First of all, massive congratulations to Jordan Spieth on an unbelievable performance in winning the Green Jacket, his first major championship, at just 21 years of age.
Winning wire-to-wire is never an easy task, especially on such a demanding golf course like Augusta, but he got it done and broke some very impressive scoring records along the way. I think Jordan’s temperament and skill-set align nicely for success in major championship golf. He’s by far the most balanced, mature kid that I’ve ever seen. He’s got that tenacity in him, that fighting spirit that you need in order to be a great champion, but he’s not flashy or boastful. He has a wonderful humility that is a credit to him and his family. To be honest, he’s the nicest kid you could ever meet and I’m pleased for him.
Happily, I’ve got to know Jordan quite well over the last couple of years and I always really enjoy playing with him. Just last month he very kindly played in the Els for Autism Pro Am at Old Palm, just before he went on and picked up his first win of 2015 at the Valspar Championship. Autism has, in fact, touched the Spieth family, too. Jordan’s little sister is on the spectrum and, as Liezl and I have seen with our daughter Samantha who’s looked out for Ben and showed him so much love, this kind of situation can help a kid grow up fast and appreciate what life is all about. Jordan has that quality and he’s also set up his own charitable fund to assist various causes such as children with special needs, military families and junior golf, which is a great initiative.
For me personally, this year’s Masters had some real high points, not least shooting an opening round of 67, my best round at Augusta since finishing runner-up here in 2004. I felt very at ease out there, stayed patient all day, and my putting was great. On days like that it’s hard to think of a finer place to be than Augusta.
However, this course can catch you out if you are even slightly off your targets and sadly that happened a couple of times over the weekend, which offset a lot of the good work invested in making 14 birdies and an eagle – a decent return on this course. You’ll have heard all the players saying that there is no other course in the world where there is such a fine line between a birdie putt and a bogey or worse, but I love it. I’ve been coming here 21 years and I have a deep appreciation of this place that will never go away. It’s just unbelievable and I look forward to coming back again and challenging in 2016.
Right now, though, I’m just looking forward to this week’s RBC Heritage. It’s always a pleasure to play in this tournament, as the Harbour Town Links is one of the great venues in golf. The vibe here at Hilton Head is wonderfully relaxed and the golf course, which all of us players love so much, is a proper shot-maker’s layout. You really need to work your golf ball to negotiate the narrow, tree-lined fairways and your short game always gets a good workout on the small, subtly contoured greens. My record here – seven top-10s from 15 starts – is strong so I always come in with a good degree of optimism. I’m excited about my chances.
RBC has really done a wonderful job with this tournament since it became sponsor in 2012 and, as you’d imagine, I’ve got to know the guys pretty well since I become one of the company’s golfing ambassadors in 2011. Another of my sponsors, Boeing, is also the presenting sponsor of this event and they have a large factory in South Carolina producing their 787 Dreamliner aircraft. Together these companies make a huge impact in the State and also ensure the legacy of a tournament that really has an incredible history. There are some great champions on that trophy, including Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Bernhard Langer, Johnny Miller, Greg Norman, Nick Price, Tom Watson, Davis Love III and the late Payne Stewart, to name just a few. Other more recent champions such as Graeme McDowell and Matt Kuchar also won while wearing the Els for Autism pin, which was a nice touch.
As with last year’s RBC Heritage, we will be turning the tournament blue on Friday by asking fellow TOUR players to wear blue and also wear the Els for Autism Ribbon. Last year Liezl and I were touched by how many people – not just players and caddies, but fans and media too – made the effort to jump on board and we have faith that there will be a similar response this time.
In fact, since Liezl and I set up the Foundation in 2009, we have been humbled by the show of support from my fellow TOUR players. It means so much to us that they come out here every April, which is Autism Awareness Month, and show their support to all of those affected by autism and their families. This year is the most exciting year to date for the Foundation as this August we will be opening the doors to the first buildings of our Center of Excellence, the Lower School and the Auditorium. The golf community, on both the amateur and professional side, has played a huge part in helping us realize our dream of building a better future for people with autism and I am so proud of the difference that we, as a collective group, are making. The Center will have a positive impact on individuals on the spectrum, their families and the professionals that work with them, not only where we live in Florida, but across the US and internationally.
Please click here to find out how you too can support Autism Awareness Month and purchase some great gifts and golf gear, including one of my special blue lion headcovers, all of which will see a share of the sale proceeds going directly to the Foundation to help individuals and families on the spectrum.
And remember you can follow me on Twitter @TheBig_Easy. This week we will be giving away some Autism related goodies via Twitter so please keep an eye out on our social media this week. Our hashtag will be #blueforautism.
Again, thank you so much for your support.
Ernie’s career at The Masters
Appearances: 21
Cuts made: 16
Rounds played: 74
Scoring average: 72.11 (6th on all-time list, minimum 50 rounds played)
Lowest round: 66
Rounds under par: 31
Rounds in the 60s: 12
Top-10s: 6
1994 (T8th), 2000 (2nd), 2001 (T6th), 2002 (T5th), 2003 (T6th), 2004 (2nd)
Best finish: 2nd (2000 & 2004)
Par 5s: 101-under par
Number of Eagles: 16
(2 on par 4s and 14 on par 5s (1 on the 2nd, 2 on the 7th, 3 on the 8th, 5 on the 13th and 5 on the 15th)
Number of Birdies: 229
(31 on par-3s, 79 on par-4s and 119 on par-5s)
