A Golfer's Dream - Book Three The Real Education Begins    Written by TheCaddy

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The following story is a work of fiction containing graphic descriptions of
sexual acts between adults and minors. All of the sex depicted is consensual;
the author does not intend to promote incest or sexual relations with underage
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Chapter Thirty – The Masters

On Monday morning Dave played his first practice round for the Masters and 
instantly loved the Augusta National Golf Course.  It was long and challenging 
with lightning-fast greens.  He and Alec spent a lot of time taking notes and 
researching each golf hole.  Dave practiced for two hours in the afternoon and 
was very pleased with his ball striking.  His parents arrived that evening and 
Dave visited with them for a while before he returned to his room and studied 
for two hours then went to bed.  Dave had found that he could learn much more 
material if he kept squeezing in one or two short studying sessions every chance 
he had.

He woke early on Tuesday and went directly to the course.  He practiced hard for 
four hours before going to lunch with Alec then playing another practice round 
in the afternoon.  He was pleased to shoot seventy-one and was getting a good 
feel for the lush Georgia course.  He and Alec went to supper with Dave’s 
parents before Dave went back to his room to study.  After three good hours of 
studying he sat with Alec and they had a long discussion about their educations 
and their futures.

Alec made the important personal announcement that he was considering and had 
almost concluded he should ask Shauna to marry him.  Dave was very excited for 
his friend.  He told Alec how lucky he was to have found such a wonderful and 
steadfast woman.  Alec agreed he was a very lucky person and turned the 
conversation to Dave’s condition.  Alec spoke very frankly about his substantial 
concerns about Dave’s new love, Anne; Dave listened intently.  When Alec 
finished outlining his fears that her true intentions might be very negative in 
the future, Dave explained that he really liked Anne and he was trying not to 
overreact to small imperfections in his relationships.  He said he was presently 
committed to Anne and didn’t want to repeat mistakes he had made previously by 
overreacting.  He also said he would try to be more aware and not be blind to 
serious defects.  He did understand Alec’s concerns and was being careful.

Dave switched the conversation to Alec becoming his fulltime caddie.  Dave 
outlined the proposal he had carefully developed, “The NCAA Championships end 
June 3rd and I plan on hiring an agent on Monday, June 5th.  I’m going to play 
the US Open as a professional and I want to have you as my caddie.  I’ll pay you 
the standard ten percent of all my winnings and bonuses.  I will also give you 
ten percent of any appearance fees I receive for tournaments.  If I sign 
endorsement contracts for at least one million dollars I will guarantee you an 
annual salary of $100,000.  I know the numbers sound huge but I need a good 
caddie I can trust and I don’t trust anyone more than I trust you.  Will you be 
my full-time caddie?”

Alec looked at his friend in considerable surprise; he was silent as he totaled 
up the prospects.  He had been half-expecting Dave would ask him to caddie – but 
he never imagined he could earn as much money as Dave was suggesting.  Alec knew 
that the top fifty players in 2005 earned $2,000,000 in prize money which meant 
if Dave were to crack the top fifty his caddie share would be $200,000.  The top 
ten earned over $5,000,000 – he could earn enough money to provide him and 
Shauna with a very comfortable future.  He smiled at his friend and new 
employer; as soon as he said ‘yes’, they shook hands to confirm the deal.

They talked for another hour about details before going to bed.  Dave slept well 
thinking about his discussions with Alec and that the matter of who would be his 
caddie was settled.

A par-three warm-up event was held on Wednesday but Dave didn’t play.  He spent 
the day practicing.  That evening his father asked him to go to a movie but Dave 
said he didn’t feel like it.  His mother, Carol, passed as well but Alec wanted 
to go so Roger and Alec went together.  Dave spent a quiet evening talking to 
his mother.  He didn’t know it but his parents had planned to arrange some 
private time for Dave and his mother to chat.  Carol had missed her long talks 
with her son.  They sat comfortably in Dave’s hotel suite and talked and talked.  
Dave told his mother about his feelings for Anne and also about Alec’s concerns.  
Carol told him to search hard inside his heart to decide if Anne was the right 
woman for him; she also suggested he take things slowly and not be in a rush to 
make a decision without sufficient thinking.  Carol then brought Dave up to date 
on life on QAI.  Dave really enjoyed the relaxing evening; when his father and 
Alec returned, Dave kissed his mother goodbye and shook his father’s hand before 
they left.  Dave studied for an hour before he went to bed.  He had a lot to 
think about as he lay in bed mulling over his future.

