Masters debutant Jasper Stubbs has dared to dream big as he prepares for his first major appearance at Augusta National Golf Club in two weeks.
Fresh from returning home to Victoria after a scouting trip to the storied Georgia course, the reigning Asia-Pacific Amateur champion appears buoyant about his chances.
Stubbs spent three days at Augusta in February and came away with a sense he can compete with golf’s household names. He shot a one-over 73 on his first outing at Augusta where he was surprised to discover certain sections of the green complexes were much smaller than he imagined.
“I’ve sort of set myself gradual goals. The first one is to get there and enjoy the week. And the next one is to make the cut. And then once we’ve made the cut, push towards the top 12 to get the invite back the next year. That’s ultimately the goal. The biggest goal above all else is to walk away with a green jacket. So I guess those are the few different levels to what success looks like for me on the week.”
Stubbs’ favourite Masters memory stems from Adam Scott’s triumph in 2013. As an 11-year-old schoolboy in Bairnsdale, East Gippsland, he wasn’t able to watch live coverage of the playoff. He only learned about Australia’s first Masters victory after his mother phoned the primary school and asked for the news to be announced over the PA (public address) speaker system.
As to the best piece of advice he’s received about tackling Augusta National, Stubbs says:
“A few of the guys have told me to simplify it a little bit. There’s a few greens where you can take the massive putt way out to the side and it will move around next to the hole. But a lot of the guys say that you don’t have to go super-crazy all the time. The best way to play golf around Augusta is to just play it as simply as you can and not try to do anything that you wouldn’t normally do.”
Since winning the Asia-Pacific title at Royal Melbourne in October that led to his Masters invite, Stubbs has competed predominantly on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia. He has made the cut in five of his past eight professional tournaments, including a T-21 at the ISPS Handa Australian Open.
The 88th edition of the Masters Tournament will be played from April 11-14.
