Georgia Southern golfer Ben Carr is currently in Augusta as he is preparing for the opening round of The Masters which gets underway Thursday at Augusta National Golf Club. For Carr it is obviously a dream come true, but for Georgia Southern golf coach Carter Collins it has also been a dream to have one of his golfers be a part of The Masters.
“I think it all finally sunk in when he hit his tee shot on the first hole,” Collins said. “It got really emotional at that point. I know how much hard work Ben has put in and to see him out there playing at Augusta National is something I won’t forget.”
Historically, Carr becomes the fourth Eagle to play in The Masters, joining Jodie Mudd, Buddy Alexander and Gene Sauers. Mudd played in eight Masters with his best finish coming in 1987, when he tied for fourth which is the best finish for an Eagle player.
“It is all so well deserved for him,” Collins said. “We have heard from coach Buddy Alexander who is also a former U.S Amateur champion. He was out there watching today and has tried to give Ben some advice leading up to this week. He looked good out there during the practice rounds as he was figuring out where pin placements would be, and having guys like Larry Mize (former Masters Champion) and Russell Henley couldn’t hurt. I feel he’s in a great spot going into the week.”
Collins and members of the Eagle golf team were able to watch Carr on Monday thanks in part to the team being invited to play in the Augusta Haskins Award Invitational this past weekend. All participants and coaches were given badges for Monday’s practice round.
“It was so special for the guys, and for him that they were there today,” Collins said. “It was surreal and a great experience. There were so many Georgia Southern fans there and you heard the cheers of ‘Hail Southern’ all around the grounds. The guys were counting hats and there was somewhere around 30 or so hats and many more that were cheering him on.”
For teammates like Mason Williams Carr served as inspiration for what is possible and seeing him play on Monday at Augusta National really had a huge impact on Williams and other team members.
“It was awesome to be out there today and seeing him play a few holes,” said Williams. “We walked up to the range and he looked exactly like the pros he was hitting next to. He didn’t look a bit out of place or uncomfortable, he looked right where he belonged. I’ve been once in 2019 on a Tuesday, but obviously this was a much cooler experience watching Ben. It was extremely inspiring just being on property all day. I can’t wait to get home and practice just to maybe one day be out there inside the ropes. It’s going to be an amazing week for Ben and I couldn’t be happier he gets this opportunity.”
Carr will play in Wednesday’s Par-3 tournament with former Master’s champion Larry Mize and Russell Henley. The Par-3 tournament will be televised Wednesday from 3:00-5:00 p.m. on ESPN.