Golf: Lee hot, course cold

Kiwi golfer Danny Lee. Photo / AP

Danny Lee was battling the twin demons of icy cold winds and the stomach-knotting tensions of Augusta National as the clock ticked down to the start of the 73rd US Masters today.

The 18-year-old Rotorua Boys' High School product manfully handled an eve of tournament press conference late on Tuesday and admitted it was all a steep learning curve. "I am having really bad nerves at the moment," said Lee in his halting English.

"All the crowds yesterday ... I was shaking and couldn't swing properly. I have never seen that size of crowd out there. I am trying to be relaxed and practise hard and see how it goes."

Lee is six months and 29 days younger than Woods was when he won the first of his three Amateur titles in 1994. But he admitted that preparing for the Masters at Augusta National as an amateur was a very different prospect to anything he had done before.

"The first time I played this course seven days ago, it wasn't that hard. It looked an easy course and I couldn't see why guys were not 5 or 6 under par. I thought shooting 5 or 6 under would be easy. But today conditions were tough. There were fast greens, fairways where I couldn't hit it far enough and fast greens. Now I understand why the players can't really get low scores. It is playing really hard out there."

Lee got some valuable advice from a local caddie who will attempt to steer him through the nerve-wracking experience in Thursday's opening round. "I have learned a lot from him. The first time I played this course I aimed everything at the flag. I tried to hit long off the tee and hit the flag every time with my second shot."

His caddie soon disabused him of that notion at Augusta National. "He told me I can't play like that; I have to really think about what I am hitting into. You have to think of the slopes of the greens and where to put the ball from the tee. So I am learning a lot."

Englishman Ian Poulter also advised Lee not to try and ram in every putt, but attempt to dribble them home. Lee admitted that was good advice.

A bad cold picked up at the New Zealand Open wrecked Lee's plans of playing at Bay Hill last week. He wasn't well enough and had to pull out. Physically, he said, he was feeling better but he admitted he hadn't really taken care of himself.

"I played awfully at the NZ Open but learned quite a lot of things from there. Hopefully, I will do well this week."

He was asked about the Masters sweater he wore. Was that some of the equipment he had been collecting? "No, I just bought it because I was so cold out there" he said, to general laughter.

It seemed like the nerves were his biggest problem. "I am still working on the nerves, but I am still nervous about this media stuff," he said, weakly. "When I get nervous, I can't really talk properly. My nerves are breaking down. I am having stomach ache, as well. I am trying to relax and calm myself but as soon as I go outside the clubhouse and watch all those crowds, I can't get relaxed and nice and calm. It's not easy for me, all this. I am still working hard on my English."

Lee was the last guy out on the range at Augusta on Monday evening. Was he tinkering with parts of his game? "No, I was just trying to hit the ball straight. When I did that, I came in."

It all sounded close to a comic cuts scenario but good judges of golfers don't laugh at Danny Lee's potential. Former US Champion Johnny Miller has said that the young Kiwi could win this week, an extraordinary comment on a kid who won't even turn professional until the Masters is over this weekend.

Was it nice to hear people saying such things, he was asked? "I went to the amateur's party on Monday night and lots of people were saying nice things. But that gives me added pressure. I don't know why people think I am so good at golf. I don't think about trying to win this week. I just think about one shot at a time and keep focused on my game."

Lee is as close to the traditions and history of Augusta National as he possibly could be. He is staying at the famous Crow's Nest in the clubhouse, an experience he has found fascinating. Back in the 1990s, another successful young amateur player also slept there before his first appearance in the Masters - a certain Tiger Woods.

Lee said: "The first time I went there, I thought it was really flash rooms up there. Even the stairs you can barely fit in there. I thought the rooms were going to be big but it's really small, I was really surprised how they sleep in there.

"But it's great history in that Crow's Nest. I am happy there, where Tiger slept. So that might help me play better. It was my dream to come here and play this course."

But whatever happens this week, Lee's future path as a professional is already mapped out. Why was he turning pro immediately after the Masters? "I just want to play at a different level of golf. As an amateur, I have done everything. I want to play at a more hotter level with more competitive golf."

He will certainly find that around Augusta National's holes, starting tomorrow.