Aussie amateur Crowe taking flight at Augusta National

Updated Apr. 3, 2023 7:18 p.m. ET

Associated Press

AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) — Harrison Crowe was having a couple of pints last summer at The Dunvegan, a pub just around the corner from the Old Course at St. Andrews, when a golf podcaster challenged someone to hit a ball off the pavement and onto the 18th green.

That would be over the buildings, across the street and onto the 18th green.

Crowe doesn't remember how many drinks he had in him. He does remember the shot. With his left foot on the corner of the sidewalk, his right on the street, Crowe took a mighty swing and sent the ball soaring over the buildings.

The video of the successful shot went viral, turning the amateur into something of a celebrity at his first Masters.

“I think hitting that shot just kind of shows the person that I am, that I'm not really afraid to give everything a shot,” Crowe said after a practice round at Augusta National on Monday. “And it kind of shows a little bit more of the Aussie culture a little bit, that we are pretty laid back and we are ready to do things.”

Crowe's victory at the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship last year put him in select Aussie company: Adam Scott is back on the 10th anniversary of his Masters triumph, British Open champ Cameron Smith is among the favorites, Jason Day is rising through the world rankings now that he's healthy, and Min Woo Lee is a trendy pick to do well.

“The course is definitely longer than I expected,” Crowe said, “but more so the aura around the players is so mesmerizing. You go down Magnolia Lane, it’s so special. Driving the car down there, it’s a life-changing experience. And then being here today, especially seeing how many people are out there, it’s nerve-wracking. But it’s more so exciting.”

DECHAMBEAU AND AUGUSTA

Bryson DeChambeau was a beefed-up, big-hitting U.S. Open champ when he came to the Masters in November 2020 and called Augusta National a par 67 because of his length. He only broke par two days, and only once did he break 70 — a 69.

“Because of that statement (some people) think I don’t have respect for the course,” DeChambeau said. “Are you kidding me? This is one of the greatest golf courses in the entire world, and if anybody thinks I don’t have respect for the course, they’d better go check out who I actually am because it’s not accurate one bit.”

DeChambeau said he regrets not clarifying that he needed to be at the peak of his game, and that wasn’t the case. And while he said a 67 every day is unlikely to happen, with the distance he was hitting the ball in 2020 it was possible.

“But that’s only with your ‘A’ game, and I should have rephrased that,” he said.

YOUNG SARGENT

Gordon Sargent received a special invitation to play the Masters as the NCAA champion. He's a sophomore at Vanderbilt but looks even younger, and that made it difficult to get around the grounds when he arrived Sunday.

In fact, a few employees figured he was one of the kids in the Drive, Chip and Putt competition.

“I’m walking around and no one is with me. I don’t even know if I had my badge with me; I think I probably still had it in the car or something,” Sargent said. “I was like, ‘Can I have player dining?’ They’re like, ‘I don’t know. Player?’ I was like, ‘Yeah, I know, I’m an amateur or whatever.’ Then thankfully a couple guys from when I came last month from inside remembered me, and they kind of guided me along. But yeah, it was pretty funny.”

“They’re like, ‘Where are your parents? Like, did they send you by yourself?’" Sargent added with a smile. “I was like, ‘No, they’re coming in. I can travel by myself sometimes.’”

HOLE IN ONE

Sepp Straka already has a memorable Masters moment: He aced the par-3 12th during his practice round Monday.

The winner of the Honda Classic a year ago, Straka was playing with Abraham Ancer, J.T. Poston and Chris Kirk and had 155 yards to the hole when he hit an 8-iron over the bunker fronting the green and watched his ball disappear.

Straka won't get one of the crystal bowls that Augusta National awards players who have a hole-in-one during the Masters; there hasn't been one of those at No. 12 since Curtis Strange in 1988. But that didn't seem to bother Straka one bit.

“Every time you come it's a special event, and then obviously this year, the one thing that's going to stand out — I don't think you can top that hole-in-one,” Straka said. “That’ll be a memory I’ll keep forever.”

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AP Golf Writer Doug Ferguson contributed.

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