Rickett's Masters diary

Saturday, April 13, 2013

Read moreAustralian Day leads Masters at midpoint

AUGUSTA, Ga. - Former UTC golfer and assistant coach Ben Rickett has volunteered to provide a first-person account of his daily activities as caddie at the Masters for UTC senior and U.S. Amateur champion Steven Fox.

To: Chattanooga area golf fans

From: Ben Rickett

Subject: Missed the cut, but...

What he said: I had a phone interview with SkyNews, which is some sort of ESPN with a news side too. I had that at 9:20 which was pretty cool and got me back to my roots. Then I made my way over here and sat around for more than two hours and watched some to learn as much as I could.

About 12:20 we went to the range and the same guy came up and hit behind us [Tiger Woods] but I felt much more at ease today. Still, for Tiger to come out and hit behind you is a cool concept. He's the best player, in my opinion, who ever lived.

Steven was better today on the first tee. There were roars all over the place which was pretty phenomenal, I wish a few more were for Steven.

The wind was tough. We did a good job, with a couple exceptions. On 5, between the two of us, we didn't judge it well and he went long. The wind was basically going west today.

The last four or five holes, he was just taking it all it. It's a fantastic experience for any 22-year-old. There's so much to this golf course that it takes years and years to accumulate the information that you need.

Bubba, there was a position on 14, and he didn't know what the ball did around the hole because he hadn't seen the pin there before. You don't practice to that pin because they're usually in the same position.

Personally, it was a phenomenal experience throughout the week. From playing with Phil, Dufner, and Keegan last Saturday. As well as brain-picking the caddies and the players and asking questions. At the end of the day, I'll be better at my job, the more I can share my experience with them. I'll be a better golf coach because of this.

I'll get back to being Coach [at Dalton State] probably on Monday.