Brandt Jobe of Southlake, Texas, is compiling a diary for the 64th Masters Tournament. Jobe, 34, finished tied for 14th in his first Masters appearance, in 1999. By finishing among the top 16, Jobe earned an invitation back to the 2000 Masters. He is ranked No. 79 on the latest PGA Tour money list with $206,864. The former UCLA golfer played the Japanese Tour from 1995, winning six times, before joining the PGA Tour this year. Jobe is sharing his thoughts this week with staff writer David Westin.
It was a disaster out there for me Saturday. I shot a 4-over-par 76 and I'm at 7-over-par 223 for the tournament. My first two rounds were 73-74.
I don't know how much fun I had out there Saturday, but I least I was smiling when I walked off the course.
One thing I was hoping to do was finish in the top 16 and earn an invitaton back here next year. I think I blew that Saturday. I'd have to have a great round today. I figured I needed to shoot around even par on Saturday. I'm seven over for the tournament, so I'd have to have a phenomenal round today.
The first nine holes were very difficult because the wind was blowing so hard. I shot a 3-over-par 39 and felt like I played good, except for one shot.
You start losing confidence in what you're doing.
One thing you've got to be out here is patient. Saturday, I was struggling. I played my last five holes one under par, so it could have been worse.
That's the thing out here, you've just got to keep hanging. I'm learning. This is only my second time out here.
Because of the wind, I never had the right club in my hand. For example, on No. 3 I hit it 3 feet from the hole and it went over the green. I was kind of dead. On No. 4, I watched my playing partner, Shigeki Maruyama, hit a 4-iron and he barely carries the bunker. On my shots, I normally hit it a fraction farther than him so I think, `I'll hit a 5-iron.' It was dead at the flag, but over the green. We're talking 30 yards.
It's so frustrating because you want to do so well. You're hitting a good shot and watching it go over the green or hitting a good shot and watching it roll off the front edge. You know there are places you can't get up-and-down. It's frustrating, but then again, that's what this is all about - managing your game. The guy who does it the best is the one who wins. That's why it's a major.
I hit in the water on No. 12 for the second straight day. I hit my tee shot dead perfect. I watched Maruyama hit a 9-iron so I said I'm going to hit a 9-iron too, hit it good, to the back of the green. It went right in the water. What to you do? We walked 10 steps off the tee and you feel the gust in your face. There is no way to predict that. It's a freak of nature down there. That's why it's so tough.
I hit some good shots, but I was getting really frustrated. On No. 10, I hit a good 3-wood off the tee and the wind gusted so hard it didn't even get down the hill and I had to hit a 3-wood into the green.
I did hit a shot I was proud of Saturday. On No. 7, I hit about a 30-yard hook under the trees through a 3-foot gap in the trees up there about 15 feet from the pin and the crowd went nuts. That was kind of fun, even though I missed the putt.
I'd like to come out today and play a solid round. I haven't done that this week. Every day I've had a disaster or train wreck so to speak.
It's been a trying week. Everything hasn't come together. If I make a couple of putts and some birdies, then I hit a bad shot. That's golf. That's what makes it so tough out here. But I'm having fun doing it. That's the important thing.
I don't know who's going to win, but with Tiger Woods and Davis Love III both shooting 68s Saturday, they put themselves back in it if it's windy. If it isn't windy, you're not going to see the scores move much. It's a hard one to predict.
I'd like to have a good solid round today to walk away and say, `I've got to figure out a way to get here next year.'
Jobe: Smiling after disastrous round