9th Aug 2016
The World on a Plate: the diary of a hungry traveler volume four – Augusta
Day One:
As a sport fan, it's long been an ambition to head to Augusta and watch the Masters golf tournament so when I was told by work that that's exactly what I'd be doing in April needless to say I was thrilled!
After a heavy weekend that involved several get togethers it was time to head to the airport and meet my colleagues to start the long, long, long journey to Augusta, Georgia.
For once I had no beers at the airport – quite possibly a first – but then again I'd had plenty up to that point!
After listening to England’s heartbreaking last over defeat to the West Indies in the world T20 final, I finally caught up with YK and Colette and we took our seats upon a shiny new looking Korean Air jet and set off for Incheon airport.
We weren't given a meal to start with but I did eventually have a beer to try and help me get some sleep…
Guess what? Didn't work! I managed to grab a few minutes here and there before the lights came on and it was time for breakfast.
It was the standard airline fare – omelette, wedges, tomatoes and a dodgy sausage but it did the trick to stave off the hunger pangs.
Landing in Incheon we had to bust a move through transit to catch our connecting flight due to a rare delay at Changi airport but fortunately we made it and in no time at all we were singing our way towards Atlanta.
I decided to forgo a beer once again until I noted that Colette had partaken in some red wine so I decided that if she was game then so was I so I ordered myself a G&T.
A word to the wise - don't order a G&T on Korean airlines because whatever it was I received, it's safe to say it wasn't a G&T – it tasted like lemonade!
Duly disappointed I played it safe and ordered a Korean brewski and settled into watching some TV.
Now Korean Airlines do many things right – comfy seats, decent leg room, good service but their entertainment, like their G&T needs to up its game.
A 15-hour flight needs a better film and TV selection but it did give me the chance to finally watch The Revenant. Good film, stunningly shot but personally I though Tom Hardy gave a better performance than Leo… He seemed to grunt more than anything else and I think he's played better roles in the past…
Anyway, films, my iPad, a beef dinner with a nice side salad plus several beers and wines wiled away a few hours so I decided to try and get some more sleep…
More success this time but still not great!
Nonetheless, I felt more refreshed and I was hungry again. Around came the snack basket and I opted for some bread. Big mistake. It was just that, dry bread. Other people chose pizza which I failed to hear when presented with the options… Fail!
Another beef meal ensued – the attendant even commented on the fact that I'd chosen beef twice… I like beef, ok?! Now give me some red wine to wash it down with! I don't care if it is 7am, it's 7pm in Singapore!
A few hours later we touched down in Atlanta and proceeded to go through what can only be described as the world’s slowest immigration system.
We really get spoiled by Changi airport and it's not until you go elsewhere that you realise how lucky we are to have such a world class airport at our disposal.
I've been to America a couple of times before, visiting, Los Angeles, San Diego, Las Vegas, and Miami, places that you might describe as homes of the good looking people…
Atlanta not so much. It's a commonly known fact that our cousins across the pond are on average packing the most extra pounds of any other nation on earth. I'd not witnessed that on a grand scale in my two previous visits but Atlanta produced the goods and in, if you pardon the pun, a BIG way.
Now I am in no way, shape or form in the perfect way, shape or form but if I ever want to feel good about myself again, all I need to do is visit Atlanta, Georgia! A vast number of the people it saw in the airport were, well, vast.
I soon discovered why (I was pretty sure of the reason but I merely had it confirmed to me)…
On our two-hour journey to Augusta we must have passed - and this is no exaggeration - dozens and dozen of fast food restaurants.
Every few miles there were billboards advertising McDonalds, Wendy’s, Burger King, Pizza Hut, Dominos, Arby’s, Subway, the list went on and on! Never before have I witnessed such a proliferation of heart attack threatening fast food outlets… It was heaven for fat bastards!
Hey, Georgia, ever heard of vegetables?!
