Masters Top 10

This is Mandy writing:

Wow, where do I begin? When I starting thinking about this last blog, it became less about deciding what to write and more about what to leave out, because honestly how do you sum up a week such as this? There are so many experiences I could tell, so many things I could describe, but for your sake and because some things are better left as a memory I have created a top ten list instead. Let me set the stage for you; imagine Mr. Billy Payne standing on the podium looking spiffy to the tee (no pun intended). No, no let me back up, I just realized only a few of you have any idea who Billy Payne is, so he will not do (commissioner, of the Masters by the way). Ok, instead imagine Angel Cabrarrea waiting to receive his green jacket. Ahhh crap he doesn’t speak English. Alright I’ll just cut right to it, let’s just imagine who we all really wanted to win, I think his voice would suit my top ten best, Mr. Kenny Perry (large sigh, bogey on 18, really). There he stands in his imaginary green jacket, he takes a deep breath and announces, “I dedicate this win to Mike Fiechtner, who is quite possibly this biggest Masters fan of all time,” he continues, “his dedication to this tournament is unparalleled. From his countless hours researching ebay, to his willingness to take vacation days just to watch us on TV, all this only matched by his extensive Masters spreadsheet. Mike, this top ten is for you!”

10. The excitement of driving past the hallowed Magnolia Lane at 12:30am (although Mike had on rose colored glasses I was surprised to see that it was in the middle of suburbia strip mall ville.)

9. Walking through the merchandise tent looking at all the cool Masters memorabilia (yeah I spent an arm and a leg, but how many times do you get to buy Masters stuff, oh wait….. ebay)

8. The first look at the course. (It was just like a painting laid out before us, hills and trees and flowers and the giant score board! Ahhh as they say the closest thing to heaven on earth.)

7. Walking the whole course and listening to Mike tell me all kinds of useless facts, “oh, did you know this is the only hole with a palm tree (hole #4), ahh this is the hole where Sarzen got his double eagle, this is where Greg Norman came up short and his ball rolled all the way back,…. (You get the point, and don’t be deceived I loved every little tid bit)

6. Getting autographs throughout the week, and standing in the line watching all the players walk to the driving range. (The irony is that I didn’t get any of the autographs while standing in the line, although we did get 8 new autographs, and I was able to get 2 of them. One was Bernard Langer as he was walking off the practice green, he was right in the crowd and not many people noticed him. And Charles Coody, he signed on the back side of the club house, against Augusta National rules, oooooo. Yeah, Yeah who is Charles Coody, winner in 1971 duh.)

Ok here comes the big disclaimer. I recognize the fact that with each number I am sounding more and more like Mike. But I assure you this is all me, granted Mike has clearly affected my state of mind. Although no where the same level as Mike, with some hesitation I must admit, I too love the Masters. Yeah I said it, so what.

5. Mike getting Larry Mize to personalize our flag (he always puts a name or a verse when signing) to say Mandy with my favorite verse below it, better than any flowers or chocolate ladies. To make it even more special Mike went to great lengths all week trying to get this signature, finally making friends with his caddy he was able get him to sign. And you must understand Mike has been working on this flag for many years now, collecting around 20 signatures, and only missing about 8 champions who are still alive. It is a big love of his, therefore very special to me.

4. Watching past champions drive down Magnolia Lane for the champions’ dinner Tuesday night. How could you do this you ask, well, que Steve the Sheriff, our good friend who guarded Magnolia lane. This number could not have happened without him. Like everyone we met this week Steve could not have been any nicer, he went above and beyond for us. We meet him on Tuesday at the end of the day right after being asked to say some words for a European Tour show on the Golf channel. We thought that was pretty cool but what followed top that by a thousand. Because of the cold weather the champions’ dinner was held inside this year, which consequently meant Steve did not make us leave when we were supposed to. As we began to chat he told us stories of players, past champions, members, the works, things only an insider would know. And sure enough we got to stand there long enough to see many of the past champions drive up for the dinner. So dressed to the tee, we saw Woosnam, Faldo, Nicklaus, Palmer, Crenshaw, Weir, etc…

3. Sitting on 18 the final day. We watched all the drama unfold, heard the roars from Phil and Tiger, and even got on TV a few times. Overall an awesome place to be, no thanks to Mike and his mad dash to place our chairs in primetime spot! He and thousands of his friends were vying for a very small amount of space because there are no bleachers on 18. So we waited at the gates until 8:05 and the dash began, I was left in the dust but reaped the benefits of my hubby’s long legs and determination.

2. The par three tournament, again finding awesome seats on 9, this time I scored the prime time spot. We got to see Tim Clark and Gary Player get hole in ones (Player’s was actually his third shot after going in the water), we enjoyed watching all the player’s kiddos caddy for them and putt the final shot for them. We watched Fuzzy pick a little girl out of the crowd to putt his last shot for him, about a 15 foot side hill putt, which she made on one of the fastest greens in the world! It was so fun taking pictures and watching, a very fun relaxing day. Check out the picture I took on the Masters website of Nicklaus, Mike claimed it but I took it!

1. Being blessed enough to share the opportunity of a lifetime with my amazing husband. Words can describe how thankful I am for his love of me, and well, The Masters. Because it is that love that made all of this happen, truly an unforgettable experience, unlikely to be topped in this lifetime.