TigerBlog's colleague Chas Dorman has waited a long time to write his first guest entry here. His debut is certainly worth reading.TB guesses that you won't get through this without feeling how emotional it was for him. TB certainly felt it.
The subject? Chas' recent trip to Augusta National. He went to see Catherine Rao play — and he brought his family history with him.
Enjoy. Thanks, Chas, for sharing:
This job
has taken me to some interesting places over the years. I’ve been to the Great
Wall of China and I’ve been to Des Moines, Iowa and countless stops in between.
I never take it for granted that work has taken me places I’ve never expected
to go.
As I write
this, my long-awaited TigerBlog debut, I am sitting in a place I’ve always
dreamt of being but never thought work would be the way.
Augusta
National.
Thank you,
Catherine Rao.
It was
about 15 minutes before puck drop at M&T Bank Arena on January 11 when my
phone rang and the caller ID on the FaceTime request showed Catherine’s name. I
didn’t pick up; there were important tweets about the lines for men’s hockey in
its game against Quinnipiac to get out.
Moments
later, a text came through that said in so many words “Pick up, dummy. It’s
important.”
It had to
be important if Catherine – who’s side gig to supplement her day job as a Top
40 women’s amateur golfer in the world is as a student worker providing hilarious
social media content for the men’s hockey team’s Tik Tok – dared to interrupt
the typical pregame routine.
With that
in mind, I called her back and was greeted with some loud noises and a screen
filled with an envelope colored the specific shade of green that’s synonymous
with one place – Augusta.
“I’m in!”
resonated through the phone as Catherine had finally received the confirmation
she’d been waiting for. She was officially invited to the 2025 Augusta National
Women’s Amateur.
That
invitation was historic in that Catherine was the first Ivy League women’s
golfer to earn a spot in the ANWA field in the six-year history of the event.
It was also expected. Catherine has reached the quarterfinals of the last two
U.S. Women’s Amateurs and at the 2023 British Amateur. She is as elite an
athlete as you will find on our campus, and she’s got a real chance to be a
successful pro when the time comes.
Still, it
was clear how important that physical manifestation of the invite was to her. I
was proud of her and thrilled to be among her first calls.
My first
call upon returning to campus was to the people needed to approve my travel to
Augusta to cover this historic event for Princeton Athletics. The expected razzing
of “Are you even going to work while there or are you just going to watch golf
and nerd out?” followed, but I had made it clear that I’d support anyone from
my staff going since it was that important.
Still, I’d
be lying if I said there weren’t some personal implications to making this
trip. Augusta and The Masters are something that has bonded me with my dad and
my grandfather for as long as I can remember.
I fell in
love with golf because of my grandpa, the late Ray Dorman, and those moments we
shared. I know he’d be proud that his grandson’s career has now taken him to
Augusta National.
You know
who I am proud of? Catherine Rao, that’s who. She represented herself, her
family, her program and her University in a proper way all week.
First,
Golf Channel wanted some time with Catherine after her practice round on
Tuesday. My flight was landing at pretty much the time Catherine would be on
set, so there were some text messages between me, her and the Augusta National
PR folks to make sure the logistics were locked in. They were, and so was
Catherine. She nailed the interview and likely inspired some future Princeton
golfers along the way.
How
impressive was that interview? People were coming up to her the next day saying
“We saw you on Golf Channel; you were awesome, and we are rooting for you now!”
You can
read up on Round One HERE and Round Two HERE. By now, you know that after a
very, very good first 18 holes of golf on Wednesday the golf gods got their
pound of flesh over a three-hole stretch in the second round and Catherine did
not make the cut. It was emotional for all of us walking with her over that
final hour; it was not the proverbial “Cinderella Story” we’d been hoping for.
Still, one
of my favorite things about athletes is how they can work through the emotions
of a tough result and flip the switch quickly to the next thing. The Catherine
Rao I saw on Friday was the picture of perspective.
It
probably helped that I was catching up with her after she’d just played 18
holes on a picture-perfect day at Augusta National. Every player in the field
gets a round there regardless of whether or not they made the cut. Not a consolation
prize, if you ask me.
So there I
was, again thinking about my grandfather and my dad as I sort of stumbled my
way out to the first tee area at Augusta National. Technically, media weren’t
allowed out where I was standing. But I had a credential on and some lovely
tangerine shorts, so I definitely looked like I belonged. And if someone asked,
I would very politely apologize and shuffle off to wherever I was supposed to
be.
Luckily,
no one asked and from my vantage point, I could see the huge leaderboard set
for the upcoming Masters. To my right was the first tee box I’ve seen hundreds
of times on my TV. To my left was the 9th green. Over there, that’s the 18th
green, where some of the greatest moments in golf have happened.
And it was
remarkably quiet. Most really only ever see Augusta at its busiest when there
are thousands of patrons on site and there’s action everywhere. This day, each
player had a handful of guests with them and there was a modest amount of
tournament staff around handling ANWA business or setting up for next week.
Other than that, it was me and the ghosts of golf’s greatest spectacle.
I watched
about 8-9 groups finish up on the 9th hole before Catherine appeared in the
fairway to finish her round. She was all smiles as she sauntered up to the
green and made one final putt.
She was
all smiles once again as she stood in front of the clubhouse and took some
questions from a proud PR person about what the week meant, what’s in store for
the rest of the season and what to expect when she’s back at Augusta next year.
This week
really was the perfect mix of business and pleasure. I had the privilege to
tell the story of a first-time event in Princeton Athletics history and that
doesn’t happen often. That I had the fortune to do so at a venue I count among
my most revered in sports with access few receive – that was a memory unlike
any other.
I laughed
at the absurdity of it all, from the insane nature of the media accommodations
at both courses to the mere fact that I was there in the first place. I cheered
as loudly as one can at a golf tournament for Catherine, and I felt for her
when it got away. I had some tears in my eye taking those first steps onto the
actual course, but kind of in the way Rudy’s dad did when he walked into Notre
Dame Stadium for the first time.
This was a
week I will never forget.
Same time
next year, Catherine?
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