When Hiroshi Tai takes his place in the field at the Masters, he’ll be the latest in the long line of Georgia Tech amateurs to follow the path to Augusta National. It is a road that began with Bobby Jones, a proud Tech graduate and co-founder of the club and the tournament.
And it’s a fact that isn’t lost on Tai, who understands and respects the lineage that dates to the game’s greatest amateur.
“There’s a lot of history behind it,” Tai said. “I think a lot of the amateur players that play here have gone on to have good careers. Like Hideki Matsuyama was low amateur. and then he ended up winning the Masters a couple years later. I think it will be a cool experience and will definitely be very special being an amateur and playing in the tournament.”
The trail of amateurs from Tech have included Matt Kuchar, Andy Ogletree, Tyler Strafaci and Christo Lamprecht.
Kuchar won the U.S. Amateur in 1997 and finished as low amateur at the 1998 Masters. Kuchar, 19, shot 68 on Saturday and tied for 21st. Ogletree (2019 U.S. Amateur champion), Strafaci (2020 U.S. Amateur champion) and Christo Lamprecht (2023 U.S. Amateur champion) did not make the cut in their lone Masters appearances.
Tai qualified for the Masters by winning the 2024 NCAA championship — an exemption category that wasn’t added until 2024. He’s had lengthy discussions about the tournament with Lamprecht, former teammate Bartley Forrester (who caddied for Tai at the U.S. Amateur) and Stewart Cink, another Tech man who played in 20 Masters. He’s already arranged to have Ogletree’s caddie carry his bag at Augusta.
“I’ve talked to a little bit of everyone,” he said. “They’re all very excited for me, and I think the common theme is just how special the experience is.”
Tai has made several trips to the golf course. The Yellow Jackets play there once a year as a team, and Tai has been back several other times on his own. He’s hopeful the level of familiarity will help him overcome the long odds that meet amateurs at the Masters.
“It will be different having people there and I’m sure the conditions will be a little different, but I think just knowing my way around, where the range is, where the first tee is, where I’m going, it’ll all be helpful,” Tai said. “I’ll be more comfortable there maybe compared to the other amateurs or players going there for the first time.”
Tai has had a fair junior season. He’s shot a couple of 66s, but has been the team’s low man only once and had just one top-10 finish. In 2023-24, in addition to winning the NCAA championship, Tai as a first-team All-American selection and named Singaporean Male Athlete of the Year. He will be the first player from Singapore to play in the Masters.
Tai will try to figure out a way to stick around for the weekend. Last year Neal Shipley was the only one of five amateurs to make the cut, but two years ago Sam Bennett opened the tournament with a pair of 68s and wound up tied for 16th. Tai isn’t exactly sure what to expect.
“I’m in a no-lose situation,” he said. “If I play not-so-great, it’s all right. And if I play really good, then it’s awesome. So I don’t really have any expectation of whether I’m going there to win or going there to have fun.”
About the Author
Keep Reading
The Latest
Featured
