‘Team Jamie Donaldson’ will no doubt be cracking open a few bottles to celebrate Donaldson earning a gleaming Augusta National crystal bowl to put in his trophy cabinet after an ace on the opening day of the Masters.
The Augusta National rookie collected only the 24th ace in Masters history when his 7-iron tee shot at the par three, sixth hole disappeared into the cup.
“It’s funny as it’s a tough shot with the pin high up on the right side, so you don’t know whether to take it on or sort of play just short left, so you got a putt up the hill,” said the Welshman after his round of 74.
“But my caddie, Mick Donaghy said, ‘listen, you just go straight at it when it’s up there’.
“So, that’s what I did. And it was great to see the ball pitch right on line, just short, and go in. It was pretty special.
Reigning Irish Open champion,Jamie Donaldson collects only his second career ‘ace’ with a hole-in-one at the sixth hole. (Photo – www.golffile.ie)
”And while there’s no car as the prize to make a hole‑in‑one on the 6th hole at Augusta, that was awesome.”
And while Donaldson’s playing partners, former Masters winner Mark O’Meara and last week’s Valero Texas Open champion, Martin Laird helped celebrate the ace there was a huge roar from ‘Team Donaldson’.
The four making up ‘Team Donaldson’ include his father, Jim, brother, Alex and two former schoolboy pals.
They are each wearing dark t-shirts with a large red dragon on the back, and each have their own knick name with his father called ‘Pushy Dad’, his younger brother, ‘Younger, Stronger and Faster’ and his past classmates, ‘Childhood Sweethearts’.
“They have all got daft names on the tee sheets and one of them is my longest serving mate,” said Donaldson.
“We have had good fun this week. We have rented a nice house down the road, and it’s been a great week.”
Alex Donaldson had caddied for his brother in Wednesday’s Par 3 Contest and Donaldson handed him a club at the ninth and final hole where he duly found the green.
It prompted Jamie to respond: “Alex plays just one shot and he leaves Augusta with a 100% record for greens in regulation.”
Donaldson immediately returned his hole-in-one golf ball to his bag and along with purchasing a commemorative Augusta National flag, he intends to auction the items for charity.
Donaldson had secured his invitation to the Masters by finishing inside the top 50 in the World Rankings at the end of 2012.
He joined 1991 Masters champion, Ian Woosnam, who is making his 25th Augusta appearance, as the only Welsh players in this year’s 77th staging of the Masters.
Donaldson’s other 17 holes were a mix of a 13th hole birdie but also four bogeys and a 12th hole double bogey where his tee shot hit the front edge of the green but spun back into Rae’s Creek.
“Overall, I drove it pretty well, put it in a lot of really strong positions, but just didn’t hit the iron shots as close as I would like,” he reflected.
“But overall pretty happy. I was disappointed to bogey the last, but, you know, I think it was the shortest shot that I had that didn’t quite come off.”
