AUGUSTA, Ga. — Clay Ogden's experience at the Masters has been close to perfect, and after Friday's second round, he had just one regret. That he couldn't stick around and play on the weekend.
Ogden's round at Augusta National Friday was much better than the day before and much more like he expected to play all week.
The 21-year-old amateur from West Point fired a 4-over-par 76, better than a host of players but not nearly good enough to achieve his goal of making the cut and being the low amateur.
An 83 the day before made sure of that.
Still, Ogden will leave Augusta with memories for a lifetime after playing with several legends of the game and making some great shots on one of the world's most revered golf courses.
"I wish I had two days left," he said. "I played a lot more solid today. I made some stupid mistakes, but I felt a lot better about my game."
For the second straight day, Ogden played with two-time champion Ben Crenshaw and was able to witness up close another outstanding round by the 54-year-old. Crenshaw made 16 pars and one birdie and one bogey for an even-par 72 that left him in a tie for 10th place.
"The guy can roll the rock," Ogden said of Crenshaw's putting. When asked what he learned from playing two days with Crenshaw, Ogden replied, "I've got a lot of work to do on my putting," with an emphasis on "a lot."
For the second straight day, Ogden hit great drives and some good iron shots, but lost a few shots around the greens. He made three birdies on the day, at 2, 9 and 13 and avoided any big numbers but also made seven bogeys.
He said his two highlights of the tournament were making a birdie-2 at the famous par-3 12th hole on Thursday and then rolling in a 50-footer for birdie Friday at No. 9, the same hole that ate his lunch a day earlier when he five-putted for a quadruple-bogey 8.
When asked about his round Friday, the first thing he said was, "I made five fewer putts on No. 9 today."
He explained the putt, saying, "I was trying to hit it 10 feet and let the green do the rest. Getting the speed right is pure guess, but I got pretty lucky."
Ogden also got lucky at No. 13 when his second shot bounced in the hazard but stayed on the grassy upslope. From there he chipped to within 12 feet and made the birdie putt.
Ogden finished in a tie for 82nd with David Duval and Fuzzy Zoeller and beat two other amateurs, Dillon Dougherty and Kevin Marsh, by one shot. He also finished with a lower score than three former champions, Gary Player, Sandy Lyle and Charles Coody.
After his round, Ogden wished Crenshaw good luck on the weekend. Crenshaw, who Ogden called "the nicest guy in the world," congratulated Ogden on his play and told him, "you'll be back here a million times."
Ogden plans to relax and watch the tournament today and Sunday with his free ticket. After that, he has a busy spring and summer of golf ahead.
He's joining his BYU teammates in Atlanta Monday for a college tournament. He'll compete for the Cougar golf team until June, when he hopes to help BYU challenge for the NCAA title.
After that, he'll try to qualify for the U.S. Open and will play in several amateur events this summer, including the Porter Cup, the Palmer Cup, the Pacific Coast Amateur, the Utah State Amateur, the U.S. Amateur and the U.S. Public Links, where he'll defend his title.
Perhaps he'll win it again and be back at Augusta next April.
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