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Even Jesus Christ was at the Masters Tournament on Saturday.
Well, Jim Caviezel anyway, the man who played the son of God in addition to golf legend Bobby Jones in movies released during 2004.
From inside the Augusta Showcase hospitality tent, Caviezel said he would be in town through today rooting for Fred Couples, who went to his high school (Mount Vernon, Wash.), and Ben Crenshaw, a favorite player for years. It's his second time at the tournament in three years.
Before taking on the role of Jones in Bobby Jones: Stroke of Genius, the 37-year-old actor was far more acquainted with basketball than golf. After intensive instruction and study to mimic Jones' swing, though, he has become hooked on the sport. His goal now is to become a scratch golfer.
"I think I can do it, because when I told people I was going to be an actor, they laughed at first; now they're not laughing," Caviezel said. "I just have to keep working on chipping and putting."
Besides, he added, golf and acting are quite similar. Both require mental and spiritual mastery.
Tom Ness, the teaching pro at Chateau Elan in Braselton, Ga., worked with Caviezel on his skills for the part and continues to fine-tune his game when the actor's in town.
He praises his friend's ability to change and adapt, which is something most golfers are too afraid to do because they might look bad.
"The first time I met him ... he said, 'I was the count of Monte Cristo and I didn't know anything about fencing. Tell me what you want, and I'll give it to you,'" Ness said. "He did."
JUST GLAD TO BE HERE: Raindrops were falling on the heads of patrons for hours, but University of Georgia students Holly Cheek, Elizabeth Swift and Sarah Knight were weathering the storm in their Sunday best.
"We brought our umbrellas, but I guess we forgot our heavy-duty boots," Swift said.
Clad in flip-flops and a spring-appropriate pastel skirt, Cheek said she didn't really care about the stormy conditions because she was so excited about her first trip to the Masters.
The three friends grew up with former Masters champ Larry Mize's son, so the younger Mize was showing them around the course Saturday, they said.
As play stopped around midday, Knight's father took cover in Augusta National's clubhouse, but without the proper credentials his daughter and her friends were left out in the cold - at least for a few minutes.