He woke early the next morning and walked to the Starbucks coffeehouse down the 
street.  He was resuming his morning ritual and he sipped hot chocolate as he 
got focused on his opening round.  He had a one o’clock tee time so, after 
spending half an hour in the coffee shop, he walked back to the hotel and ate 
breakfast with Alec.  They went to the course shortly after eight and Dave 
practiced most of the morning.  He and Alec ate a good meal before he started to 
prepare for his opening round.

He was scheduled to tee off on the tenth hole along with his playing partner 
Retief Goosen.  Dave was nervous as he hit his first tee shot but he found the 
fairway safely.  The first nine went fairly well and Dave shot one under par.  
The greens were even faster than they had been during the practice rounds and 
Dave couldn’t get his putter going perfectly.  He hit almost every fairway and 
most of the greens but was unable to capitalize on the numerous birdie putt 
opportunities he had generated.

The front nine was a repeat of the back but an improving Dave managed to sink 
three birdie putts and, adding in only one bogey, he finished the first round 
with a solid sixty-nine.  Tiger had played in the morning draw and he blasted 
out of the gates with a sixty-five and was leading the tournament.  Dave was 
sitting in eighth position and was very happy to be in the top ten.  He was 
guided to the media tent after he carefully signed his card.  The media pelted 
him with questions about Tiger and Dave finally said, “I’m Dave MacDonald, not 
Tiger Woods.  I can only control how I play and I was pleased with my first-ever 
round at the Masters.  I hit the ball really well but didn’t roll the ball very 
successfully on the greens.  I plan to focus on my game and, if I am in the hunt 
on Sunday – I will deal with whoever is the leader then.  The tournament is 
seventy-two holes, not eighteen.”

Dave left the tent and found Alec and his parents.  They all went out to dinner 
and Dave enjoyed the relaxing conversation.  He spent the evening studying 
before crawling into bed at ten o’clock.  He had an early tee time on Friday so 
he was at Starbucks shortly after six.  He focused on his second round and 
maintained his concentration as he strolled back to the hotel.  He and Alec ate 
large breakfasts before heading to the course.

Dave warmed up for over an hour before he teed off on the first hole.  He was 
playing with Retief again.  Retief had shot seventy-one the first day and Dave 
enjoyed playing two days in a row with the South African.  Dave hit the ball 
very well again the second day and he putted a little better.  He shot sixty-
eight and was very happy to be seven under through two rounds.  Retief shot 
sixty-nine and was also pleased with his solid effort.  Dave spent another 
thirty minutes in the media tent before he and Alec went back to their hotel and 
ate a late lunch.  Dave then studied for an hour before going to the pool where 
he swam hard for an hour.  He was back studying hard in his room when he heard a 
tapping on his door.  As he pulled the door open, he was very happy to see three 
wonderful women – the twins and Shauna – smiling at him.  Shauna immediately 
went to Alec’s room while Dave guided the twins to the couch in the main room.  
Jana explained, “We decided to come to Georgia and cheer on our favorite 
golfer.”

Dave thanked them for coming and waited for a lull in the conversation before he 
asked, “Didn’t Anne want to come?”

Kyra shook her head before she replied, “No, I called and invited her but she 
only got mad that Jana and I were coming to watch you.”

Dave was disappointed to hear about Anne’s decision; but he was very happy to 
see his twin friends and they talked casually for an hour before Alec and Shauna 
walked out of the bedroom smiling.  Dave suggested they go to dinner together 
and he phoned his parents to meet them.  Dave’s parents were happy to see Shauna 
and the twins and they enjoyed a relaxing meal together.  They talked for over 
an hour after dinner before Dave, Alec, Shauna, and the twins returned to the 
hotel.  Dave called to check his tee time and found out he was playing with Phil 
Michelson who was also seven under par.  Dave then turned on the television to 
the golf channel and checked the leader board.  Dave and Phil were tied for 
fifth place – eight strokes behind Tiger who had shot another strong round of 
sixty-four.  Mike Weir was in second at nine under par while Chris DiMarco and 
Vijay Singh were tied for third at eight under par.

Dave didn’t have to tee off until one o’clock so he sat up talking with the 
twins.  When it was eventually bedtime, Dave followed the twins into his room.  
There were two double beds and he begged, “I don’t mind if you sleep in the 
other bed but please don’t torture me by having noisy sex.  You know I can’t 
have sex with you and I won’t get a wink of sleep if you two make love.”

