He has gone 27 consecutive holes without a bogey at Augusta National, and he has a clear plan of what he needs to do be fitted for a green jacket.
It was the equivalent of showing up for a tee time at Augusta National when the extent of your golf experience was a few rounds of putt-putt.
The membership of Augusta National includes a list of America's business elite, such as billionaire Warren Buffett, former General Electric Co.
WSJ: Golf: Augusta National Invites Condoleezza Rice, Darla Moore to Join
Whatever the opinions of some traditionalists, it is this attention to detail that ensures Augusta National remains a magnificent spectacle for both golf and horticultural aficionados alike.
"If this was the first black male CEO of IBM, and he was not allowed to join, IBM would not even be considering remaining a sponsor or having any other executives in the club, " said Burk, who made Augusta's policy a national issue in 2003.
CNN: Augusta National a powerful holdout among men-only clubs
Augusta National, with a membership that includes America's two richest men, Bill Gates and Warren Buffett, is an extremely wealthy place.
There's something awfully rich about anyone at Augusta National a club that admitted its first female members in 2012 being penalized for not moving fast enough.
WSJ: Jason Gay: Tiger's Staying, Are You?: Masters Golf Tournament
Adam Scott won the Masters tournament at Augusta National, posting a -9 score for the four rounds, then beating Angel Cabrera in a two-hole playoff in the rain.
From my view, it feels like Augusta National still has a little work to do if it wants the next generation of fans to take the club as seriously as it takes itself.
Thompson hasn't been to Augusta National since 2008 as a U.S. Amateur finalist.
After he qualified, the owner of his home course in Guangzhou maintained a green, at Augusta National speeds, exclusively for Guan's use.
WSJ: Tianlang Guan and the Sport That Eats Its Young | Golf Journal by John Paul Newport
Suggs, 88, is one of the 13 founders of the LPGA and was a good friend of Augusta National founder Bobby Jones.
There's also a cooking school, the 1849 homestead of Girl Scouts founder Juliette Gordon Low and a jaunt to the Augusta National Golf Club.
With a series of gutsy chips and clutch putts on Augusta National's pool-table slick greens, Guan notched four birdies and carded a 1-over-par 73, two shots better than Bubba Watson, the defending champion.
WSJ: Guan Tianlang: A Schoolboy Steals Day One of the Masters
But Augusta National wasn't merely a private club upholding its freedom to be backward.
The page uses the words "Augusta National" and even has a background photo of the clubhouse.
Ike played more than 800 rounds of golf while in office, a quarter of them at Augusta National.
WSJ: Why Golf and Politics Don't Mix | Golf Journal by John Paul Newport
Near Mobile Bay in the south, they play among towering oaks and magnolias on a course that looks like Augusta National.
The world number one, 34, also said he had been "blown away" by the reception from spectators during a practice round at the Augusta National on Monday.
For decades, Augusta National's uniqueness conferred a special status.
At the Masters, Augusta National Chairman Billy Payne dodged a string of questions about the club's position on female members, surely knowing the tournament is about to begin and the issue is likely to be pushed into the background the true tradition unlike any other.
Still more impressive, the day of play at Augusta National drew the biggest audience for a golf broadcast in cable history.
Arguments like the one over Augusta National matter, because they shine a bright light on the ingrained attitudes that should be no longer acceptable in a civilized society.
In a statement released Saturday morning, Augusta National explained that the rules committee had spoken with Woods and decided he had made the mistake unknowingly and did not disqualify him.
Violators usually receive a polite phone call from someone representing Augusta National, requesting they reconsider words that are "confusingly similar" to those that the club has rights to.
That led to a phone call from a television viewer claiming a violation and an investigation by the Augusta National rules committee, which ruled the drop was kosher then reconsidered when Woods confessed to dropping the ball in the wrong spot to gain an advantage.
In that statement, Payne said the decision marked a "significant and positive time" for Augusta National.
Augusta National Golf Club learned of the violation by a television viewer.
Woods insisted beforehand he would be able to withstand any abuse coming his way - a likelier proposition than at the tightly controlled Augusta National.
There were four of us: working press from all over the globe suddenly possessing the wide-eyed stare of excited children, with a glorious invitation to the pristine fairways of Augusta National -- living out our fantasies of actually playing the course.
应用推荐