Chapter 30: The Masters

On Monday morning Dave played his first practice round for the Masters and instantly loved the Augusta National Golf Course. It was long and challenging with lightning-fast greens. He and Alec spent a lot of time taking notes and researching each golf hole. Dave practiced for two hours in the afternoon and was very pleased with his ball striking. His parents arrived that evening and Dave visited with them for a while before he returned to his room and studied for two hours then went to bed. Dave had found that he could learn much more material if he kept squeezing in one or two short studying sessions every chance he had.

He woke early on Tuesday and went directly to the course. He practiced hard for four hours before going to lunch with Alec then playing another practice round in the afternoon. He was pleased to shoot seventy-one and was getting a good feel for the lush Georgia course. He and Alec went to supper with Dave's parents before Dave went back to his room to study. After three good hours of studying he sat with Alec and they had a long discussion about their educations and their futures.

Alec made the important personal announcement that he was considering and had almost concluded he should ask Shauna to marry him. Dave was very excited for his friend. He told Alec how lucky he was to have found such a wonderful and steadfast woman. Alec agreed he was a very lucky person and turned the conversation to Dave's condition. Alec spoke very frankly about his substantial concerns about Dave's new love, Anne; Dave listened intently. When Alec finished outlining his fears that her true intentions might be very negative in the future, Dave explained that he really liked Anne and he was trying not to overreact to small imperfections in his relationships. He said he was presently committed to Anne and didn't want to repeat mistakes he had made previously by overreacting. He also said he would try to be more aware and not be blind to serious defects. He did understand Alec's concerns and was being careful.

Dave switched the conversation to Alec becoming his fulltime caddie. Dave outlined the proposal he had carefully developed, "The NCAA Championships end June 3^rd and I plan on hiring an agent on Monday, June 5^th. I'm going to play the US Open as a professional and I want to have you as my caddie. I'll pay you the standard ten percent of all my winnings and bonuses. I will also give you ten percent of any appearance fees I receive for tournaments. If I sign endorsement contracts for at least one million dollars I will guarantee you an annual salary of $100,000. I know the numbers sound huge but I need a good caddie I can trust and I don't trust anyone more than I trust you. Will you be my full-time caddie?"

Alec looked at his friend in considerable surprise; he was silent as he totaled up the prospects. He had been half-expecting Dave would ask him to caddie - but he never imagined he could earn as much money as Dave was suggesting. Alec knew that the top fifty players in 2005 earned $2,000,000 in prize money which meant if Dave were to crack the top fifty his caddie share would be $200,000. The top ten earned over $5,000,000 - he could earn enough money to provide him and Shauna with a very comfortable future. He smiled at his friend and new employer; as soon as he said 'yes', they shook hands to confirm the deal.

They talked for another hour about details before going to bed. Dave slept well thinking about his discussions with Alec and that the matter of who would be his caddie was settled.

A par-three warm-up event was held on Wednesday but Dave didn't play. He spent the day practicing. That evening his father asked him to go to a movie but Dave said he didn't feel like it. His mother, Carol, passed as well but Alec wanted to go so Roger and Alec went together. Dave spent a quiet evening talking to his mother. He didn't know it but his parents had planned to arrange some private time for Dave and his mother to chat. Carol had missed her long talks with her son. They sat comfortably in Dave's hotel suite and talked and talked. Dave told his mother about his feelings for Anne and also about Alec's concerns. Carol told him to search hard inside his heart to decide if Anne was the right woman for him; she also suggested he take things slowly and not be in a rush to make a decision without sufficient thinking. Carol then brought Dave up to date on life on QAI. Dave really enjoyed the relaxing evening; when his father and Alec returned, Dave kissed his mother goodbye and shook his father's hand before they left. Dave studied for an hour before he went to bed. He had a lot to think about as he lay in bed mulling over his future.

He woke early the next morning and walked to the Starbucks coffeehouse down the street. He was resuming his morning ritual and he sipped hot chocolate as he got focused on his opening round. He had a one o'clock tee time so, after spending half an hour in the coffee shop, he walked back to the hotel and ate breakfast with Alec. They went to the course shortly after eight and Dave practiced most of the morning. He and Alec ate a good meal before he started to prepare for his opening round.