Kyra batted her angelic eyes and pleaded, “Would I tease you?”  She then peeled 
her top over her head exposing her round firm breasts.  Dave felt his manhood 
jump instantly so he turned and stripped down to his boxers then got in the 
other bed.  He tried not to look at the twins but he couldn’t resist and he 
rolled over just in time to see the two gorgeous dark skinned bodies climb into 
the other bed, naked.

He rolled over in his bed and debated whether to say the hell with his moral 
commitments and make love to them but he knew he couldn’t.  He finally fell 
asleep with both their naked bodies imprinted on his brain.  As he slept he felt 
some movement on his bed.  He then felt a warm naked body slide into his arms.  
He put an arm around Kyra’s waist and went back to sleep.  Not long after, he 
felt another body crawl into the bed.  He felt Jana pull his boxers off before 
her breasts pushed into his back – he was a whole wheat sandwich again and did 
he ever sleep well.  He waited for her to try something with him but she didn’t.

He woke the next morning with his hard-on pushed between the cheeks of Jana’s 
ass.  He went to roll out of bed but she grabbed his arm and held him down as 
she whispered, “Can we please just cuddle for a while longer?  I’ve very much 
missed simply being naked in your arms.  I can’t believe I was so stupid last 
summer to fuck up our relationship.  I don’t think I will ever forgive myself.”

Dave kissed her on the neck before he whispered, “Life is unpredictable – I’m 
relieved that I didn’t lose your friendship.  I loved making love to you but 
your friendship is even more important.”

Jana turned and looked intently into his eyes.  She spoke very softly, “Are you 
sure Anne is the right woman for you?  Jennifer …” Dave gently placed his hand 
on Jana’s lips to stop her talking.  Jana pulled his hand away and started to 
speak again.  “But Jennifer …”

Dave again cut her off, “Jennifer is in Canada and I am with Anne now.”

Jana realized Dave didn’t want to speak about his relationship so she abandoned 
her attempt and instead asked, “Do you mind showering with Kyra and me?”

As Dave nodded Kyra exclaimed, “I’m not ready to stop cuddling yet.”  She pushed 
herself tighter against Dave’s back.  He rolled onto his back and placed an arm 
around each sister.  They moved their heads to his chest and he stared down at 
them happily.  God, he so wanted to make love to them – but that was not an 
option.  They chatted for a half hour about school and their families before 
they got in the shower and cleaned each other thoroughly.  Dave allowed his 
soapy hands to wonder freely over their firm bodies and he again had to use 
every ounce of restraint he had to not make love to them.

After he was dressed he slipped out of the hotel and walked to the Starbucks.  
His mind was on the twins more than his golf game and he debated whether he 
should break up with Anne so he could be with the twins.  He looked down toward 
his little head and growled, “You stop trying to run this show.  I really care 
for Anne and you’re not going to screw that up.”  At Starbucks, he refocused on 
his golf game for another fifteen minutes, and then went back to the hotel.  
After they all ate a good breakfast, Shauna dropped Dave and Alec off at the 
golf course.

Dave hit balls for over an hour before going to the putting green and putting 
for another hour.  His putting stroke felt really good and he talked briefly 
with Mike Weir before he spotted Phil Michelson.  He strolled over to Phil and 
asked, “How’s the Sun Devil doing?”

Phil chuckled as he heard Dave refer to his alma-mater Arizona State Sun Devils.  
He replied, “I think we could use a little team support to help us catch a 
Tiger.”

Dave suddenly had a brilliant idea and he proposed, “Tiger is eight strokes 
ahead of us both so let’s work together today to catch him.  We’ll encourage 
each other and see if we can feed off one another’s good play.”

Phil put his hand straight out with a closed fist.  As Dave lightly punched his 
hand with a similar closed fist, Phil added, “But tomorrow – it’s every man for 
himself.”  Dave nodded agreement.

They putted for another half hour as they waited for the call to the first tee.  
Phil teed off first and he hit a huge drive down the right side over the bunker.  
Dave hit next and he also pounded a huge drive, fifteen yards past Phil’s drive.  
They congratulated each other before strolling down the fairway confidently.  
Phil hit a great approach shot to six feet while Dave pulled his slightly and 
was left with twenty-feet to the hole.  Dave rolled his first putt over the edge 
before tapping in for par.  Phil knocked his putt dead centre.  After Phil made 
the putt Dave walked to him and they hit fists again as Dave congratulated him.

