Masters Week is a homecoming of sorts for 28-year-old Englishman Oliver Wilson, who played college golf for Augusta State University from 2000 to 2003. Wilson became the school's only three-time All-American, and as a senior was briefly ranked the No. 1 collegiate golfer. Wilson will be sharing his experiences in his Masters debut with The Augusta Chronicle in a diary.

Oliver Wilson tests his skill on the 16th green during the first practice round. He played nine holes with fellow Masters rookie Rory McIlroy and 2003 champion Mike Weir. (Jackie Ricciardi/Staff)

Monday was a tough day. It started very early, around 8:30 a.m., with two hours of press with the BBC, a two-hour filming thing of where it all started for me.

We went through Forest Hills Golf Course and to campus, which has dramatically changed.

From there, I went to the Callaway truck for some equipment work and got to the course around 11:30 a.m., which was an hour later than planned.

With the kind of weather they're forecasting for today, I was kind of hoping to get in 18 holes. But I played nine with Rory McIlroy and 2003 champion Mike Weir.

I was just itching to get out on the course, the sanctuary of inside the ropes.

The greens were already running fast, and I expect them to get even faster over the next two days.

Mike gave me a couple of good tips about the course, where to miss certain holes, things like that. We have similar games -- we're both very good wedge players, so we talked about how to attack different pin positions on No. 13 and No. 15.

It was a combination of things that prevented me from playing 18 holes: getting to the course an hour late and the wind. It was really difficult to control the ball.

After playing nine, it was straight to the short-game area. That's going to be really important this week, playing those different kind of shots.

Today very much depends on the weather. If it's similar to Monday, rainy and cold, it will be a very similar plan -- nine holes and some wedge work.