Don't get me wrong, I enjoy the occasional fast food burger, but this was an all out assault!
We did indeed stop to break up the journey and opted for a spot called ‘Burger & Fries’. It was here that we first truly encountered Southern hospitality. Never in my life have I heard the “word” y’all used with such reckless abandon!
People from Georgia, and I assume the rest of the South, appear overwhelmingly polite and eager to serve and as a Englishman raised on people being grumpy it's a bit of a shock to the system - I'm not sure if I'm comfortable with it!
Such is the politeness it almost seems forced and contrived but I was prepared to take everyone at face value so I kindly asked the waitress for a double bacon cheeseburger and fries.
When in Rome…
I promptly regretted this decision upon scanning the average waistline of the other patrons in the restaurant but it didn't stop me wolfing my burger down with indecent haste.
The burger was delicious but if anything, I was disappointed by its size – yes, I'm a hypocrite. You hear all these tales of immense portions in America and this was decidedly average!
Anyway, burger, fries and an impossibly large Diet Coke later – with free refills – we were on the road again.
Before long we were arriving at our destination, Augusta, home of Augusta National golf course and The Masters.
First impressions of Augusta? Meh! It certainly didn't look like somewhere that is home to one of the world's most iconic sporting venues! One big main road with loads more restaurants and fast food joints…
Anyway, we found our home for the week and got unpacked.
Then it was time to go shopping.
Now if I wasn't impressed by Augusta itself, its Kroger supermarket was like heaven on earth, especially when compared to Singapore supermarkets.
I was in food shopping heaven!
Vast in size with row upon row of items all of which are reasonably priced. The fruit and veg section contained fruit and veg that were actually colourful, not to mention far larger than anything we get in the Lion City.
The meat section was immense and it took me about 15 minutes just to peruse the bacon selection alone and choose a good pack!
The booze section, if anything, was even bigger and had more choice than anywhere else I can think of. If anything, it was a bit overwhelming as I wasn't sure what to opt for!
Oh the agony of choice!
In the end, good ol’ Southern hospitality came to the rescue! I'd been on the beer section a good 10 minutes pondering what to buy when I decided to ask someone for a recommendation.
He spent five minutes of his own shopping time going through a number of the local brews, their pluses and minuses before suggesting that I go for a beer he had at a local beer festival: Hop Diggity Dawg – I think you could only get more US of A if it was called American Eagle McFreedomface beer…
I ended up spending quite some time in Kroger and could have easily spent longer in there. I was like Augustus Gloop in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory albeit less German and not quite so much of a fat bastard.
Knowing that a week in America would involve a lot of food, I decided to go for a run – big mistake. Where we were staying was surrounded by hills and I HATE hills. My first and last run in Augusta didn't last too long and I knew then that I'd have to watch what I ate.
That lasted until dinner…
As I always do when I go somewhere new, I scout out the restaurants close by and check them out on Tripadvisor.
The one that stood out was called T-Bonez which is a bit of an Augusta icon. It is also a favourite of Yeow Keong, my colleague, another man who is partial to his grub.
It was decided then that we'd head to T-Bonez for dinner – no complaints here as I love a good steak and I know that Americans take their meat VERY seriously.
Our five-strong team headed out and we were told there would be a wait – clearly a popular spot. The wait lasted pretty much the same time as it took me to drink a Sierra Navada beer and listen to some of the live music going on in the car park.
It was pretty much as you'd imagine, some bikers, a few redneck types, and countless golf bores all chugging beers as the sounds of Country & Western – they had both types – plus a few rock classics rang out. It was great!
Our table was ready and we ordered some calamari and prawns to share which they brought alongside a loaf of bread that would comfortably feed 10 people let alone five…
You want big portions, Dan? Well here are your big portions!
Given that the restaurant is called T-Bonez, it felt only right to order the 18oz t-bone steak with mashed potato and that was exactly what I was given – meat and starch – perfect!
