Masters golf: Cam Davis gets his head out of the clouds and sinks his teeth into the Masters
Cam Davis admits he spent most of his Masters debut in awe of Augusta National. This year’s different as he finished day one in the top ten.
Cam Davis’s head is out of the high, wispy clouds.
“The first time you’re here, you’re just so happy to be here,” he said after leading the Australians on day one of the Masters.
“The second time, you’re so happy to be here, but now you know what it’s about. Now you can spend a little bit more time prepping yourself for the golf you need to play rather than just being in awe of the place the entire time.
Definitely this year I feel a little calmer out here. A little more at ease with the environment, with some of the shots you’ve got to play. In that regard it does feel like I’m a little more getting to business this week rather than just here to enjoy the ride.”
Davis finished 49th on debut at Augusta National last year. Making up the numbers. Now he’s gunning to win it. “I would love to,” he said after being tied for sixth, trailing opening-day leader Bryson DeChambeau by just four shots.
“It’s a childhood dream to be here. It’s a childhood dream also to come up that last hole with a lead and finish it up. That’s the sort of dream we’re chasing now. Now we’re preparing to do that rather than just being happy to be here.
“What’s my game plan? How am I playing this place? I don’t need to copy someone else. I need to figure out how this works best for me and go from there. I think the back nine on Sunday is the only time you can start thinking about the leaderboard. You’ve got a lot of work to do to get there.”
The other Cam, Smith, slipped and nearly fell into Rae’s Creek while preparing for the Masters. He stayed dry but his ball was less fortunate on Thursday. A fluffed nine-iron found the bank in front of the 12th green before the ball inevitably, inexorably, inconveniently trickled into the body of water at Amen Corner that has drowned many a promising campaign.
Smith took a double-bogey five, fell back to even par but recovered to post a respectable enough one-under-par 71 following a compromised build-up lowlighted by severe food poisoning. Of the other Australians, Min Woo Lee scribbled his signature on a 74; amateur Jasper Stubbs on an 80. Adam Scott and Jason Day didn’t complete their rounds after a two-hour morning rain delay.
Scott was one-over after 13 holes; Day was even par after 13, playing alongside five-time Masters champion Tiger Woods, who was one-under and heading for a mega-early start on Friday.
“A bit of a poor shot,” Smith said of coming a cropper at Amen Corner. “It’s just a tough hole. It’s a tough back nine. It’s a tough golf course. It’s going to be a tough week.” Speaking of high, wispy clouds, Smith won a British Open from them. The lesson? “Hang in there,” he said.
More Coverage
Dad’s the word as part-timer sets pace at Vic Open
Full-time dad, part-time golfer. That’s Josh Geary’s life. And the New Zealander hasn’t wasted a rare chance on course this week at the Victorian Open.
Australian Adam Scott in Trump appeal to end golf civil war
Adam Scott has met with Donald Trump in his role as a player director of the US PGA in an attempt to have the US President broker a deal to reunite the world of professional golf.