AUGUSTA, GA. -- 'Let's go back to the 12th," a fellow said to his wife yesterday from beside the 13th fairway at the Augusta National Golf Club. "It's the most famous hole in the world."
Then, looking down the fairway, he added: "And that there is the 13th hole and tee. What you're looking at is Amen Corner."
He wasn't exactly correct, but it was a good try. Amen Corner, the felicitous name that the most excellent writer Herbert Warren Wind came up with 50 years ago, includes the par-4 11th, par-3 12th and par-5 13th holes. They're first-class holes, but they're famous in large part because of the moniker Wind invented.
Wind, who died three years ago, was writing in Sports Illustrated and wrapping up the 1958 Masters, which Arnold Palmer won, and was searching for a way to describe the three holes that often play a pivotal role in the outcome.
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The stretch begins with a hole that sweeps down to a green set beside water on the left. The par-3 12th plays across Rae's Creek, while the par-5 13th curves right to the left. Trees protect the left side, while a tributary of Rae's Creek winds in front of the green and around its right side.
While writing, Wind recalled a jazz piece that he attributed to clarinetist Mezz Mezzrow called Shoutin' in that Amen Corner. It seemed perfect, and so Amen Corner was born. Wind didn't include the first half of the 11th hole or the second half of the 13th as being part of Amen Corner. Amen Corner for most people today means the entirety of the three holes.
Wind went on to become a consummate essayist on golf and other sports at The New Yorker. His stories and books continue to provide pleasure to readers. Amen Corner provides pleasure and pain to players and has provided one highlight after another.
Ben Hogan said that if he ever hit his second shot on the 11th green, he'd made an error because he was playing to the right away from the water.
Fred Couples's ball hung up on the bank short of the 12th green in the final round of the 1992 Masters, which he won.
Curtis Strange found the water with his second shot on the 13th hole in the final round of the 1985 Masters while holding a two-stroke lead and lost to Bernhard Langer.
The wind has a lot to do with what happens in Amen Corner, especially on the 12th hole, which plays 155 yards. The flag was moving on the 12th green yesterday when Vaughn Taylor and Nick Watney reached the tee, but nothing was stirring in the trees. Their shots dropped out of the sky into the front bunker.
"You can look at the trees in the different areas there and the branches seem to be moving in different directions sometimes," said Peter Oosterhuis, who has played in 11 Masters. "The player is sheltered by the trees and the patrons stand on the right [of the tee], but it's all exposed on the way to the green."
Clearly, Amen Corner is special.
Augusta National will provide live coverage at Amen Corner Live at masters.org and cbssports.com from the first player to last.
The origin of the term, meanwhile, has recently come under scrutiny. As it turns out, Mezzrow never recorded Shoutin' in that Amen Corner. Wind, a jazz aficionado, appears to have made an error as to the origins of the term.
Writer Bill Fields details the story in a sensitive piece in this month's Golf Digest. He explains how Richard Moore, a jazz lover who worked for the International Management Group for 21 years, was researching Amen Corner for an exhibit he wanted to include in a private museum in his home.
Moore was reluctant to reveal what he had learned. But he was persuaded to set the facts right, and Golf World's John Strege reported them in its April 13, 2007, issue.
"All along I was reluctant to come forward, because I admire Herb Wind and didn't want to say that he made a mistake," Moore told Fields.
But Wind didn't make a mistake in using Amen Corner to encompass the three holes. The term has stuck. It always will.
Still, the fellow on the 13th hole yesterday who was telling his wife about Amen Corner has a task ahead of him. His son, who looked about eight years old, overheard his dad's comment about Amen Corner.
"Daddy, I'm hungry," he said. "Can I get something to eat?"
He'll learn. Eventually, everybody does. Such is the power of Amen Corner.
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Lorne Rubenstein's five Europeans to watch
Luke Donald The 30-year-old Englishman has had two top-10s in three Masters, including a tie for third in 2005. He's a master of ball control who has the adept short game required at Augusta National. Donald is smart and won't make mental errors. The tougher the conditions, the better his chances.Sergio Garcia At 28, the Spaniard remains the best golfer not to win a major, probably because his putting can be iffy. He plays with flair and imagination, hits the ball high and long and should be able to get the job done at Augusta National sooner rather than later. But he has to hole more short putts.Padraig Harrington Now that he's won his first major, the 2007 British Open, the 36-year-old Irishman has loads of confidence. He believes in himself now. There's no reason he shouldn't be right there at the end come Sunday.Martin Kaymer Sure, he's a rookie at the Masters, and Fuzzy Zoeller in 1979 was the last first-timer to win the tournament. But Kaymer, a 23-year-old German, has been lighting up the European Tour and had quite a lesson in how to handle Augusta National when he played yesterday with Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player and Bernhard Langer, who own 11 green jackets. That's at least a Masters degree in strategy, notwithstanding Kaymer's lack of experience.Henrik Stenson He has the caddy of three-time Masters champion Nick Faldo, Fanny Sunesson, on his bag, he has a big game and he's won six European Tour events. He's playing his third Masters and could win if he controls not only the ball, but also his sometimes volatile emotions.
*****
Jeff Brooke's five to watch
Stuart Appleby Any one of the nine Australians in the field could contend, and it wouldn't be surprising to see one end the country's Masters drought. Appleby, who held the 54-hole lead at the Masters last year and has the most top-five finishes of any player on the PGA Tour this year, might be the best bet.Fred Couples The 1992 Masters champion is 48, but his entry in this year's event is far from ceremonial. Couples is coming off a fourth-place finish at the Shell Houston Open and always performs well at Augusta National, where he's made a record-tying 23 consecutive cuts and has 10 top-10 finishes. He would really ignite the crowd if he got on a run.Geoff Ogilvy If not Appleby, then maybe Ogilvy will be the first winner from Down Under. After a wretched start to 2008, Ogilvy has a win and a runner-up finish in his past two tournaments. He's back in the form he showed in winning the 2006 U.S. Open.Andres Romero Asked this week whether the huge practice-round crowds and gravitas of Augusta National surprised him, the 26-year-old Masters rookie said, "The only surprise is, I am here." But the Argentine needn't feel out of place. He nearly won the British Open last year and has since notched his first PGA Tour title.Boo Weekley The good ol' boy is one of three of players from Milton, Fla., in this year's Masters - quite a feat for a tiny town in the Florida Panhandle. Weekley claims the Masters is just another golf tournament and he knows almost nothing of its history. His ignorance, combined with his superb ball-striking, could be bliss as the pressure mounts.
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