He was scheduled to tee off on the tenth hole along with his playing partner Retief Goosen. Dave was nervous as he hit his first tee shot but he found the fairway safely. The first nine went fairly well and Dave shot one under par. The greens were even faster than they had been during the practice rounds and Dave couldn't get his putter going perfectly. He hit almost every fairway and most of the greens but was unable to capitalize on the numerous birdie putt opportunities he had generated.

The front nine was a repeat of the back but an improving Dave managed to sink three birdie putts and, adding in only one bogey, he finished the first round with a solid sixty-nine. Tiger had played in the morning draw and he blasted out of the gates with a sixty-five and was leading the tournament. Dave was sitting in eighth position and was very happy to be in the top ten. He was guided to the media tent after he carefully signed his card. The media pelted him with questions about Tiger and Dave finally said, "I'm Dave MacDonald, not Tiger Woods. I can only control how I play and I was pleased with my first-ever round at the Masters. I hit the ball really well but didn't roll the ball very successfully on the greens. I plan to focus on my game and, if I am in the hunt on Sunday - I will deal with whoever is the leader then. The tournament is seventy-two holes, not eighteen."

Dave left the tent and found Alec and his parents. They all went out to dinner and Dave enjoyed the relaxing conversation. He spent the evening studying before crawling into bed at ten o'clock. He had an early tee time on Friday so he was at Starbucks shortly after six. He focused on his second round and maintained his concentration as he strolled back to the hotel. He and Alec ate large breakfasts before heading to the course.

Dave warmed up for over an hour before he teed off on the first hole. He was playing with Retief again. Retief had shot seventy-one the first day and Dave enjoyed playing two days in a row with the South African. Dave hit the ball very well again the second day and he putted a little better. He shot sixty-eight and was very happy to be seven under through two rounds. Retief shot sixty-nine and was also pleased with his solid effort. Dave spent another thirty minutes in the media tent before he and Alec went back to their hotel and ate a late lunch. Dave then studied for an hour before going to the pool where he swam hard for an hour. He was back studying hard in his room when he heard a tapping on his door. As he pulled the door open, he was very happy to see three wonderful women - the twins and Shauna - smiling at him. Shauna immediately went to Alec's room while Dave guided the twins to the couch in the main room. Jana explained, "We decided to come to Georgia and cheer on our favorite golfer."

Dave thanked them for coming and waited for a lull in the conversation before he asked, "Didn't Anne want to come?"

Kyra shook her head before she replied, "No, I called and invited her but she only got mad that Jana and I were coming to watch you."

Dave was disappointed to hear about Anne's decision; but he was very happy to see his twin friends and they talked casually for an hour before Alec and Shauna walked out of the bedroom smiling. Dave suggested they go to dinner together and he phoned his parents to meet them. Dave's parents were happy to see Shauna and the twins and they enjoyed a relaxing meal together. They talked for over an hour after dinner before Dave, Alec, Shauna, and the twins returned to the hotel. Dave called to check his tee time and found out he was playing with Phil Michelson who was also seven under par. Dave then turned on the television to the golf channel and checked the leader board. Dave and Phil were tied for fifth place - eight strokes behind Tiger who had shot another strong round of sixty-four. Mike Weir was in second at nine under par while Chris DiMarco and Vijay Singh were tied for third at eight under par.

Dave didn't have to tee off until one o'clock so he sat up talking with the twins. When it was eventually bedtime, Dave followed the twins into his room. There were two double beds and he begged, "I don't mind if you sleep in the other bed but please don't torture me by having noisy sex. You know I can't have sex with you and I won't get a wink of sleep if you two make love."

Kyra batted her angelic eyes and pleaded, "Would I tease you?" She then peeled her top over her head exposing her round firm breasts. Dave felt his manhood jump instantly so he turned and stripped down to his boxers then got in the other bed. He tried not to look at the twins but he couldn't resist and he rolled over just in time to see the two gorgeous dark skinned bodies climb into the other bed, naked.

