Of all the tall tales about the late, great Shane Warne, the day he hit a hole in one at Augusta National is the one about which most people ask: “Really?”
Firstly, Warne had to get access to the course. That means he needed an invitation from an Augusta member, whose actual numbers have always been shrouded in secrecy. But Warne knew people, and people loved him.
Then he had to be a good enough golfer to ace one of its par-threes, which are riddled with treachery on each green. To paraphrase Tiger Woods, you can hit a shot one yard shy of where you want it to be, then end up putting 50 feet further away than you should have.
Warne managed to do that, too, to a back-right pin on the 16th hole in his first trip during a private round at Augusta.
“Yes, he did [have a hole in one],” laughs New Zealand golfer Ryan Fox, who will make his Masters debut on Friday morning (AEST). “That is true. I texted him and he was absolutely chuffed. I’ve heard the story more than once, but it’s not a bad story to hear. It’s just like Warney for that to happen.”
Fox wishes he could have another exchange with Warne, his great mate whose sudden death from a heart attack last year at just 52 rocked the sporting and celebrity world. Its impact has been felt by millions of people, but few took it harder than Fox.
New Zealand golfer Ryan Fox and great mate Shane Warne.
“I still remember where I was,” Fox tells The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.
“I had a charity day and I was going fishing for the charity day and I woke up to a bunch of messages, ‘I’m so sorry to hear about Warney’. I thought, ‘What’s going on?’
“I checked social media and the first thing I saw was Warney’s tweet about Rod Marsh the day before. I’m looking at it and thought, ‘This doesn’t make sense’. I went to one of the news sites and couldn’t believe it.
“He had so much time for people – and I definitely had that experience. He was one of my idols growing up and I bowled leg spin because our cricket team wasn’t quite as good in his era as they are now. You guys were the team to follow.
“To be able to call him a mate and for him to text saying, ‘Foxy, do you want to play golf?’ … it almost doesn’t feel real he’s gone. You kind of expect him to say April Fools. I just wish that was the case.”
The relationship between Warne and Fox, the son of All Blacks legend Grant Fox, blossomed over many editions of the DP World Tour’s Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, played at St Andrews. Warne was Fox’s amateur partner at the Old Course, and last year Fox won the tournament, the first after Warne’s death. He knew who it really belonged to.
“He was close to the heart and soul of that tournament,” Fox says. “He was the life of the party. He loved every bit of it. He loved the golf – he didn’t care if it was four degrees and blowing 40 miles an hour – he absolutely loved being out there.
“That tournament was the one which really felt like something was missing. But it felt like he was there helping out at some level. I don’t know if I believe in that stuff, but I felt really calm that week.”
Even if he didn’t get the chance to play with Warne at one of world golf’s most famed courses, Fox did get the chance to have a round with former New Zealand prime minister John Key at Augusta last month.
Preparing for his first Masters, Fox drove to Augusta for a couple of practice rounds. He bumped into Key one morning, and the pair were first on the course after a frost delay.
“One of [Augusta’s] New Zealand members said to me, ‘There are spirits here. I don’t know how else to describe it’,” Fox says. “There’s just something about this place. It’s just got an awesome feel about it. It feels like when you get in the gates here there is something special.”
Cam and I will always be mates: Scott
Former Masters champion Adam Scott said his relationship with Cam Smith has remained strong as Augusta National dodged potential controversy by avoiding pairing LIV golfers with the PGA Tour’s biggest stars.
Adam Scott and Cameron Smith enjoy a laugh during a practice round at Augusta.Credit:Getty
Scott, who returns to Augusta National 10 years since his historic Green Jacket win, went into bat for world No.6 Smith, who remains Australia’s best hope of a Masters victory this week.
Smith was the only golfer from Greg Norman’s Saudi-backed series to front an official pre-tournament press conference at the Masters, and remains the highest-ranked player on LIV’s roster.
“Cam and I are good mates,” Scott said after a practice round with Smith and amateur Harrison Crowe on Wednesday morning (AEST). “None of this has had any effect on our relationship at all. We often play practice rounds at majors, so I’m glad we got to have a hit today.
“As far as he and I are concerned, we’ve shared our thoughts on [LIV]. He’s obviously said he’s at peace with where things are, and I am too. We have all made our decisions and are going about our business and we’re just out here playing and trying to get ready for the Masters.”
Scott remained loyal to the PGA Tour and has bought into a business venture headed by Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy, which aims to host a stadium-based virtual golf league.
Australians Cameron Smith, Adam Scott and Harrison Crowe on the Hogan Bridge at Augusta.Credit:AP
Augusta National sprinkled the 18 LIV players at the Masters throughout the field when the first and second round pairings were released. Smith was pitted alongside former Presidents Cup teammates Hideki Matsuyama, the 2021 champion, and Sungjae Im.
The PGA Tour’s biggest stars Woods, McIlroy, world No.1 Scottie Scheffler – and major winners Jon Rahm, Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth – were all allocated pairings without LIV golfers.
Jason Day has a low profile group featuring Zach Johnson and American amateur Gordon Sargent, while Min Woo Lee and Crowe will play alongside veteran Larry Mize.
Scott will tee up with Kurt Kitayama and Patrick Cantlay, who witnessed the Australian ace the par-three sixth during a practice round last week.
“I just hit a seven iron and it landed perfect,” Scott said. “Actually, while it was in the air, the member I was playing with said, ‘That will land past and spin back and go in’. It did, so he knows the course well.
“I was playing with my dad and playing with Patrick Cantlay and he made a two, so I managed to win that hole off him.”
Crowe set himself the ambitious goal of being the low amateur for the week, and used his 18 holes with Scott and Smith to garner as much course knowledge as possible.
“They both have pretty good track records around here,” he said. “It’s nice to pick their brains a little bit. For the most part, we had fun out there. It was just kind of getting to know them a little bit better.
“The camaraderie around here this week [has been awesome]. Got to play with [Day] and Min yesterday. It’s been awesome. It’s been an awesome week so far, and it’s only the start of it.”
The Asia-Pacific Amateur champion jokingly told his family and friends at the Masters they need to have a beer for every birdie he has on his Augusta debut, which included a near ace on the 12th hole at Amen Corner during his round with Scott and Smith.
“More beers than birdies, that’s the rule on tournament days,” Crowe said. “The idea is to get these guys having as good a time as I am without getting themselves in trouble as well.”
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