In an attempt to be healthy I also ordered some asparagus!
Just before our mains arrived, former world number one Lee Westwood walked by, clearly a fan of the meaty goodness that T-Bonez has to offer and after a single bite, I was too!
It was a hefty portion of meat - that's what she said – and it was cooked, as you'd expect of a famous steakhouse, perfectly! I like my steak rare as hell. Cut the horns and tail off, walk it through a warm room and serve it to me mooing – perfect!
I was surprisingly hungry after the bread, calamari and prawns – why do Americans insist on calling them shrimp? – and tore into my steak with reckless abandon and wasn't ashamed to pick up the t-bone with my hands in front of my colleagues and boss and gnaw on the remaining meat that I couldn't get off with my knife and fork.
When it comes to food, I stand on ceremony for no-one!
“Presenting her royal highness, Queen Elizabeth II”
“Hang about, Lizzy, I've just got to finish off this plate of ribs…”
I'm sure she'd understand - she's lived with Prince Philipp long enough to surely not be offended by anything!
Meal done, it was time to head home and try and get some sleep. I decided to have a couple of my beers and watch some NBA to help with the jet lag and I can safety say I was impressed with the American Eagle McFreedomface beer that the guy had suggested.
Given the time difference, believe it or not but that was only the end of day one!
Day Two:
My elaborate plan to avoid jet lag didn't work – clearly didn't drink enough beers – and I woke at about 5:00 and was unable to get back to sleep.
Thankfully American sport channels are awesome and they kept me entertained.
I took care of breakfast myself and made a healthy bowl – in both senses – of fruit, granola, yoghurt and honey and then it was off to Augusta to get my first taste of The Masters.
Often in life you see something on TV that fails to live up to expectations in real life… Augusta National wasn't like that one little bit.
If anything, it was even better than it looks on the box! Any sporting event gets me excited – not like that, get your mind out of the gutter (ok, maybe a little bit) – and this was no exception. From the moment we drove in and collected our media passes I knew I was entering somewhere special and somewhere I'd never truly expected to visit.
The thing with Augusta National is that it's almost too perfect. The greens and fairways are almost too green, the sand j the bunkers is almost too white and the sun sparkles off the water almost a little too brightly!
It is a magnificent golf course and I spent most of the day walking around looking like a male teen who has just seen breasts for the first time – eyes wide and mouth agape!
Once we settled and dropped out gear off it was time to venture out onto the course and meet our pundit and former US Open winner Michael Campbell.
Rules. Augusta National has them. Lots of them. One of which is no mobile phones allowed. Personally I think it's a great rule but it does make communication an absolute ball ache.
Hence the tree! In front of the clubhouse there's a tree that everyone arranges to meet under and that's where we eventually met Cambo.
I was to become very familiar with this tree by the end of the week – definitely not like that in this instance, that would definitely get me banned from Augusta National – as it would be where I would conduct all my interviews from.
It was a pretty productive day in the end and we got a lot of our pre-tournament prep done broken up only briefly by lunch.
Lunch, on this occasion wasn't anything to write home about – sandwich, crisps, chocolate bar and some fruit – except for the fact that it apparently cost work $20!!!
Cambo proved a godsend because he knows a lot of the players and is still very friendly with many of them. This enabled us to get some really good interviews with people we otherwise might not have.
With several interviews and bits for features in the can, it was time to head home and head for dinner.
Kwan and Susie whose house we were renting also own a Chinese restaurant in Augusta called Shangri-La and that was where we headed on night two.
First things first, Kwan has excellent taste in music – the playlist at Shangri-La is up there with the best I've heard. Classic rock from the UK and the US, mixed with some very fine indie music too – top work, Kwan!
Secondly, the beer is cheap! US$4 for local brews (Miller, Coors, Budweiser etc) and US$5 for Asahi and Tsingtao!
