Cejka learned risks early
Alex Cejka (Stats | Bio) was 9 years old. He thought he was on holiday.
His father, also named Alex, took him to the water's edge in Yugoslavia while on vacation from his native Czechoslovakia.
Then he was tossed into the river. This wasn't a tough-love swimming lesson between a father and a son. This was a swim away from communism, where the stakes were life and death.
"I really didn't know where we were going, what was happening," Cejka said. "And suddenly, he hugged me and said, 'We did it,' and we were in Germany."
No round of golf, not even at the Masters Tournament, can shake a man who lived through that sort of youth. Cejka has paired up two rounds of 70 and is 4-under par after 36 holes. He's tied with Jose Maria Olazabal (Stats | Bio) , two shots behind leader Justin Rose (Stats | Bio) .
The fact that he's hitting 75 percent of his fairways and using only 1.6 putts per hole pale in comparison to his past.
While many of Cejka's memories about his escape are fuzzy, what was clear were the risks involved.
"I think they would shoot us if they catch us, but I don't know," said Cejka, 34. "I was too young. I really didn't know. It was communism. Nobody was allowed to get out."
Cejka was sure he would not be playing the Masters now if not for the risk his father took to escape to Germany.
"That's where the teachers were, where the opportunities were, where the great golf courses were," Cejka said. "I was lucky that I got the chance through my father, yes. Because if I would stay in the Czech Republic, who knows? I may end up working in a factory or like everybody else for $200 a month like it is now."
With his background, the fact that he's playing in only his second Masters, with eight years between visits, should not burden him. His mental game is sharp. It has taken leaps of its own.
"1996 (at the Masters) was my first tournament in America," Cejka said. "The first major. I was young. I was wild. Then I played with great players all week long, even on practice days 'til Sunday."
Cejka tied for 44th that year. He's likely to finish much higher up the leaderboard this time. The past eight years playing in Europe and the past two years playing the PGA Tour have been beneficial.
"You get to know the players," Cejka said. "You watch them go, and your game improves dramatically. But it's more mentally that I think I'm ready."
Jack Nicklaus (Stats | Bio) played with him for two days and felt like he was watching a player with a difference-making short game.
"He putted unbelievably," Nicklaus said. "For two days, he has played fantastic. He got his ball in scoring positions and made his putts."
Ronald Townsend, a member of the Masters media committee, escorted Cejka to the press center Thursday after his round. He said Cejka told him it was his first trip to the center.
"But he was not nervous," Townsend said. "Not in the least."
Reach Jeff Sentell at (706) 823-3425 or jeff.sentell@augustachronicle.com.
