Fan Notes

HEADS UP: Gusts of wind almost lifted the straw hat off Amanda Holley’s head as she stood near the practice putting green Friday.

“You have to hang on to it and make sure it isn’t a distraction,” the Boston woman said.

Holley has a large hat collection and chose the one she wore Friday because it packed easily into a suitcase. The wide-brimmed hat shielded her face and shoulders from the sun, which made an appearance after morning showers.

HAT PATROL: Brothers Noel and Simon Kershaw, of Yorkshire, England, covered their heads with matching straw fedoras, hoping it would help them find each other easily in the crowds.

A thick brown ribbon tied around the hats served a second purpose: holding unlit cigars.

“We’ve improvised as well,” Noel Ker­shaw said. “We have been called on a few occasions the Blues Brothers of Oxford.”

The siblings, who watched Rory McIlroy on the ninth green, said they are pulling for a European to win the tournament.

CLOSE-UP: Binoculars helped Robyn Martin, of Ontario, see far down the 10th fairway where Tiger Woods, Luke Donald and Scott Piercy lined up their putts.

Martin, an avid golfer, said she was watching players’ routines and swings through her lenses.

“It’s fantastic to actually see their club action, and when they are on the green, you can actually see the roll of the ball,” she said.

FAMILIAR FACES: Earl and Kathy Williams, of Evans, sat at the 18th green in folding chairs they bought more than 30 years ago at the Masters Tournament.

The chairs with light-green fabric,
unlike the dark green of newer chairs, likely cost less than $5, Earl Williams said. They are lighter than newer versions, he said.

The couple have missed the golf event only a few times since first attending in 1970.

“It’s fun to see people who are here for their first time and see what they experience compared to what we know,” he said.

LAID BACK: Steve Ganshirt, of Chicago, celebrated his 50th birthday relaxing on the sloping hill overlooking the 16th green.

At the end of the day, he kicked off his shoes and lay back as the sun descended behind pine and magnolia trees. The Mas­ters trip was a present from his brother-in-law.

“Very nice, comfortable, shaded,” he said of the viewing spot.

Ganshirt saw amateur Nathan Smith barely miss a hole-in-one on the par-3 16th.

“It was within inches,” he said.

CUP COLLECTOR: A stack of 13 green plastic Masters cups wasn’t all that Casey Peak, of Lexington, Ky., had to show for his first visit to the tournament. He had another tall stack in the car.

“I’ve heard they are keepsakes, so I did not want to let go of them,” Peak said.

Peak start collecting the cups early in the morning.

He said he’d keep a few and give the others to friends who have never attended the Masters.