Bryden Macpherson
by Ryan Lavner
AUGUSTA, Ga.(April 4, 2012) -- Bryden
Macpherson and Chris Haack, player and
coach, chatted for a half hour behind the
ninth green Tuesday at Augusta National.
And that wasn’t the only familiar scene.
There was the Bulldog headcover on
Macpherson’s driver. There was the “Go
Dawgs!” cheer that followed him around
the course. There was the Georgia fan
who barked at him, incessantly. (“I was
like, ‘Get this guy a bone or something,’”
he said.)
Even though Macpherson, 21, left the
Georgia program in February to spend
more time with his swing coach as he
prepares for the Masters and his
upcoming professional career, “I’m just as
much a Bulldog as I was before,” he said.
“There’s no hard feelings at all between
us.”
Having spent about six weeks at home in
Melbourne with his swing coach, Denis
McDade, Macpherson reported that his
swing felt simpler, that it has fewer
moving parts. “I’m hitting it a lot straighter
with a lot more shape and controlling the
flight a lot better,” he said. Usually that
works.
Two months after making a career-altering
decision, Macpherson, who became only
the second Australian to win the British
Amateur, says he has no regrets.
“It was the best move for me,” he said. “It
was tough leaving UGA (Georgia), but
there’s a certain type of player that
flourishes in that atmosphere. It wasn’t
for me. I’m a very hands-on guy, and I
need my coaches with me, saying, ‘That’s
not right’ or what have you. Other guys
have spent their whole lives just playing
the game and scoring, and I’ve never
really done that.”
This is Macpherson’s final week as an
amateur, as he’ll turn pro immediately
after the Masters. The experience at
Augusta will be memorable regardless of
how well he plays, but the Aussie certainly
relishes the opportunity to test his skills
against the world’s best.
Macpherson said he’s played Augusta
National “about 10 times” and is starting
to understand its subtle nuances. “I’m still
under-reading a lot of putts, but that’s to
be expected,” he said. “You read the putt
and multiply it by two -- that’s how much it
breaks.”
On Monday night, Macpherson joined the
other amateurs in the field for the annual
Amateur Dinner, held in the Magnolia Suite
at Augusta National with club members,
representatives from the R&A and USGA
and other past amateur champions. He
was scheduled to stay in the Crow’s Nest
that night, but was too rushed in
preparing for dinner.
“I’m a vegetarian so they made me
something special,” Macpherson said of
the Amateur Dinner. “I don’t even know
what it was, but it tasted good.”
For an amateur, there is no more delicious
week than this.
ABOUT THE
The Masters
One of Golf's four professional majors
traditionally invites amateurs who have reached
the
finals of the US Amateur, or won the British
Amateur
or
the US Mid Amateur. Also included are
the winners of the relatively new Asia Pacific
Amateur
and Latin American Amateur.
View Complete Tournament Information