Tuesday, April 8, 2025

Guest TigerBlog - Live From Augusta National, It's Chas Dorman

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.

We’d never been, but like many who are passionate about golf, Sunday at The Masters was a Dorman family tradition. As I sit here in the Press Room and close my eyes, the first thing I see is my grandfather sitting in his spot in our living room. He’s surrounded by anywhere from two to four of his sons and their grandkids. There’s a Cape Codder on the table next to him, and on his lap is a copious helping of chips and “Grandma Dip” – which 8-year old Chas thought was some special recipe only Florence Dorman knew but turns out was Hidden Valley Ranch seasoning and sour cream. Still, she made it better than anyone else ever has or ever will. No matter what was going on in the house, there my grandpa was with a laser focus on Fred Couples, or Tom Wason or Nick Faldo as they made their Sunday move towards a Green Jacket.

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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