I refuse to drink Budweiser as its bollocks. How it is the world's most popular beer can only be down to brilliant marketing…
Why is Budweiser like having sex in a canoe? Because it's fucking close to water… Badum tsh!
I like Asahi and Tsingtao but because we were in America I went local and had a Coors; not great but at least it's not Budweiser!
Thirdly, the food at Shangri-La is excellent! Chinese food with what I perceived to be an American slant which would explain the crispy prawn and mayonnaise dish that came out first. It sounds weird but it definitely worked!
We left Susie in charge of ordering and she played a blinder. We had a spicy Szechuan fish dish, Kung pao chicken, vegetables, a delicious mushroom dish, and ma po tofu. Now, anyone who knows me will tell you that I don't like tofu AT ALL. It's just slimy goop in my eyes.
That said, everything we'd eaten up to that point had been great so I was willing to give it a go…
And I was glad I did! It was superb. Minced pork, tofu and vegetables in a rich, slightly spicy sauce that demanded a second helping and I for one was not about to disappoint; I have excellent manners after all!
As is so often the case, we are way too much and a food coma almost immediately ensued. Once home I had another Hop Diggity Dawg brewski as I edited my pieces for Singapore before collapsing in bed absolutely shattered.
A great day, albeit a late finish.
Day three:
I slept all the way through to my alarm this time, aided by some melatonin that Colette had given me – that stuff is great!
For breakfast this time I opted for a toasted bagel with avocado and some bacon – less healthy this time round…
Once again we headed to Augusta National and once again I got a little shiver of excitement as we entered to course – such a nerd!
After completing my early tasks I took the opportunity to go an explore some more of the course and took in Amen Corner plus watched defending champion Jordan Spieth during his practice round.
This was also the day I took my camera and busied myself by taking tons of photos to a) mark my time at The Masters and b) make all my golf and sport friends jealous (check out my album on Facebook to see what I took).
Morning gave way to afternoon and with it followed another uninspired lunch – kind of like the thing you used to get on school field trips…
It was given a boost, however, by the two boxes of Krispy Kreme doughnuts that are delivered to the broadcast centre every day. I took pictures just to tease Áine…
After lunch it was time for the traditional par three contest that is the prequel to the main event. I didn't get to watch much out on course but did see numerous holes in one as the players out on a show!
Cambo was playing too which was great for him but a bit of a bugger for us as we had to go and shoot some hole features for our live broadcast.
As he finished his round I was there waiting to collect him and suddenly I was being ushered inside the ropes to accompany him on one of the Augusta buggies reserved for carrying players and officials – check me out! It's safe to say there were a number of jealous glances in my directions!
There would have been even more if they'd have known where we were going next! During The Masters very few people get to walk the course outside of officials, players and caddies but in this instance, Augusta had made an exception and granted us an hour to film Cambo playing the 12th and 13th holes.
I was also acting as caddy for him which was pretty damn cool, especially as I walked up 12, across the famous bridge over the creek and onto the fringes of the green! The course was largely closed as they prepared for round one but there were still a few people out watching who turned green with envy!
It was a great experience and one I won't forget in a hurry!
Once we finished our hole features our chaperone – classic All American type (looked like a young Peyton Manning) – escorted us back to the broadcast compound and we headed home for the day.
We opted to go to T-Bonez once again but this, for at least an hour, proved to be a daft decision. It was insanely busy and their system of queuing definitely leaves room for improvement.
It was ok while we were standing outside waiting to be called as we could enjoy some beers but then they called us in. We naturally assumed our table was ready, oh no. This was just to inform us we could start queuing for our table and this took an awfully long time.
We were just about to call it a day and head elsewhere when they seated us and started to take our order.
Once again we ordered the calamari but this time we decided to forgo the “shrimp” and ordered buffalo wings instead. This proved a great choice as they were top notch and came once again with enough bread to feed the 5,000.
This time I decided that as The Masters was starting the following day, I'd order a steak called the Masters Cut.