On the second hole Phil hit a good drive while Dave launched a mammoth drive 
around the corner of the long par five.  Phil walked to Dave and they hit fists 
again to celebrate the great drives.  In the fairway, Phil laid up inside the 
hundred yard marker with a five iron while Dave hit a perfect three iron onto 
the green.  Dave was left with a twelve-foot eagle putt.  Phil then hit a great 
wedge shot to seven feet.  Dave had to putt first and after surveying the putt 
carefully he made a smooth stroke with his putter.  The ball rolled toward the 
corner of the hole and died just as it reached the right lip and dropped to the 
bottom for an eagle three.  Phil punched Dave’s hand before he stood over his 
putt and stroked it dead center.  They hit fists again and both men moved to 
third hole tied at two under par.

The front nine continued to go well for both golfers and, as they had hoped, 
they seemed to psychologically feed off each other’s strong play.  At the turn 
Dave was five under par and Phil was four.  Dave was happy to have Shauna, the 
twins, and his parents following him.  As he approached the tenth tee he 
suddenly saw Anne smiling at him.  He walked to her and kissed her softly.  She 
seemed to glare at the twins but didn’t say anything.  Dave quickly put his game 
face back on and walked onto the tee with Phil.

Dave watched Anne walk over to his parents and introduce herself.  He was 
watching them talk when Phil called him back from wandering, “You’re up, Dave.”

Dave turned and looked down the fairway.  The group in front of them had hit 
their second shots and begun walking to the green so Dave teed up his ball.  He 
focused on his shot before he put a smooth swing on his driver.  The ball 
bounced down the left side and slipped into the rough.  It was the first fairway 
he had missed all day.  Phil hit a good drive down the right side of the 
fairway.  Dave’s ball was sitting down in the rough but he managed to get enough 
club on the ball to hit it onto the green thirty feet from the hole.  Phil hit a 
good shot ten feet from the cup.  Dave two-putted for par before Phil rolled in 
another birdie.  After their now normal congratulatory fist punches, they moved 
to the eleventh hole.

Dave got refocused on his game and he finished the back strongly.  He and Phil 
ended up shooting identical nine-under sixty-threes.  They celebrated together 
on the final green before going to sign their cards.  Dave glanced at the leader 
board as he walked into the secured tent and was pleased to see that he and Phil 
had reduced Tiger’s lead to just two strokes.  Tiger was still three under for 
the day and had left most of the other contenders in the dust.  After Phil and 
Dave the next closest was Mike Weir, nine strokes behind Tiger at nine under 
par.

When Dave went into the media tent, the reporters went wild asking questions 
about him and Phil and their working together.  Dave explained that they had 
agreed to try and boost each other’s confidence and close the gap on Tiger’s 
lead.  Dave said that the final round, however, would be every man for himself.  
Dave ended up staying in the media tent for over forty-five minutes as the 
reporters asked if he could win his second Major in two years.  Dave simply 
smiled and replied that he would play the best he could.  When a reporter 
mentioned Dave being a ‘Tiger Tamer’, Dave chuckled then replied, “The only 
thing I’m trying to tame is the Augusta National Golf Course.  If I beat the 
course I think I can win this tournament.  If the course beats me, I won’t win.”

Phil was standing at the side as Dave took question after question until the 
tournament organizers called an end to Dave’s media conference.  As Dave was 
walking out of the tent, Phil put out his fist and they did one final 
congratulatory punch.  The reporters’ cameras clicked and flashed like Fourth of 
July fireworks.  Anne was waiting outside the tent for him and Dave kissed her 
lovingly.  After receiving congratulations from Shauna, the twins, and his 
parents, Dave suggested they all go out for dinner together.  Anne tried to 
convince him that he should only invite his parents and let Alec, Shauna, and 
the twins find their own dinner but Dave refused.  After Dave changed in the 
locker room, they went to a nice restaurant where Dave ended up signing 
autographs most of the time.  He bid his parents goodbye before the six college 
students drove back to the hotel.

As soon as they were in the suite Anne pulled Dave into his room and 
interrogated him about where the twins had slept the previous night.  She was 
very upset when he told her that they ended up in his bed and she wouldn’t 
believe him when he assured her that he didn’t make love to them.  Dave was 
getting very frustrated with the arguing when he finally took Anne’s face in his 
hands and he stared intently into her eyes.  “Anne, I love you.  I only want to 
be with you and I will only be with you.  I didn’t and won’t ever cheat on you.”  
After giving her a moment to think about what he said he continued, “I have the 
final round of the Masters tomorrow.  I need to relax and wind down – so this 
discussion has to end, for now.  If you want we can revisit it tomorrow evening 
but right now I need to get some rest.  I’m going out to tell the twins they 
will be sleeping on the pull-out couch and that I will see them tomorrow.”

