Two Amateurs With USGA Ties Make Masters Cut



April 10, 2004
By Alex Miceli

AUGUSTA, Ga. -- At the halfway point of the 68th Masters, only two amateurs remain.

Nineteen-year-old Casey Wittenberg and Brandt Snedeker, 23, both made their first Masters cut, both shooting 4-over 148. Wittenberg was last year's U.S. Amateur runner-up; Snedeker is the reigning U.S. Amateur Public Links champion.

Casey Wittenberg, pictured at last year's U.S. Amateur, said it was a thrill to be paired with Tiger Woods at the Masters. (USGA Photo Archives)

Two other USGA winners in amateur events last year weren’t as lucky. U.S. Amateur champion Nick Flanagan and Nathan Smith, who won the U.S. Mid-Amateur at Delaware Country Club, missed the cut.

Wittenberg nearly did, too.

“I started with a double on No. 1,” said Wittenberg of his opening hole that moved him to 6 over and outside of the early cut line. “If I was going to miss the cut, I was going to miss it, but I wasn’t going to stop trying.”

Wittenberg eventually got back to the cut line, established at 4 under, with birdies on the two par-5s on the back nine -- holes 13 and 15 -- and held on to finish on the number. If playing in his first Masters wasn’t intimidating enough, Wittenberg was paired with Tiger Woods and Thomas Bjorn both rounds.

“It was an unbelievable experience,” said Wittenberg, who played on the most recent USA Walker Cup team. “I got to play with him three days and he was tremendous to me, and Thomas was too. [Woods] couldn’t have been nicer. I can’t thank them enough. It was a lifetime experience.”

Snedeker came perilously close to going home early as well. He started the day in decent position, hovering near the cut line at 1 over but slowly moved backward. He made the turn at 3 over, playing steady golf until a bogey 5 on the 18th put him on the bubble.

“Relieved is the best way to put it,” said Snedeker. “I just kind of limped in when I hit the ball in the water on the 15th. It was defiantly a struggle today."

On the outside looking in, the 25-year-old Smith needed to make a par on the final hole. He instead took three putts and missed the cut by two shots even though he shot even-par 72 in the second round. Smith said it was an honor to play his first two rounds with Arnold Palmer, who was playing in his 50th and last Masters.

Flanagan, 19, played with reigning Masters champion Mike Weir. Neither had a memorable tournament. Weir missed the cut, too, finishing at 5-over 149. Flanagan carded an 8-over 152.

Last year during the Amateur Flanagan turned into the feel-good story of the championship. The low-key Australian gushed how he picked up the game as a teen-ager after watching Woods win at Augusta in 1997. He decided then he’d like to one day play at Augusta, setting that as a goal. Despite realizing his dream this week, Flanagan still took the end result hard.

“Long day,” said Flanagan. “Made too many mistakes out there. I couldn’t get a rhythm going all day. I’d make a birdie and then come back with a bogey.”