Like the t-bone it was 18oz but unlike the t-bone there was no bone waisting precious meat ounces!
This was one serious hunk of beef – I swear the impact of beef and plate hitting the table made a loud ‘thunk’ noise and that's always a good sign in my view!
Once again I ordered my steak rare and once again they delivered. If anything this was rarer than the steak on Monday and was gloriously bloody. This time I had chips (diet? What diet? I'm in America) but also ordered some asparagus in a pathetic attempt to balance it out.
Given the fact that a hungry T-Rex would have balked at the size of my steak it's safe to say that the asparagus did little but it made me feel better about my choices so there you go!
Sam had eaten so much he decided he needed to walk home. I, on the other hand, had eaten so much I couldn't walk home!
I still had room for a beer or two as I put together our hole features to send back to Singapore before drawing day three to a close. I was a bit like a kid on Christmas Eve knowing that The Masters was getting underway the next morning!!
Day Four:
It was a case of up with the lark on the Thursday as Chow and I had to get to the gate of Augusta National early doors to do a live cross with Singapore and Fox Sports Central.
Now I don't usually dress up too much for my reporting - it's something I need to work on – but given it was the first day of The Masters 2016, I donned a Fox Sports shirt, jeans and, get this, shoes!
I also went for the fruit, granola, yoghurt and honey breakfast once again – I must admit for a breakfast that doesn't contain bacon it’s still right up there!
Chow and I got set just outside the main gates as the fans started to pour in and soon I had the dulcet tones of Jason de la Peña in my ear as he started to introduce me. That sadly didn't last too long as my earpiece fell out and I had to guess when Jason had finished talking so I could begin!
Fortunately it seemed to go well enough so no harm done!
Other than editing and doing features, my main job at Augusta was to interview players after they'd finished their rounds.
The great thing is that the rounds were taking up to five hours which meant I had little or nothing to do for a few hours so, given the fact that no one could contact me due to the no phone rule, I was free to walk the course and watch the stars in action. These rules have their upsides it must be said!
Before that though, it was time to watch the ceremonial tee off by three legends of Augusta – Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player. This year just the latter two got the 80th edition of The Masters underway as Palmer is getting on in years and wasn't feeling up to the task and little wonder, he's in his eighties…
So too, however, is Player but you'd never know it as he looks as fit as a fiddle! I hope that I look that good when I'm 80 but it's unlikely!
As well as the three legends I saw the likes of Jason Day, Justin Rose, Adam Scott, Spieth, Lee Westwood all in action as Augusta was abuzz with activity and fans.
Eventually the players started coming in and it was time to go to work. We were placed in the certain media pen alongside guys from CBS, ESPN and the golf channel – all guys who have been doing the job for years which made me feel like a bit of a fraud!
I know golf but I don't know golf so it was a experience. Luckily the cameramen they had on duty were very friendly – especially Xavier – and helpful and the whole thing was superbly managed and organised.
Soon the interviews were coming thick and fast and time was flying buy, so much so that I didn't have time for any lunch! Disaster!
I can't go too long without food or I get hangry and energy levels drop quite dramatically. Luckily I was able to get away for a few minutes and grab a cheese and pimento sandwich – a right of passage in these parts.
It's widely considered that everyone who comes to Augusta National has to have a cheese and pimento sandwich - it's the done thing.
Knowing I didn't have time to head to the broadcast compound I bought one – only a couple of bucks – and got stuck in. Conclusion: it's a tasty sandwich. It reminded me of the cheese and red onion sandwiched mixed slightly with mayo that we used to get at darts matches while playing for The Feathers.
It went down well and staved off the hunger pangs.
I noted the price because at Augusta you can't bring in your own food. This makes it the perfect opportunity to charge the earth for food and drinks because they have a captive audience but to their great credit they don't, in fact they do the opposite so I doff my cap to them for that.
Anyway, cheese and pimento sandwich demolished it was back to being a golf reporter!
