Dalke prepares for Masters in nearby tourney

Brad Dalke may be a Masters Tournament rookie, but he knows the area well.

Dalke, a 19-year-old amateur, played four years in the Junior Invitational at Sage Valley, a prestigious junior tournament held at Sage Valley Golf Club, located 15 minutes outside Augusta in South Carolina. Now, Dalke is competing on this side of the Savannah River.

“It’s a good golf area here,” he said. “It’s fun to be back. It’s a little different stage this time.”

Dalke, the 2016 U.S. Amateur runner-up, makes his major tournament debut at 11:29 a.m. Thursday when he tees off with James Hahn and 1991 Masters champion Ian Woosnam. The University of Oklahoma sophomore said his game is starting to come around at the right time.

“I’m playing some good golf right now. I’m excited,” he said. “I just have to go out there and play my own game.”

Dalke played a practice round Tuesday with Masters champions Jordan Spieth and Bubba Watson, along with William McGirt. The previous day, he played a practice round with Watson and Steve Stricker.

Dalke said the practice rounds gave him an opportunity to play in front of large crowds.

“I feel like I had a chance to handle my nerves the past two days,” Dalke said. “It’s the most nervous I’ve ever been in two practice rounds. It was fun, though.”

Dalke turned down the opportunity this past weekend to play Augusta National Golf Club under much different circumstances. Instead, he played in the 3M Augusta Invitational — a college tournament annually held the weekend before the Masters — with his teammates. Dalke got off to a slow start the first 36 holes before closing with a 6-under-par 66 on Sunday.

“I thought it’d be good preparation to get in some competitive rounds,” he said. “I could’ve gone out here and played the course with nobody out here, but I wouldn’t have seen my game in a competitive form.”