Anne simply stared at him grimly as he moved off the bed and went out to the 
main room.  He told the twins he would see them in the morning before saying 
good night to Alec and Shauna.  When Dave returned to his room, Anne kissed him 
lovingly before she pulled his clothes off and made love to him.  Dave noticed 
that she was trying hard to please him by spending extra time sucking him to 
full hardness before she mounted him; after they established a good rhythm with 
her riding his rod and him massaging her breasts, they reached a mutual climax.  
They eventually fell asleep in each other’s arms.

Dave’s morning routine was the same as the previous three days except that when 
he returned from Starbucks he took a shower with Anne before they all went to 
breakfast.  Anne was still very cold toward the twins but Dave ignored that and 
focused on his golf as that was his biggest priority.  He and Alec went to the 
course around ten o’clock, more than three hours before his tee time.  For this 
round, Dave was in the last group with Tiger Woods and he was nervous about 
finally going head-to-head with the best golfer in the world.

Dave practiced for two hours before he and Alec went for lunch – Dave was 
nervous and didn’t eat much.  He was putting on the practice green when he was 
called to the first tee.  He was shaking with nerves – he finally understood how 
Tiger’s opponents usually felt.  Dave strolled onto the tee and casually wished 
Tiger luck and shook his hand.  Tiger was a gentleman and returned the good 
wishes.  Dave watched as Phil Mickelson and Vijay Singh walked up the fairway in 
front of them.  Mickelson and Singh were off the green when the announcer 
formally announced Dave.

“In the final pairing of the tournament the reigning NCAA Champion, former 
Canadian Open Champion, former Canadian Amateur Champion, and Reigning British 
Open Champion from QAI, Canada, Dave MacDonald.”  Dave waved thanks to the crowd 
for their loud support before he teed up his ball and went through his pre-shot 
routine.  He was extremely nervous and felt as if everyone could see how he was 
shaking uncontrollably.  He finally setup over his ball and hit a solid drive 
down the fairway.  Dave was relieved to see the ball land in the short grass and 
roll to a nice position from which to attack the first green.

The announcer then introduced Tiger and Dave looked at Alec without even 
listening to the introduction.  Tiger eventually waved then stood over the ball 
and took a ferocious rip at it.  The ball launched off the face of his club and 
rocketed down the fairway.  Dave was sure the ball would end up well past his 
drive but was pleased to see it roll only about twenty yards past Dave’s good 
drive.  Dave smiled at Alec then whispered, “He’s not that long.”  Dave 
intentionally said it loud enough for Tiger to hear.  Tiger sneered at him 
before he strode down the fairway.

Alec warned, “Watch out playing with Tiger – you’ll get bit.”

Dave smiled as he felt his nervousness evaporate; then he chuckled and said, “I 
think it’s a good day for a safari and the game I’m hunting is Tiger.”

Alec shook his head and he fell behind Dave walking down the first fairway.  
Dave hit a great approach shot and only had a five-foot birdie putt.  Tiger 
pushed his approach shot and was left with a fifteen-foot putt, which he missed.  
Dave rolled his birdie putt in easily and was now within one stroke of the 
leader.  The front nine was a seesaw battle as Dave would pull even with Tiger 
before Tiger would pull ahead by one stroke again.  Dave finished the front nine 
three under par, one stroke behind Tiger.  He checked the leader board and saw 
Phil was tied with him at nineteen under par, also one back of Tiger.

Tiger continued to play well on the back nine and made birdies on thirteen and 
fifteen but Dave remained one back with birdies on twelve and fifteen.  After 
making the turn at Amen corner, they stood on the sixteenth hole, looking at the 
challenging par-three.  Dave briefly remembered how Tiger had chipped in to 
extend his lead on DiMarco the previous year but quickly refocused on his own 
game.  Tiger hit a fantastic shot that stopped just six feet from the hole.  The 
crowd went wild with support for their hero.  Dave hit a smooth shot but the 
ball hit into the green to the right beyond the hole.  The ball would normally 
have rolled back towards the cup but it stopped on the sloped hill twenty feet 
away.  Dave was disappointed with his shot and unbeknownst to him the announcers 
were predicting that if Tiger made the short birdie putt he would cruise to an 
easy victory.  Mickelson was still tied with Dave and a birdie by Tiger would 
give him a two stroke lead over both of them.