It was a brilliant first day with a number of low scores including an ominous six under par 66 from defending champion Spieth whose lowest finish at Augusta was second going into the 2016 edition…
It was just about dark when I finished and I was tired and weary and ready for home not to mention the fact that my feet were killing me – stupid idea to wear shoes... This night we decided to stay in and order pizza so we called up Pappa John’s.
America goes it's own way when it comes to pizza sizes… We ordered two regular pizzas and they were bigger than the extra large pizzas you get back in Singapore or England. What's more they gave us a free garlic bread thing which was almost as big as the pizzas themselves.
“Hey, here's your cheese-laden carb fest, why not have an extra carb fest to go with your original cheese-laden carb fest?!”
What pizza did I order I hear you ask? A meat feast – what other choice is there?!
There was only three of us eating the pizza as Chow went to bed early and YK went in search of some rice, clearly missing the food from home.
I think I got four pieces of pizza and two bits of garlic bread in before I admitted defeat; I could have eaten more but that would have been out of greed and nothing else!
That said, it was decent pizza so kudos to Papa John’s for that and well done to Peyton Manning for his adverts that brought PJ’s to my attention in the first place.
The night finished with beers and some more NBA before hitting the hay at the end of another successful day!
Day five:
No live cross on day two of The Masters so we didn't have to be up at the crack of dawn and in anticipation of not eating lunch until 4pm I indulged in a breakfast of two bagels, avocado and bacon, plus some scrambled egg that Colette had lovingly prepared - the breakfast of champions.
Upon arrival at Augusta National I also helped myself to a doughnut – so much for trying to be healthy!
Luckily I would have plenty of chance to burn off all those calories by trekking around the course for the first few hours of the working day.
The second round proved to be the first of two incredibly tough days at Augusta National as the wind picked up significantly and reduced many of the world's best golfers to mere mortals. All that is except defending champion Jordan Spieth who seemed to be playing a different course to everyone else!
Some big names failed to make the cut, notably multiple green jacket winner Phil Mickelson who went home before the weekend even began
Luckily for us, most of our high profile players – Kiradech, Thongchai and Anirban – made to the final rounds with the former impressing the most on his Masters debut.
I would write about lunch but it was literally nothing to write home about expect to increase my dismay that we were paying US$20 for it. So underwhelmed was YK that he hot footed it to the local Walmart to pick up supplies of noodles! You can take the boy out of Singapore and all that...
It was another great day at the course and one that left us all pretty shattered with little energy for dinner and not much else.
The trouble was finding a place in Augusta on a Friday night that wasn't totally jam packed. We tried a steakhouse, an Italian restaurant and a Japanese restaurant all to no avail and it was getting late so we had to settle for Red Lobster…
Now, I'm not a fan of huge chain restaurants – fast food places are fine – but not sit down, cutlery-using restaurants.
Anyway, we had little choice so in we went and were attended to by our waiter who had one of those stereotypically American names that escapes me right now so let's just call him Kyle.
He took our drinks order and told us at least five times that he was going to check where they were before bringing them to us. Bless him, I think he was new…
I went for a Sam Adams draft beer and it was pretty decent.
I was pondering what to eat but I figured you can't come to Red Lobster and not eat lobster so that's what I went for despite Augusta being a country mile away from the coast!
As you'd expect from an American diner the portion was pretty hefty – never a bad thing in my mind – and consisted of two lobster tails with garlic butter, mashed potatoes, broccoli and asparagus – they seem to love their asparagus in Augusta – so at least I was getting some vegetables into my system!
While it perhaps wasn't the best meal I've ever had it was certainly better than I expected it to be and Kyle was always on hand to get us whatever else we needed, in my case another beer.
The lobster tails were cooked perfectly – I guess they have had plenty of practice to get it right – and the vegetables weren't boiled to within an inch of their lives so all in all it was pretty satisfying.
