McGirt savoring his time at Augusta National

For most players, carding 69 at a windy Augusta National would be the undisputed highlight of their day.

That wasn’t the case for William McGirt. Despite having an 11:07 a.m. tee time, the Masters Tournament rookie arrived to the No. 1 tee box 3½ hours early to take in the annual honorary starter ceremony.

“There was never any question that I wasn’t going to be there,” McGirt said. “I didn’t care if I was two groups, three groups, four groups off – I was going to go watch it.”

After seeing Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player kick off the 81st Masters, McGirt quickly saw his name climb the leaderboard.

In his first competitive round at Augusta National, McGirt conquered the testy conditions to post 35 on his first nine and 34 on the second. The Wofford College graduate carded birdies on Nos. 2, 5, 13 and 16, with his lone bogey on No. 3.

McGirt – who enters today in second place four shots behind Charley Hoffman – qualified for the Masters by winning the Memorial Tournament.

“I love it when it’s tough,” McGirt said of Thursday’s conditions. “And this place, when it plays like it did today, this can be one of the hardest golf courses you’ll ever see.”

After winning at Memorial in 2016, the 37-year-old McGirt grew closer to Jack Nicklaus, the tournament host. On Tuesday, the two had a chance encounter at Augusta National. As McGirt took family photographs near the clubhouse, the six-time Masters champion happened to ride by on a golf cart.

“(Nicklaus) told me to play smart and play within myself,” McGirt said. “(Nicklaus) says, ‘If you can win at my place, you can win here.’”

As his round neared its conclusion Thursday, McGirt glanced toward a leaderboard and saw his name at the top. The PGA Tour journeyman embraced the moment with his caddy, Brandon Antus.

“I look at ‘B’ and I go, ‘Hey, look up there,’” McGirt said.