Augusta, Ga. – Augusta National's front nine felt like a St. John's reunion. One alum drew in the school symbol on a previously blank cap. Johnnies golf coach Bob Alpers made sure the Schmitz family had "Johnnie bread" for breakfast.
St. Thomas golf coach Scott Proshek wore red for solidarity, risking Tommies excommunication. There were even moments when it seemed the famed hand-operated scoreboards at the Masters would cooperate, and drape red numbers next to Sammy Schmitz's name.
The Minnesota amateur played the front nine at the Masters in even par, and true and honorary Johnnies were hollering from the gallery, and then the winds intensified and shifted, the back nine began, and Schmitz's many followers grew quiet. He followed a 36 on the front nine with a 45 on the back nine, leaving him with an 81 and tied for 86th entering the second round.
He tees off at 7:20 a.m. Central time on Friday knowing he will need to play brilliantly to achieve his goal of becoming the first National Mid-Amateur champion to make the cut at the Masters.
"I just think it's really easy to shoot 81 out here with this wind," he said.
Schmitz played the first nine and the last two holes in even par. He played the first seven holes of the back nine in 9 over.
After making a difficult par save on No. 9, he blasted a 4-iron over the green on No. 10, making a double bogey. He played the difficult par-4 11th like a par-5, laying up short of the water, but his pitch was short and he made bogey.
On the par-5s, Nos. 13 and 15, he was hitting his third shot into the green with a wedge. On 13, he took a large divot and hit the ball into Rae's Creek in front of the green, then took off both shoes to play the ball, making double bogey. On 15, he flew the green and made bogey.