Dave and Alec spent a lot of time reading the putt and agreed that the ball 
would break at least ten feet.  They finally agreed on the line and Dave moved 
over the ball and took three practice strokes.  He focused on the line they had 
selected as he said to him self, “Straight Back, Straight Through.”  He pulled 
the putter back and stroked the ball smoothly.  The ball rolled along the steep 
slope on the back of the green then started to dive towards the hole.  The ball 
kept turning end over end as it trickled toward the hole then finally dropped 
smoothly to the bottom of the cup.  Dave gave one quick hand pump before he 
turned to Alec and winked happily at him.  The fans erupted in a huge screaming 
applause at Dave’s unexpected success; and Dave was pleased to hear and 
understand that nearly half the crowd was behind him and wanted him to beat 
Tiger.

Dave making the long tough putt seemed to throw Tiger off his concentration 
because he took extra long to get comfortable over his birdie putt.  When he hit 
his putt the ball rolled over the edge of the hole but didn’t drop.  The fans 
all moaned as Tiger strode to the hole and angrily tapped in the short par putt.  
The announcers couldn’t believe the swing of events and were comparing Dave’s 
putt to Tiger’s amazing chip the previous year.  Dave glided to the seventeenth 
tee confidently.  He had to wait a moment for Mickelson and Singh to hit their 
second shots to the challenging seventeenth green before he stood over his ball 
and launched his longest drive of the day.  He really nailed his shot and it 
bounced and rolled well down the seventeenth fairway.

Tiger stood over his ball still looking frazzled by his missed putt and took a 
wild swing with his driver.  He hooked the ball left and it bounced into some 
trees along the left side of the rough.  Dave calmly led Alec down the fairway – 
he was now tied with Tiger with only two holes remaining.  Phil was one stroke 
behind playing just ahead of them.  Tiger’s ball had bounced behind a tree and 
he could only advance the ball a short distance up the fairway, one hundred 
yards short of the green.  After Phil and Vijay cleared the green, Dave hit a 
smooth nine iron twelve feet from the hole.  Dave saw Phil two-putt the green so 
he knew he was still one stroke ahead of him.

Tiger’s third shot bounced fifteen feet past the hole.  Tiger surveyed his putt 
thoroughly but he missed the long par putt before he marked his ball.  Dave and 
Alec talked about his putt and agreed on the line.  Dave hit a good putt but the 
pace was a little quick and the ball didn’t break in time to catch a piece of 
the hole.  Dave knocked the three-foot comeback putt dead center before Tiger 
tapped in for his bogey.

Dave almost raced to the final tee – he wanted to get this tournament over 
before he had any more time to think about it.  Phil and Vijay were still in the 
fairway in front of them so Dave looked at the leader board as it updated the 
scores and showed Dave in a one stroke lead over both Tiger and Phil.  Dave 
glanced at his parents and noticed his father trying to remain calm but Dave 
could tell he was bursting with excitement.  Dave looked back up the fairway as 
Phil stood over his second shot to the par four eighteenth green.  Dave was 
trying to concentrate on his game – he kept telling himself he needed one more 
good drive.  He glanced at Phil again and then he heard a sudden scream from the 
crowd around the final green; Phil Mickelson started jumping and dancing in the 
fairway.  Dave heard Tiger whisper beside him, “Holy fuck, he sank it.”

Dave stared straight ahead trying to confirm what Tiger said and saw Phil high-
fiving his caddie.  Phil was now one stroke ahead of Dave and two ahead of 
Tiger.  Dave dropped his head and said to himself, “Okay, Dave, you need birdie 
now to tie.”  When Phil and Vijay finally moved up the fairway out of the way, 
Dave stood over his ball and hit a solid drive up the middle.  He passed his 
driver to Alec and said, “We need a birdie, Alec.”  Alec simply nodded.

Tiger launched a huge drive that rolled fifteen yards past Dave’s ball.  Dave 
hit first and he hit a good nine-iron eleven feet from the hole.  He waited 
patiently for Tiger to hit and Tiger took dead aim for the hole – he needed to 
repeat Mickelson’s eagle to get in the playoff.  Tiger’s ball flew over the pin 
and rolled fifteen feet from the hole.  He banged his club to the ground 
dejectedly before he passed it to his caddie and followed Dave and Alec up the 
fairway.

