Rookie Imada repeats even-par round
When Ryuji Imada rolled in a par putt on Augusta National's 16th hole on Saturday, a fellow Georgia Bulldog in the crowd let loose a mighty "Go Dawgs!"
Which begs an obvious question: would barking be poor form on a golf course?
"When a fellow Bulldog does something well, I don't see why not," Imada said with a grin, following his third competitive round at the Masters Tournament.
The tournament rookie shot an even-par 72 Saturday to complete his round where he started it, at 1-over for the tournament.
Had it not been for a poor run of putting, Imada could have been well under par for the day. He birdied twice on the front nine to make the turn at 2 under for the afternoon, but gave both strokes back when he 3-putted on consecutive holes -- Nos. 12 and 13.
"You can't really give yourself those short four- and five-footers and expect to make them all," Imada said. "I got a little bit aggressive on 12 and thought maybe if I could just get a birdie there, I've got two more par-5s coming. I thought I could get a good number there, but instead I 3-putted and that kinda changed the momentum."
Imada had numerous birdie opportunities on the closing holes -- a chip that slid just past the cup on 14 and manageable putts that were barely off the mark -- that could have gotten him back into the red.
"I made the turn at 2 under and shot just what I needed on the front nine," Imada said. "I haven't really taken advantage of the back nine, even with the conditions. The wind's swirling a little bit, but everybody else has been taking advantage of the back nine this week, so I haven't done that this week."
The 1999 Georgia all-American who helped lead the Bulldogs to their first men's golf national title has been followed all week by a small contingent of friends and family -- both from his native Japan and from his days in Athens. One of them, Imada's agent Jeremy Elliott, said the support has helped his client keep cool in an environment that can intimidate even the most level-headed golfers.
"I think it has helped soften the awe of playing here," Elliott said.
Imada has now played Augusta National Golf Club numerous times, including three times in college and many more in the past week as he prepared for the tournament, but said his excitement about playing the course hasn't diminished. He doesn't expect that to happen any time soon.
"This is the place that I've always dreamed about playing and (if) I come here 50 times like Gary Player, even then I'll still be excited to come back here," he said. "This is a special place. No, I don't think the buzz will ever wear off."