He rolled over in his bed and debated whether to say the hell with his moral commitments and make love to them but he knew he couldn't. He finally fell asleep with both their naked bodies imprinted on his brain. As he slept he felt some movement on his bed. He then felt a warm naked body slide into his arms. He put an arm around Kyra's waist and went back to sleep. Not long after, he felt another body crawl into the bed. He felt Jana pull his boxers off before her breasts pushed into his back - he was a whole wheat sandwich again and did he ever sleep well. He waited for her to try something with him but she didn't.

He woke the next morning with his hard-on pushed between the cheeks of Jana's ass. He went to roll out of bed but she grabbed his arm and held him down as she whispered, "Can we please just cuddle for a while longer? I've very much missed simply being naked in your arms. I can't believe I was so stupid last summer to fuck up our relationship. I don't think I will ever forgive myself."

Dave kissed her on the neck before he whispered, "Life is unpredictable - I'm relieved that I didn't lose your friendship. I loved making love to you but your friendship is even more important."

Jana turned and looked intently into his eyes. She spoke very softly, "Are you sure Anne is the right woman for you? Jennifer..." Dave gently placed his hand on Jana's lips to stop her talking. Jana pulled his hand away and started to speak again. "But Jennifer..."

Dave again cut her off, "Jennifer is in Canada and I am with Anne now."

Jana realized Dave didn't want to speak about his relationship so she abandoned her attempt and instead asked, "Do you mind showering with Kyra and me?"

As Dave nodded Kyra exclaimed, "I'm not ready to stop cuddling yet." She pushed herself tighter against Dave's back. He rolled onto his back and placed an arm around each sister. They moved their heads to his chest and he stared down at them happily. God, he so wanted to make love to them - but that was not an option. They chatted for a half hour about school and their families before they got in the shower and cleaned each other thoroughly. Dave allowed his soapy hands to wonder freely over their firm bodies and he again had to use every ounce of restraint he had to not make love to them.

After he was dressed he slipped out of the hotel and walked to the Starbucks. His mind was on the twins more than his golf game and he debated whether he should break up with Anne so he could be with the twins. He looked down toward his little head and growled, "You stop trying to run this show. I really care for Anne and you're not going to screw that up." At Starbucks, he refocused on his golf game for another fifteen minutes, and then went back to the hotel. After they all ate a good breakfast, Shauna dropped Dave and Alec off at the golf course.

Dave hit balls for over an hour before going to the putting green and putting for another hour. His putting stroke felt really good and he talked briefly with Mike Weir before he spotted Phil Michelson. He strolled over to Phil and asked, "How's the Sun Devil doing?"

Phil chuckled as he heard Dave refer to his alma-mater Arizona State Sun Devils. He replied, "I think we could use a little team support to help us catch a Tiger."

Dave suddenly had a brilliant idea and he proposed, "Tiger is eight strokes ahead of us both so let's work together today to catch him. We'll encourage each other and see if we can feed off one another's good play."

Phil put his hand straight out with a closed fist. As Dave lightly punched his hand with a similar closed fist, Phil added, "But tomorrow - it's every man for himself." Dave nodded agreement.

They putted for another half hour as they waited for the call to the first tee. Phil teed off first and he hit a huge drive down the right side over the bunker. Dave hit next and he also pounded a huge drive, fifteen yards past Phil's drive. They congratulated each other before strolling down the fairway confidently. Phil hit a great approach shot to six feet while Dave pulled his slightly and was left with twenty-feet to the hole. Dave rolled his first putt over the edge before tapping in for par. Phil knocked his putt dead centre. After Phil made the putt Dave walked to him and they hit fists again as Dave congratulated him.