Dave and Alec looked at his putt from all angles as Tiger rolled his birdie 
attempt just beyond the hole then tapped in for par.  Dave stood over his ball 
and focused on his line.  He was thinking, “Straight Back, Straight Through” as 
he stroked the ball towards the hole.  The ball was dead on line and rolling 
smoothly to the hole.  The ball decelerated as it reached the hole and Dave 
started to clench his fist as he was sure he had made the birdie putt but the 
ball curled right and dove into the right lip of the hole then circled around 
the back of the cup and popped up on the left side.  Dave stared at the ball in 
disbelief just as a tremendous roar of “Ooohhhh!” rocked the final green at 
Augusta National.  Dave stood still watching to see if his ball – which was 
unbelievably hanging tantalizingly on the lip – would drop in.  He waited 
several seconds although those seconds seemed like minutes before he walked up 
to the ball and tapped it in for a par and a second place finish.

He then walked to Tiger and shook his hand.  “Great round, Tiger.”

Tiger replied, “We’ll play again, Dave.”

Dave smiled.  “Definitely!”

Dave looked over at the side of the green where Phil Mickelson was celebrating 
with his family.  Dave shook Tiger’s caddie’s hand before he strode over to 
Phil.  As he approached he put out his fist for Phil to punch like they had done 
the previous day.  After Phil punched his fist, Dave leaned close to him and 
whispered in his ear.  “I think you sold your soul to the Sun Devil to sink that 
one from the fairway.  We said we were on our own today but an eagle on the last 
hole is just plain unfair.”

As they parted Phil saw Dave’s smiling face and chuckled.  “You’ll have plenty 
of chances to get back at me in the future when you finish your education and 
get out here permanently.”

Dave nodded.  “You can count on that, very soon I think.  Great victory!”

They shook hands formally before Dave walked back to Alec and hugged his best 
friend and caddie.  He whispered, “I thought I had that putt.  I guess it’s 
Phil’s day today, not mine.”

Anne ran up to him and Dave hugged her tightly.  She kissed him before she 
congratulated him.  He thanked her then led her to his parents and hugged his 
mother.  His father shook his hand before saying, “You played a wonderful round, 
Dave.  You definitely proved you belong on this tour.”

Dave agreed, “I’m really pleased with my play.  I was terrified on the first tee 
but I refocused and actually enjoyed the day.  It’s hard to beat an eagle from 
the fairway on the last hole.”

After Dave returned from signing his card, a tournament official approached him 
and asked, “You are low amateur, Dave.  Will you follow me to the Butler Cabin 
for the formal presentation?”

When Dave entered the nostalgic Butler Cabin he saw Phil and Tiger standing 
together and he walked to them and shook both their hands again.  He also 
recognized Hootie Johnson, the Chairman of Augusta, who shook each of their 
hands and Jim Nance, the television commentator.  The cameras came on and after 
Jim introduced Hootie, Hootie said, “On behalf of The Masters committee I would 
like to thank Phil, Dave, and Tiger for one of the most exciting finishes in 
Master’s history.  It literally came down to the last hole and the last shots.  
I will ask Tiger, last year’s champion to present the coveted Green Jacket to 
Phil.”  After Tiger helped Phil on with his jacket he shook his hand before 
Hootie also shook his hand and added, “Congratulations, Phil, on a hard fought 
victory.  Thank you, Tiger, for a wonderful tournament.  I would also like to 
congratulate Dave MacDonald for his very exciting play and look forward to him 
returning in the future.”  Dave shook Hootie’s hand before he shook Phil’s hand 
again.

Dave sat quietly while Phil answered questions from Jim before Jim asked Dave 
how it felt to challenge for the Masters at the age of nineteen.  Dave replied, 
“I am extremely pleased with how I played.  Phil was simply better than I was 
today and I’m happy for him.”  The interviewer asked about Phil and Dave working 
together the previous day and Dave explained, “Tiger was playing so well that we 
knew we couldn’t catch him without a little help and we worked hard to support 
each other and get back in the tournament.  I’d be lying to say I hadn’t hoped 
it would be me putting on the Green Jacket, but as I said I’m very happy with my 
play.”

