There were many story lines for this year’s Masters at Augusta National. In the first round, there was Ian Poulter’s hole in one shot on the par-3 13th hole. There was Tiger Woods falling behind, as he has always done
There were many story lines for this year’s Masters at Augusta National. In the first round, there was Ian Poulter’s hole in one shot on the par-3 13th hole.
There was Tiger Woods falling behind, as he has always done in at the Masters.
There was 72-year-old Gary Player playing in his 51st straight year — he said he will be back again next year.
And there was second-round leader Trevor Immelman recovering from a surgery in which doctors removed a golf ball-sized benign tumor from chest in December. He returned this year and has been playing solid golf since.
Then, of course, there was Woods’ third-round rally to get to the top five.
But how about the story of 20-year-old Drew Weaver. The junior out of Virginia Tech dedicated his rounds to the victims and families of the campus massacre that occurred a year ago this week.
On April 16, Weaver was in accounting class nearly 100 yards away from Norris Hall when he and his classmates heard the gun shots. They ran as far as possible from the sound.
During the first-round broadcast, ESPN aired an interview with Weaver and tribute to the students and faculty of Virginia Tech.
In it, Weaver, decked in all Hokie gear, said that he and other students hiding knew something bad was going on and knew that it was getting worse when they saw the 15 to 20 ambulances lining up in a row on the street.
A total 32 members of the Hokie nation died that day.
A week later, Weaver led the Virginia Tech golf team to an Atlantic Coast Conference championship. Then, Weaver traveled to Scotland to play at Royal Lytham and St. Annes for the British Amateur Open. There, Weaver wore a patch on his shirt that read: “Virginia Tech remembers 4/16/07,” also dedicating his game to those who died on that day.
He went on to become the first American since 1979 to claim the title. With the win, Weaver received an automatic invitation to the Masters.
He may not have made the cut — finishing 12 over after two rounds — but he was a humble and classy man throughout his stay at Augusta.
Also, during his practice rounds, Weaver got to play with another Va. Tech alum, Johnson Wagner.
In a post-practice interview, Weaver told the media that he was definitely nervous getting to play with K.J. Choi and David Toms, but playing with Wagner “added to the specialness of the day.”
Johnson himself is a rookie to the Masters, having received his invite at the Houston Open which he won the very Sunday of Masters week.
By Friday afternoon, in his online diary of the his participation in the Masters at masters.org, Weaver admitted that Augusta National was probably the hardest course he’d ever played on and that the experience, while amazing, was mentally and physically draining. He’ll be staying there until Wednesday before heading back to Virginia.
Then, he’ll rejoin his golf team for the ACC championships.
“When you work so hard getting ready for something and it ends like this, it’s tough,” he wrote. “But this is still a great week, a dream week, the greatest week of my life so far. To be here and play in the Masters is incredible. It’s an experience I will always remember and cherish, and one I will always be grateful for.”
Hopefully, once Weaver graduates, he’ll be back on the course and competing in the professional circuit.
And just maybe, he’ll be back at the Masters many more times to come.
Interviews with Weaver and his online diary can be found at masters.org, under players.
• Lanaly Cabalo, sports editor, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 237) or lcabalo@kauaipubco.com.