On the second hole Phil hit a good drive while Dave launched a mammoth drive around the corner of the long par five. Phil walked to Dave and they hit fists again to celebrate the great drives. In the fairway, Phil laid up inside the hundred yard marker with a five iron while Dave hit a perfect three iron onto the green. Dave was left with a twelve-foot eagle putt. Phil then hit a great wedge shot to seven feet. Dave had to putt first and after surveying the putt carefully he made a smooth stroke with his putter. The ball rolled toward the corner of the hole and died just as it reached the right lip and dropped to the bottom for an eagle three. Phil punched Dave's hand before he stood over his putt and stroked it dead center. They hit fists again and both men moved to third hole tied at two under par.

The front nine continued to go well for both golfers and, as they had hoped, they seemed to psychologically feed off each other's strong play. At the turn Dave was five under par and Phil was four. Dave was happy to have Shauna, the twins, and his parents following him. As he approached the tenth tee he suddenly saw Anne smiling at him. He walked to her and kissed her softly. She seemed to glare at the twins but didn't say anything. Dave quickly put his game face back on and walked onto the tee with Phil.

Dave watched Anne walk over to his parents and introduce herself. He was watching them talk when Phil called him back from wandering, "You're up, Dave."

Dave turned and looked down the fairway. The group in front of them had hit their second shots and begun walking to the green so Dave teed up his ball. He focused on his shot before he put a smooth swing on his driver. The ball bounced down the left side and slipped into the rough. It was the first fairway he had missed all day. Phil hit a good drive down the right side of the fairway. Dave's ball was sitting down in the rough but he managed to get enough club on the ball to hit it onto the green thirty feet from the hole. Phil hit a good shot ten feet from the cup. Dave two-putted for par before Phil rolled in another birdie. After their now normal congratulatory fist punches, they moved to the eleventh hole.

Dave got refocused on his game and he finished the back strongly. He and Phil ended up shooting identical nine-under sixty-threes. They celebrated together on the final green before going to sign their cards. Dave glanced at the leader board as he walked into the secured tent and was pleased to see that he and Phil had reduced Tiger's lead to just two strokes. Tiger was still three under for the day and had left most of the other contenders in the dust. After Phil and Dave the next closest was Mike Weir, nine strokes behind Tiger at nine under par.

When Dave went into the media tent, the reporters went wild asking questions about him and Phil and their working together. Dave explained that they had agreed to try and boost each other's confidence and close the gap on Tiger's lead. Dave said that the final round, however, would be every man for himself. Dave ended up staying in the media tent for over forty-five minutes as the reporters asked if he could win his second Major in two years. Dave simply smiled and replied that he would play the best he could. When a reporter mentioned Dave being a 'Tiger Tamer', Dave chuckled then replied, "The only thing I'm trying to tame is the Augusta National Golf Course. If I beat the course I think I can win this tournament. If the course beats me, I won't win."

Phil was standing at the side as Dave took question after question until the tournament organizers called an end to Dave's media conference. As Dave was walking out of the tent, Phil put out his fist and they did one final congratulatory punch. The reporters' cameras clicked and flashed like Fourth of July fireworks. Anne was waiting outside the tent for him and Dave kissed her lovingly. After receiving congratulations from Shauna, the twins, and his parents, Dave suggested they all go out for dinner together. Anne tried to convince him that he should only invite his parents and let Alec, Shauna, and the twins find their own dinner but Dave refused. After Dave changed in the locker room, they went to a nice restaurant where Dave ended up signing autographs most of the time. He bid his parents goodbye before the six college students drove back to the hotel.

As soon as they were in the suite Anne pulled Dave into his room and interrogated him about where the twins had slept the previous night. She was very upset when he told her that they ended up in his bed and she wouldn't believe him when he assured her that he didn't make love to them. Dave was getting very frustrated with the arguing when he finally took Anne's face in his hands and he stared intently into her eyes. "Anne, I love you. I only want to be with you and I will only be with you. I didn't and won't ever cheat on you." After giving her a moment to think about what he said he continued, "I have the final round of the Masters tomorrow. I need to relax and wind down - so this discussion has to end, for now. If you want we can revisit it tomorrow evening but right now I need to get some rest. I'm going out to tell the twins they will be sleeping on the pull-out couch and that I will see them tomorrow."