After yet another sizable feed, post digestive narcolepsy began to set in so it was back to the ranch for another brewski before hitting the sack.
Day six:
After the cut the field at The Masters was reduced to around 50 or so players which meant that play started later on the Saturday and that afforded us all a much-needed lie in.
The day started with another healthy bowl of fruit, granola, yoghurt and honey and then it was back to Augusta National for what is known as “moving day” – the day when those who have sights on winning the title make their charge up the leaderboard.
The conditions had deteriorated further and the standard of our lunch also went south as if in homage of how tough Augusta National was playing.
It was so difficult that New Zealand’s Danny Lee admitted during his post round interview that he literally had no idea how to play the course and suggested that his dad would have had a better chance of making putts.
Given that most interviews are dull and follow a similar format it was refreshing to hear that much honesty from a world class sportsman.
He wasn't the only one to struggle as several of the world’s best golfers were tamed. There were a few notable exceptions – the wonderfully named Smilie Kauffman being one of them – on a day where even Jordan Spieth, who's game seems perfectly suited to Augusta, suffered a wobble, most noticeably on the 18th where he dropped shots to offer his rivals just a glimmer of hope…
I was having a whale of a time and feeling slightly less like a fraud in the mixed zone and was also making some friends!
At the start of the week, Sam and I had received tickets to the media cocktail reception and I was pretty keen to go. Sadly we couldn't score additional tickets for YK, Colette and Chow so we decided to forgo the event - I'd even bought a shirt especially for it earlier I the week! It was a Walmart special so no major damage to the bank balance!
Instead we went back to Shangri-La for more Chinese food and once again Susie and Kuan played a blinder!
We ordered this time and at my behest had a couple of plates of salt and pepper squid, more of the Szechuan fish – man that stuff is good and if anything was a little spicier second time round – more of the tofu dish we had previously (twice in a week let alone twice in a lifetime), beef in oyster sauce, Kung pao chicken, mixed vegetables and boiled rice.
As was the case on Tuesday, we ordered waaaaaaaay to much and at the end we were all feeling like cattle being fattened for slaughter but at least we had Kuan’s excellent soundtrack to bob our heads to as we tried in vain to finish the mountain of food in front of us!
We made another quick trip to Walmart where I picked up some BBQ spices to bring back to Singapore so I could continue my quest to make the world's best ribs - it's an ongoing process but I've made a decent start!
It was then home time to polish off the rest of Colette’s beers before bed.
Day seven:
Another much needed lie in was followed by much needed bacon – when is bacon not needed? I opted for a smaller breakfast that day because I was being given a pass to the magnolia suites so I could go and get a proper lunch in style rather than have to eat our school packed lunch. More on that later.
Before lunch, Chow and I set off to do some filming around Augusta to show what the eventual champion will go through on day four of the Masters and then did a weather report for the Singapore studio.
Previously we had thought that we were unable to film around the course on competition days but apparently that wasn't the case and we had free reign – outside the ropes – until 11am.
The crowds even at an early stage were quite big and were all interested in what I was doing. That resulted in me having to do several takes which everyone – myself included (eventually) found hilarious! I even got a big cheer when I finally nailed the take – definitely letting daylight in on magic here!
Once we had our shots we hot footed back to the IBC to edit and sent it to our digital media department so I could go and have lunch!
At this point a number of us decided to have a wager on who would win The Masters. $10 in and we would all pick someone other than Jordan Spieth. I looked at the contenders and opted for Danny Willett – an Englishman from Sheffield, the city I studied in.
I waited until Thongchai had finished his round and I had interviewed him – ever the professional – before stepping out for food but once that was in the can I headed to the Magnolia Suites…
On my approach I felt massively out of place in my shorts, trainers and Fox Sports t-shirt but I had a pass to let me in and in I went.
The interior had a definite gentleman’s club feel about it – not surprising when you consider Augusta’s long-term men only policy on patrons until recently. Lots of comfortable leather chairs, well stocked bar, lots of mahogany etc.
