By Bob Harig, in Augusta, GA, for the Cayman Compass
After weeks of anticipation – including two separate visits to Augusta National in the previous months – Aaron Jarvis is set to make history on Thursday at the Masters.
He will become the first person from the Cayman Islands to compete in a major championship when he tees off at 8:17am local time, along with two-time major winner Zach Johnson and former Players Championship winner Si Woo Kim.
The 86th Masters begins earlier Thursday morning when former champions Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player and Tom Watson hit the ceremonial first tee shots.
For Jarvis, 19, it has been an exciting time filled with anxiety and anticipation since winning the Latin America Amateur Championship in January.
That tournament, founded by Augusta National and the Masters along with the R&A and United States Golf Association, gives its winner an invitation to the Masters. It is an amazing perk, one that Jarvis has enjoyed to its fullest extent.
“The main objective is to enjoy the experience and learn, it is very difficult to put into words what I have been living these days here in Augusta, it is a dream come true”, said Jarvis in an interview with media reps from the Latin America Amateur Championships.
“Thinking in a goal I want to achieve this week, it would be an honor to be the low amateur and the first LAAC winner to achieve it at the same time.”
He took advantage of the ability to visit the course in advance of the tournament, playing on two days in February and three more in March. He’s been here since the weekend preparing, meeting Tiger Woods on Sunday, playing a practice round with Brooks Koepka on Tuesday, and doing all he could to get ready for an exacting golf course on a worldwide stage.
On Wednesday, weather interrupted his final preparation, as the par-3 tournament was suspended while he was on the fifth hole.
On Wednesday, he got on the course with 2013 Masters champion Adam Scott, 2016 champion Danny Willett, and fellow Masters rookie Garrick Higgo.
Along the way, he got to tell his story to the assembled media, explaining how someone from a place with just one 18-hole golf course could find himself in this position.
“I didn’t really have a teacher when I first started,’’ Jarvis said. “Didn’t really have a teacher for the first five years or so.”
When Cayman hosted the Caribbean Junior Amateur Championship in 2013, Jarvis got hooked due to his brother Andrew’s participation.
“From there it took me about two years to kind of realise this was what I wanted to do, and then my game just kept getting better and better,’’ he said. “And then from there… we are here playing at the Masters.’’
Jarvis spent two years going to school and playing golf at the Leadbetter Academy in Orlando, Florida. His coach at the academy, Zach Parker, has been with him this week.
So is his coach at University of Nevada, Las Vegas, AJ McInerney, who will caddie for him during the tournament. Andrew Jarvis caddied for him during Wednesday’s Par 3 Contest, a traditional nine-hole event held on Augusta National’s adjacent Par 3 Course.
“I’m looking forward to Aaron getting to be Aaron and showing who he really is,’’ said Parker. “He’s really embracing the opportunity and best of all he’s being Aaron. I’m so excited for the golf world to meet Aaron.’’
Now it’s time for the real thing. Jarvis is one of six amateurs and 19 first-timers in the Masters field, which consists of 91 players who represent 20 countries. For the first time, the Cayman Islands are included.
- Bob Harig, the author of ‘Tiger and Phil: Golf’s Most Fascinating Rivalry’ about two US legends Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson, is a Sports Illustrated writer and a regular visitor to the Cayman Islands. He will be filing reports for the Compass during and after the Masters.
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