Tag: Crow’s Nest

6-foot-8 amateur Christo Lamprecht on Masters’ Crow’s Nest stay: ‘The best uncomfortable sleep’

“There’s very few places in America that have a bed big enough for me, but I’ve gotten used to that.”

It has been a good start to the week for Georgia Tech senior Christo Lamprecht.

The top-ranked player in the World Amateur Golf Ranking won the Georgia Cup on Sunday, a matchup against Nick Dunlap that pits the defending U.S. Amateur champ against the defending British Amateur winner. Lamprecht nailed a 14-foot eagle putt on the final hole at the Golf Club of Georgia to win 1 up.

Then, the duo headed to Augusta National Golf Club for the 2024 Masters. Although only Lamprecht remains an amateur, they both will make their debut at the 88th edition of the Masters.

“It’s my first time coming to the Masters,” Lamprecht said. “I promised myself the first time I come here is when I play, not come and watch. So this is so cool. It’s so fun. I have a bunch of friends from home that flew over. It’s fun to have some family and friends around. It’s pretty special.”

Lamprecht, at 6-foot-8, is one of five amateurs in the field. That means he has a couple special privileges this week others won’t be able to enjoy.

On Monday, it was the annual Amateur Dinner, where he and the other four ams got to enjoy a dinner with Augusta National chairman Fred Ridley. Then, Lamprecht got to partake in another tradition reserved for amateurs: staying a night in the Crow’s Nest.

It’s a room that is reserved for amateurs the week of the Masters. Measuring only 30 feet by 40 feet, the tight space is historic sitting above the Augusta National clubhouse.

“The Crow’s Nest is going to be fun,” Lamprecht said. “Only night I’ll be staying here, but I’m looking forward to it. Just sitting around with a bunch of amateurs and talking about our experiences and stuff, just being little kids in a toy store.”

Amateurs at the Masters usually spend one night, if not more, in the Crow’s Nest. But it’s not going to be comfy for Lamprecht, who looks like he belongs on a basketball court as much as he does a golf course.

“There’s very few places in America that have a bed big enough for me, but I’ve gotten used to that,” Lamprecht, from South Africa, said. “It’s probably the best uncomfortable sleep I’ll ever have in my life. Yeah, I’m just fortunate to be here.”

Fans may remember Lamprecht from the 2023 Open Championship when he held a share of the first-round lead after the opening day and finished as the low amateur.

Time will tell if he’s able to hoist the Silver Cup, given to the low amateur at the Masters, come Sunday.

12 things you probably didn’t know about the Masters and Augusta National

It’s the holy grail of North American golf, and this year’s Masters has enjoyed as much build-up as any tournament in recent years.

AUGUSTA, Ga. — It’s the holy grail of North American golf, this year’s Masters has enjoyed as much build-up and anticipation as any tournament in recent years.

Sure, you know that Jack, Tiger and Arnie have combined for 15 green jackets and you’re plenty familiar with azaleas, but we’re guessing there’s plenty in this list that will surprise you.

Without further ado, here are a dozen fun facts about Augusta National and the Masters that will get you ready for a tradition unlike any other.

Masters survey 2023: If pros could spend a night in the crow’s nest, would they?

Xander Schauffele is all of us.

At the attic of the plantation-style clubhouse at Augusta National are living quarters reserved for amateurs in the Masters.

The 30-by-40-foot room provides living space for up to five amateurs playing in the tournament, each partitioned-off from the common living room, and featuring an 11-foot, square cupola with windows on each side, the lofty tip reachable only by ladder. There’s one shower and two sinks. Each room has a small dish with toiletries.

Tiger Woods bunked there in ’95 and ’96. Jack Nicklaus stayed there in 1959 and discovered it wasn’t an all-you-can-eat operation.

“Phil Rodgers and I ate two steaks apiece,” says Nicklaus, “and the guy running the dining room says, `That’s enough. From now on out you’re paying $2 for every steak you eat.’ ”

Masters 2023 leaderboard: Get the latest news from Augusta

The term ‘Crow’s Nest’ comes from the crow’s nest of a ship, which is its highest look-out point. The four bedrooms are accessible via a back staircase so players don’t have to come through the clubhouse to get to their room. A steep and narrow set of stairs on the third floor in a small hallway between the Champions Locker Room and Dining Room also provides access to the amateur lodgings.

During Phil Mickelson’s stay, he slipped down the back staircase at night to steal a look at the champions locker room.

The common area has green carpet, chairs, a couch, a card table, a small TV and Wifi. The walls are decorated with various scenes from past Masters, including a framed caricature of Clifford Roberts, one of the club’s founding fathers and the Masters.

The accommodations are spartan but it is an honor bestowed to the few, the proud. Would pros want to stay there if they could? Here are their answers.

Amateur Yuxin Lin takes home memories of Crow’s Nest stay after missing Masters cut

Amateur Yuxin Lin missed the cut at Augusta National, but he’ll have memories of Augusta, his Crow’s Nest stay among them, forever.

Yuxin Lin missed the cut at the Masters Tournament, but got to spend a final night at Augusta National Golf Club in the Crow’s Nest. Because of the pandemic, each of the six amateurs were invited to stay one night in the living quarters, instead of staying there as a group for the week.

“It was great,” Lin said. “You can feel the tradition there with all of the great players that stayed here before. You can feel it. It’s just an amazing vibe.”

Lin, who plays for the University of Southern California, shot rounds of 79-73 despite making an eagle on No. 13 in his first round. Lin said he spent time in the Crow’s Nest studying for finals until his laptop broke.

“I was doing homework and it kind of crashed,” Lin said. “It’s unfortunate because it’s actually finals week coming up.”

While staying in the Crow’s Nest, the golfers get to choose their dinner. For Lin, a 20-year-old from China, it was short ribs and pecan pie for dessert.

MASTERS: Saturday tee times | Leaderboard | How to watch

Georgia Tech standout Andy Ogletree (1 under) and Vanderbilt’s John Augenstein (3 under) each survived the cut and will battle for low-amateur honors. Ogletree stayed in the Crow’s Nest on Wednesday. Augenstein declined the invitation.

The other amateurs – James Sugrue (77-71), Lukas Michel (76-74) and Abel Gallegos (79-81) – failed to make the cut.

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