Jarvis shoots nine-over-par on history-making Masters debut

By Bob Harig, in Augusta, GA, for the Cayman Compass

There’s no shame in struggling at Augusta National, such is the nature of the golf course and the Masters Tournament.

Aaron Jarvis is not alone in feeling the wrath of one of the world’s most iconic courses. The first player from the Cayman Islands to ever compete in a major championship, Jarvis learned quickly that the famous Georgia layout can be extremely punitive.

No matter.

Jarvis shot 9-over-par 81 in the first round of the Masters on Thursday, but you’d never know it. Being on the grounds, playing in such a prestigious tournament, seeing the swarms of people all around far outweighed a number on a scorecard.

 “I had a blast,’’ he said.

He finished with two birdies, nine bogeys and a double bogey and played his last five holes in 4 over par. The final number was disappointing, but not the day.

“Overall tough conditions out there,’’ said Jarvis, 19, a freshman at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas. “It wasn’t easy, but I had a blast from the start. Made a few sloppy mistakes to start the round, but drove it well. Just need to clean up some iron shots and make a few more putts tomorrow. But overall I had a blast out there for my first round in a major.’’

As it happened: Hole-by-hole coverage of Jarvis at the Masters

Tee times were delayed by 30 minutes due to substantial overnight rain and Jarvis was clearly edgy when he teed off. He sent his first drive well right of the fairway, had to chip out, and it led to a bogey.

And all that was understandable. Playing Augusta National is difficult enough for the most seasoned of players, and it doesn’t take much to be off.

“I was pretty nervous on the first tee, but as a couple of holes went on, I got used to the crowd and the tournament atmosphere and then I just zoned into my game, but I need to clean up a few things for tomorrow.’’

Jarvis, who qualified for the Masters by winning the Latin American Amateur Championship in January, bogeyed three of his first four holes and then made a double bogey 5 at the par-3 sixth. His first birdie came at the eighth hole, but then he bogeyed three consecutive holes before another birdie at the 12^th.

Jarvis at The Masters

• Hole-by-hole coverage of Jarvis at the Masters
• Jarvis ‘living the dream’ as Masters moment arrives
• Jarvis paired with former Masters champ Johnson in round one
• Cayman’s Aaron Jarvis on course to make history

The course is tricky on normal days, but considerable rain over the last two days made it play different than it did in earlier practice rounds.

Jarvis played with two-time major winner Zach Johnson and former Players Championship winner- Si Woo Kim. Johnson, who won the Masters in 2007, beating Tiger Woods by a shot, was impressed with Jarvis and his attitude.

“Great kid,’’ said Johnson, who shot 74. “I don’t want to say happy-go-lucky because he wasn’t skipping around, but he was thoroughly enjoying it. He was really soaking in the people.

“He mentioned a couple times that he couldn’t believe, based on his practice rounds, I guess the weeks leading up — because I think he had four or five of them — he didn’t expect this many people. I just think it’s awesome having the people back, considering the last two.

“So great kid. Obviously a great collegiate player and great young amateur. His coach (AJ McInarney) is on the bag. You know, this is one of those situations where frankly I can’t fathom at his age because I was terrible back then, but he’s going to be a better player regardless of what his scorecard is. That’s the bottom line. He’s going to learn a lot. Accept the fact that you’re playing a very difficult golf course is trying conditions, and you earned it.

“Find some confidence in the fact that you earned your way here and relish the opportunity. My guess is he’s going to be a better player as a result. It’s just a matter of where he can go from there. He’s got a lot of tools.’’

Jarvis only beat a few players and he might be able to make a race out of low amateur honors will a solid second round. But mostly, it was about enjoying the walk and not worrying about the score.

“Obviously, I don’t like shooting 81s, but there’s still positives to take away from it. Obviously, it’s my first round in the Masters, first major championship, so, yeah, I’ve got a few things I could take away from this round.”