I definitely felt like an imposter but that soon melted away after a glass of an excellent Cabernet Sauvignon and some food, the highlight of which was the mustard encrusted beef that was bloody as hell and wonderfully tender.
There was also a decent cheese selection – a couple of soft cheeses, three hard cheeses and a good blue.
After lunch I subsequently forget where I'd put my keys and that resulted in trekking up and down looking desperately for them, retracing my steps…
Turns out I'd stowed them in the extra pocket on my bag that I usually put nothing in whatsoever! That was a huge relief!
After that it was back to interviewing players as they came in and helping Kiradech, the top southeast Asian player, down to our studio for an interview with Colette – such a nice young man!
At this point I decided to head back to the IBC because it looked as though Jordan Spieth had all but sown up back-to-back green jackets.
Danny Willett was making moves up the leaderboard but a victory was going to require a collapse from Spieth and that was looking unlikely as he moved to seven-under.
But then, just as Rory McIlroy had done in 2011, the Texan began to falter. As he was about to tee off on the par three 12th I said to Sam, “Imagine if he put it in the water…” which he promptly did. Prior to him taking his third shot I said, “Imagine if he put it in the water again…” which of course he did again! Now I'm not suggesting that I somehow developed powers that distorted the outcome of the Masters but…
That hole cost Spieth a second Masters title, handed Willett his first and also earned me $80 in the process – cheers Danny and Jordan!
I waited to see the Green Jacket ceremony which surely must rival Wimbledon for its pomp and ceremony and upon its conclusion literally bumped into Condaleezza Rice – excuse me Mrs former US Secretary of State – but fortunately she just waved it off and I was on my merry way!
It was our final night in Augusta and I was flush with my winnings from the bet – a big night on the town surely ensued? Not one bit.
By this stage we were all exhausted but Colette, YK and myself were able to drag ourselves out for one final meal.
YK took us to the teppanyaki restaurant that he'd found earlier in the week and I was about to experience a true American-sized portion of food…
We were lucky in that we caught the restaurant just before it was due to close so we ordered swiftly. I plumped for the steak and prawns combo with a cold Samuel Adams to go with it.
Watching teppanyaki chefs is always entertaining and our chef – from Samoa of all places – was no exception.
There were two other people sat around our teppanyaki grill, making a total of five and when the chef started preparing a portion of vegetables that would feed at least 10 people alarm bells started ringing!
He then proceeded to prepare a portion of egg fried rice that would have kept half the population of Japan fed for a week and that's barely an exaggeration…
Thankfully we'd played smart and only ordered main courses. The two other guys at our table had ordered sizable starters too and were already regretting their decision!
Both the vegetables and rice were served first with a trio of sauces – chilli, ranch (an odd choice but it is America) and a fruity number with a hint of spice that was delicious – and the finally the steak and prawns were thrown in for good measure.
Having attacked the tasty rice and vegetables with gusto right from the off I was starting to feel the pace somewhat. Determined that I wouldn't waste my tender steak and sizable prawns I redoubled my efforts and was soon left with just some rice and a few vegetables.
I was on the point of bursting but some stupid sense of pride (fool) helped me plough on and get to the end – waitress, roll me home please!
The other guys admitted defeat long before the end and I wasn't surprised – it was enough food for a couple of hungry sumos sitting down for a big training feed.
With dinner done, all that was left was to take one last trip to Kroger – open 24 hours a day (God bless America) – and pick up some cheap Villa Maria Sauvignon Blanc and some more spices for the BBQ – got to perfect those ribs before the end of the year!
Once back at the ranch we polished off the remaining beers and the next day, with a few dramas thrown in involving a dog, a car on fire (not ours) and a mad rush to the airport to avoid missing flight, we were on our way back to Singapore.
Augusta, it was an absolute pleasure and I hope to see you again!