GWD_MAY_16

CHRIS WOOD
already there. We both agreed it was a big
weight off our shoulders.
What did you find most diffcult in 2010?
I played the week before in Houston. The
greens there were fantastic. But I got to
Augusta having built up the speed of the
greens there to an unhealthy extent.
I arrived feeling defensive about how fast
the surfaces were going to be. And when
I got there the slopes on the greens
intimidated me even more. That was bad
thinking on my part.
The key is not to be scared of the
greens. You just have to get your head
round the size of the borrows. The breaks
are huge. It’s hard to stand 30 feet from
the hole and aim for 15 feet of break. It’s
hard to do that right away. It’s something
you have to practise.
Does anything else stick in your mind?
I remember arriving on the weekend
before the tournament. My former coach
was with me. He is like a brother. We
went to register and decided to go and
have a wander. It was about 7pm, almost
getting dark. We walked down the 10th
hole, then down the 11th. I can still
remember getting to the brow of the hill
and looking down at the 12th green. To
share that with a close friend was such an
emotional experience. I’ll never forget that.
It felt like I had arrived at an important
point in my golfing journey. I went to
my friend for coaching when I was a
15-handicapper. He took me from there
to the European Tour and then on to the
Masters. It was emotional for him too.
‘I got to Augusta having built up the speed of the greens
in my mind to an unhealthy extent. I arrived feeling
defensive about how fast the surfaces were going to be’
Who is going with you this year?
My parents are going. My dad is a twohandicapper.
He caddied for me in the
par-3 contest last time and did some
putting. He was horrendous. My putter is
obviously a bit longer than most. My dad
is six feet and shrinking (laughs). So he
struggled. He missed everything.
This year, my fiancée, Bethany, is
going to caddie in the Par 3. I promised
her that. She’s not a golfer, though. So she
won’t be putting I don’t think. But she
loves to watch the little kids running
around in their little white jump suits.
Is there any hole on the course that
stood out for you?
Wood ponders
with caddie
Dave McNeilly
on his Masters
debut in 2010.
I loved the 13th. And the tee shot at the
12th is one of the scariest shots you’ll ever
hit. I played with Ryan Palmer back in
2010. He’s a really good player and hits a
lovely little draw on most shots. He was
going along nicely when we got to the
12th tee. Not for long, though. His tee
shot flew the green and finished up in the
flowers on the hill at the back. Now I’m
stood there wondering what I should do.
I’ve got a mad Irishman on the bag and he
wasn’t too sure either. But I hit the green.
I can honestly say it was the biggest relief
of the week. It’s such a narrow target and
there really is nowhere to “miss.”
FAST TRACK
TO AUGUSTA
How Wood jumped 150
places in the rankings.
In October 2014, Chris Wood was
forced to sit out five months to
recover from a tennis-induced
wrist injury. That inactivity saw
his world ranking plummet
towards the 200 mark. In the last
15 months, he quietly went about
his business, regained his form
and forced his way into the
world’s top 50 just in time.
192nd
In his third event
back after injury, a
T3 at the Trophee
Hassan II hints at a
new dawn. But it’s
not to be. Playing
“poorly for a few
weeks”, by the time
he finishes T49 at
May’s Open de
Espana, he drops
to 192nd.
By June 2015, Wood breaks back into
the top 100 with victory at the Lyoness
Open. Coming from five shots back, a
final-round 67 secures his second
European Tour win.
78th
119th
Wood’s recovery picks up speed. A 4th
place at the BMW PGA Championship
propels him to 119th in the world. The
following week, a T16 at the Irish Open
sees him drop back two spots to 121st.
Despite finishing 10
shots back of
winner Marc
Leishman in last
December’s
Nedbank Golf
Challenge, Wood’s
3rd sees him break
back into the world
top 50, earning him
his place at
Augusta.
46th
66 Golf World May 2016