The splendour of the Augusta National

I turned left when I came out of the Media Centre and it was there. A flawless carpet of green – the first fairway of the Augusta National.
Further up on the hill on the left was a rainbow of colour, flowers the like I’d never seen before.
Tea Olive, Dogwood, Flowering Peach, Magnolia, Azalea, Chinese Fir and Holly, the names just go on and on.
No, I didn’t know what they were called, I was told by a colleague. The list is endless.
At the side of the 10th tee, was the practise putting green. They were all there, Tigers Woods, Ernie Els, Greg Norman, Mark O’Meara, Vijay Singh and our own Lee Westwood. Like the flowers, the list just went on and on.
Over the hill at the side of the 10th tee was the Par Three course. It is spectacular. A natural amphitheatre with a lake in the middle.
I was in total awe of this place, yet I’d only walked 100 yards.
I’d watched this tournament unfold on television for the last 30-odd years, now here I was right in the middle of it.
It’s the event that gets every golfer’s adrenalin going.
The first Major of the season for the professionals and it signals the start of the season at home for the club golfers.
As I stood with mouth open, soaking up the atmosphere, the thought struck me, I was here to work.
It was tough, but someone had to do it.