The interview continued for another ten minutes before they were all excused.  
Dave walked outside and found his family and friends waiting for him.  Anne 
quickly tucked herself under his arm as he talked to his parents.  They 
explained they were going out for supper and Dave asked if he could join them.  
He explained he needed to wait until Phil was finished with the Champion’s 
interview before the media interviewed him as the best amateur.  The twins said 
they were driving back to campus and Alec and Shauna were going to drive with 
them.  Dave hugged them all before he shook Alec’s hand and thanked him again 
for his help.  Alec said, “We’ll get them next year.”  Dave simply nodded.  His 
best friend left with Shauna and the twins.  Dave went to the locker room and 
changed before he returned to wait with Anne and his parents for his interview.  
They all walked into the media tent to watch the end of Phil’s interview.  Phil 
was very complimentary to Dave and actually credited their teamwork on the 
previous day for getting him back into the tournament.

When Phil’s interview finally ended Dave took the podium and answered questions 
for thirty minutes.  There were several reporters asking whether he would turn 
pro soon and Dave explained that his primary focus now was his studies and a 
second NCAA Championship for Wake Forest.  The interview finally ended and Dave 
and Anne left the Augusta National Golf Course.  They met his parents at the 
restaurant; Dave enjoyed the meal with his parents and Anne got along well with 
them.  Dave wished them a safe trip home before he and Anne drove back to Wake 
Forest.  They arrived late and crawled into bed together.

Team practice the next morning was held without Dave.  Alec fielded the excited 
questions from the group and they all looked forward to speaking to Dave at 
lunch time.

Dave showered with Anne before he ate a quick breakfast and rushed to class.  
Anne had tried to convince him to skip class and sleep in but he insisted that 
after missing over a week he had to attend.  He received numerous compliments 
during both morning classes and he thanked every student earnestly.  Even the 
professors were stopping him in the hallways and congratulating him.

When he finally reached the dining hall his group was all anxiously waiting for 
him and he described the week in detail.  Darcy and Danielle were particularly 
excited for their close friend.  Lunch passed quickly and Dave discovered that 
the Wake Forest team won without him when he heard the ceremonious cheer of 
“DEMON DEACON GOLF!”  Darcy elaborated that he won the individual title as well 
and Dave congratulated him.

His afternoon was similar to the morning classes and Dave received more 
congratulations.  He went to team practice and again received more praise.  He 
practiced hard with the team for several hours before returning to his room with 
Alec.  Dave and Alec ate a quiet dinner with Shauna before Dave studied all 
evening.  He was slowly catching up but knew he had to work hard each evening.

The week passed quickly and Dave was soon on the road to Baden Lake, North 
Carolina for the ACC Championships.  Will was still recovering from his back 
injury so the team was comprised of Devin, Darcy, Dave, Keith, and Alec.  The 
Deacons cruised through the ACC and won easily.  Dave, Darcy, and Alec all 
placed in the top ten while Keith and Devin finished tied for fifteenth.  Coach 
Dawes was very pleased with the team’s performance; he gave a speech very 
similar to the one he had given the previous year and told the golfers they had 
a month off from tournament play to finish the academic winter semester but to 
remain focused on the next tournament.  The bus ride home was fairly quiet and 
the team didn’t celebrate much as they were looking forward to the NCAA Regional 
Tournament in Orlando, Florida.

After the ACC Dave fell into a routine of concentrating on practicing golf, 
studying, and swimming.  Anne was disappointed he didn’t have more time to go 
out with her but he calmly told her he had to remain committed to his studies 
and his golf.  The morning practice group worked hard every day and the women 
were excited about their ACC victory – they seemed to work even harder to get 
ready for their Eastern NCAA Regional, which they were hosting.  The group also 
started playing practice rounds at Bryan Park Golf Course in Browns Summit, 
North Carolina, which was the host location for the women’s regional.  The 
course was a nice test of golf and Dave spent time with each woman on the team 
to make sure they were ready for the regional.

The end of April brought final exams and Dave was confident he had caught up and 
was ready.  He had learned a lot about allocating his time among his different 
classes and his golf – he was sure that would help him in the future.  The 
evening before finals began Dave and Alec sat in their apartment talking.  They 
talked about the summer and how busy it would be with professional golf 
tournaments.  They talked about Shauna and Anne and their future relationships 
with their girlfriends.  When Dave went to bed he thought a lot about Anne; he 
really liked her but he wasn’t sure if she was the woman he wanted to spend the 
rest of his life with – his friends definitely did not think she was right for 
him.  But he was determined to look at the situation from all views and make a 
mature decision.  He had learned from his earlier mistakes where he had rushed 
to decisions and often allowed his emotions to control the situation.  Alec had 
been right – he allowed his emotions to control his relationships.  He finally 
fell asleep thinking over his future with Anne; he hadn’t made a permanent 
decision but he had looked at their relationship in detail.