April 7, 2006
AUGUSTA, Ga. -- Northwestern senior Dillon Dougherty walked in the footsteps of his childhood heroes this week during the 70th Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club.
On Thursday and Friday, he had the opportunity play alongside one of golf's all-time greats, Hall of Famer Gary Player. When all was said and done on Friday, Dougherty may have missed the cut, but his name will forever be linked with Player. Dougherty fired a 6-over par 78 to finish with a two-round total of 16-over par 160 -- in a tie with Player and fellow amateur Kevin Marsh for 85th place.
Luke Donald, a former Wildcat standout, shot an even-par 72 on Friday. His 36-hole total of 2-over 146 is good for a 30th-place tie. He is eight strokes back of leader Chad Campbell who shot a 67 in the second round and is 6-under par overall.
Donald, who finished third in his Masters debut a year ago, made the 36-hole cut and will continue play Saturday. He is ranked No. 9 in the world.
Dougherty, who made history this week by becoming the first NU amateur to play in the Masters, came out strong on Friday. After parring hole Nos. 1 and 2, Dougherty made his first birdie of the tournament on the par 4, No. 3 hole. He finished the front nine in similar fashion, making birdie on No. 8 and par on the ninth hole.
The 2005 US Amateur runner-up shot a front-nine score of 38 on one of the most difficult courses in the world. It was the second lowest score on either nine by an amateur this week. There were two 37s shot, one on the front nine and one on the back nine.
Through the first two rounds, hole No. 10 played as the second-most difficult hole on the course. It yielded just six birdies in round two, and Dougherty earned one of them.
Up next: Amen Corner -- holes 11, 12 and 13. Some of Dougherty's play during this stretch of holes was shown live on "Amen Corner Live" via the Masters web site.
The 11th hole played has played the hardest hole on the course over the first two days. Those watching online saw Dougherty take his third shot from the fairway on the par 4. His shot hit 10 feet short of the hole and spun back slightly. His par attempt broke more than expected, as it slid to the right of the hole. He tapped in for bogey.
Coverage next showed Dougherty on the green at No. 12, a par 3. Swirling winds and a shallow, angled target make this 160-yard hole surprisingly difficult -- the third-most difficult on the day and the second-most difficult in Masters history. Dougherty had a very lengthy putt from the far left side of the green to the right-hand pin location. His birdie attempt ran past the hole, and his putt for par turned too far left.
As a testament to just how punishing these holes can be, Charles Howell III made a quintuple-bogey 9 on No. 11. The 66th-ranked golfer in the world compounded it with a double bogey on No. 12. In just two holes, he went from three-over par on his round to 10-over.
After hitting 2 of 18 greens in regulation (GIR) yesterday, Dougherty was more steady in the second round. He hit 12 of 18 GIR, tied for 14th-best in the second round.
No amateur made the cut this year, and just four of the 15 first-time players qualified for weekend play. Brian McElhinney finished with the lowest 36-hole score by an amateur with an 11-over 155.
Television coverage on Saturday and Sunday will be provided by CBS from 2:30 to 6 p.m. CDT.