it’s a difficult balance setting the course with how the game is played today. ● ● ● Your tenure has overlapped the eras of three Chairman – Hootie Johnson, Billy Payne and Fred Ridley. Who did you get to know best? As I wasn’t a champion during Hootie Johnson’s time, there wasn’t any reason for him to be hanging around talking to me. Billy Payne was an imposing and intimidating figure, although I had nothing but warm and friendly experiences personally with him. At the champion’s dinner, he had his way of representing the club while Fred – rather Mr Chairman, I should say – has his way. Not in a difficult way at all, but with Chairman Payne, we players were guests of the club. With Chairman Ridley, it’s as if he is a guest of the champions. Both ways are absolutely fine. I’m older now, so I’m sure I see things differently. I’m happy just to have the privilege to enjoy that evening, which I’ll never take for granted. The club can host the din- ner however they like. ● ● ● Close your eyes and remember 2013 early in the week. Was there anything like a premonition? Well, I won all the money both practice rounds. Didn’t miss a shot for two days. I played with the South African boys – Ernie (Els), Charl (Schwartz- el), Louis (Oosthuizen) and Branden (Grace). Ernie said to my coach at the time (Brad Malone), “Your boy is ready.” I’m quite close with Ernie, and he could maybe tell I had the bit between my teeth. Obviously, the summer before I had lost The Open that Ernie won, and he knew I wanted to go get it while I was playing my best. ● ● ● In retrospect, being grouped Thursday and Fri- day with Angel Cabrera, who you’d face in the playoff, was a bit auspicious. (Sergio Garcia,
‘If I had a time machine, I would love to go back and see early 1990s Augusta.’
IDEAL SETUP Adam Scott’s address position has been emulated all his career, though he says it has changed. “In my youth, my spine line and angles were all very straight. As I’ve gotten older, they’ve softened, a natural evolution that I like. My key now is proper hip hinge. With age, it can sometimes feel natural to sit with a sloppy back and too much knee bend. So, I make sure to hinge forward from my hips. You want the hips to feel out of the way so you can swing freely.”
who’d finish T-8, was their third). Angel and I had played together a fair amount over the years. On Friday he was just getting it around OK, sort of survived holes 9, 10, 11 and 12, that trou- blesome area of the course. Then on 13, he pounds this driver over the corner, and I see him immedi- ately start talking with his caddie, his son. I was just close enough to see the exchange. It was like his eyes suddenly locked in. He had found what he needed and knew he was going to be on the rest of the way. He’s such a tough competitor who never backs down when he’s on. At that point in the tour- nament, it wasn’t necessarily something that im- pacted me, but it’s something I remember clearly. ● ● ● Did you interact with Cabrera last year when he returned after a five-year absence? Yes, we spoke. It was great, so great. And he played so well. How did he do that? The guy’s so talented. ● ● ● Apart from the playoff, was there a most criti- cal shot you pulled off that maybe doesn’t get remembered? I remember standing on the top of the hill on 15 on Sunday as it was raining. Jason (Day) has just made birdie. I hadn’t yet thought about winning, rather the question was being asked: “Are you going to go with him?” What I had done was not enough, and I just had to keep going. I had 4-iron in from the right side. I was either gonna stay in the tournament, or I was gonna bow out. That was my make-or-break moment. It wasn’t until I was on the 17th fairway that I allowed myself to think, Right, I’m in position to win. In a way, it was a bless- ing that thought didn’t occur until the 71st hole of the tournament. Playing the entire day with the lead would’ve been much harder, but there always comes a moment when you can’t shy away from the reality of what it’s going to take to win a tournament, whether that’s going birdie-birdie or par-par, or whatever the situation demands. You need to be able to handle that. Somehow my brain switched to, OK, now I win. ● ● ● As a leading face of the Internationals, is it a ri- diculous question to ask if the pressure you’ve experienced in the Masters is comparable to the pressure you’ve felt in Presidents Cups? Unfortunately, I’ve never been, or have yet to be, in
56 GOLF DIGEST SOUTH AFRICA
MARCH/APRIL 2026
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