Michigan Golf Journal April 2018

Masters Memories “Everything they do is so prefect and so cool,” Lewis said ŽĨ ƚŚĞ ƉĂƌƟŶŐ ŐŝŌƐ͘ ͞dŚĞǇ ĚŽŶ͛ƚ leave any stone unturned; they really do it as well as you can possibly do it.” Lewis is a Michigan Golf Hall ŽĨ &ĂŵĞ ŵĞŵďĞƌ ĂŶĚ ƚǁŽͲ ƟŵĞ DŝĐŚŝŐĂŶ ŵĂƚĞƵƌ ǁŝŶŶĞƌ ĂŵŽŶŐ ŽƚŚĞƌ ŶƵŵĞƌŽƵƐ ƟƚůĞƐ and awards. He truly is one of Michigan’s most successful golfers but maintains a very humble nature. Lewis said ƚŚĞ ƉŝŶŶĂĐůĞ ŽĨ ŚŝƐ ŐŽůĮŶŐ career was winning that 2011 USGA Championship, but the Masters’ experience is as close a second as one can muster. ͞&ƌŽŵ Ă ƉƵƌĞ ĞǆĐŝƚĞŵĞŶƚ standpoint, nothing can ever rival the Masters experience,” he said. “There’s really nothing in golf, at least for me. I’m sure playing in the U.S. Open would be cool, playing in the Open Championship would be cool, but I can tell you I’ve never ever gone to a golf course where I was nervous driving in the front gate, but I was at Augusta.” “The whole place is so steeped in history; the whole tournament is so special. It’s really one of the top five or six sporting events on the planet. It’s a different feeling, a different aura. Nothing could ever rival the excitement of that week, all the hoopla and media and just everything.” Lewis understands why some people say Augusta National is heaven on Earth. “Everything is perfect there,” Lewis said almost a ĚŽǌĞŶ ƟŵĞƐ ŝŶ ƚŚĞ ƐƉĂŶ ŽĨ two minutes. “I was there ŶƵŵĞƌŽƵƐ ƟŵĞƐ ;ƚŽ ƉƌĂĐƟĐĞͿ before the tournament and it’s not just perfect for the tournament, it’s perfect every day. The cut of the grass is perfect, there’s nothing out of place. Everything is immaculate. And everybody treats you at the highest level of service they can possibly deliver. The driving range is perfect.” “I don’t know where you could go in this country that would be anymore perfect than ƵŐƵƐƚĂ EĂƟŽŶĂů͕͟ ŚĞ ƐĂŝĚ͘ ͞/ƚ͛Ɛ ƐŽ ďĞĂƵƟĨƵů͖ ƚŚĞ ƉŝŶĞƐ and the topography of the golf course. You get down on Amen Corner and it’s like a religious experience. The whole place is just overwhelming. I’ve been lucky enough to play a lot of great golf courses, but Augusta ŝƐ ƵŶŝƋƵĞ͘͟ Randy Lewis with his family at Augusta, sons Nick and Chris, wife, Melanie.