A fairy- tale Rory for British Am champ
AUGUSTA, Ga.— It already has been a magical Masters week for Bradley Neil, the 19- year- old British Amateur champion.
He played a practice round with Rory McIlroy on Monday and holed out for eagle from 90 yards on the par- 5 second hole. When Neil was at Augusta for a practice round a couple weeks ago, he holed out on No. 2 from 93 yards while McIlroy was on the third tee.
“He couldn’t stop laughing because that day that I met him here I did the exact same thing and he was on the third tee,’’ Neil said.
“I saw him the second time I came up here a couple of Fridays ago, and I remember saying to him at the Ryder Cup last year, ‘ If you want to play a practice round at Augusta, just let me know,’ ’’ McIlroy said. “I gave him my number and just let him decide if he wanted to. We decided to go out and play [ Monday], which was great.
“I remember my first time here, getting to play with I guess a few of the guys that I looked up to when I was at that point, and it was a nice experience for me, as well, just to see how much he was enjoying it. It’s a great thrill to be here for the first time.’’
McIlroy said of Neil’s game: “I rate his game really highly. He looks ready. His game is right there. He’s very impressive. Hits it a long way. Still quite a young guy. Doesn’t seem to be in awe of anything. So I just told him to go out there and enjoy it. Don’t secondguess yourself, commit to your shots, be decisive, all the things I tell myself.’’
A year ago, McIlroy’s caddie for the Masters Par- 3 Contest was his then- fiancée, tennis star Caroline Wozniacki. They’ve since broken up and his caddie for the Par- 3 on Wednesday will be Niall Horan from the band One Direction.
“He’s been excited to come here,’’ McIlroy said. “He’s never been to the Masters. I caught up with him in Australia at the end of last year and he was really excited, and I said, ‘ If you’re available Wednesday afternoon and you want to carry the bag for nine
holes, you’re more than welcome.’”
Anirban Lahiri, who has 15 international wins ( including four in the past year) and is the No. 1 ranked player on the Asian Tour, is only the third Indian to play the Masters and the only one in the field this week. He said the support he’s getting from the Indian community is giving “me so much energy.’’
“I want to do well formyself, but I want to do well more for everyone else and for golf and what it might do back home,’’ Lahiri said.