Lawyers at the Masters

Georgia lawyers took some time off to enjoy the Super Bowl of golf
By John Carroll, Special to the Daily Report

It is only fitting that the legal community was well represented in the galleries of the Masters. The tournament was founded by the late Atlanta attorney and golf legend Bobby Jones. Below are a few anecdotes from lawyers and a judge who attended the Masters earlier this month.

Judge Jackson and son, Isadore, on the first hole.

Judge and son do the Masters

Atlanta Municipal Court Judge Gary E. Jackson enjoyed the Masters this year with his 12-year-old son, Isadore. The two golf fans took in the Par 3 Contest on Wednesday and witnessed tournament action on Thursday, Friday and Sunday.

"We had a blast," said Jackson. "It was the most exciting Masters I can remember in years—what a finish!"

The Jacksons sat at the 18th green Sunday and watched South African Charl Schwartzel birdie the final hole to win the 2011 Masters. They then stayed for the awards ceremony after the tournament and saw 2010 Masters champion Phil Mickelson present Schwartzel with the green jacket.

Other highlights from the week, per Jackson:

• At the Par 3 Contest, Isadore stood in the autograph section behind the 9th green and collected more than 50 autographs from golfers on a Masters replica flag.

• Father and son ate lunch Friday on the clubhouse lawn under an umbrella table.

• They saw every golfer. The judge's favorite moment was seeing Jack Fleck playing the Par 3 Contest. His favorite memory was watching his son "scarfing down" pimento cheese sandwiches.

This was Jackson's 26th consecutive year attending the Masters. His first Masters in 1986 is still his "all-time best Masters memory." That was the year Jack Nicklaus won in dramatic fashion.

Looking thru the pines at No. 13.

Local attorney entertains friends

Raymond J. Doumar lives two miles from Augusta National Golf Club. He usually rents his house during the week of the Masters and skips town for vacation with the family. Doumar is pretty sure that there is "not a lot of law being practiced in Augusta during the Masters."

This year the plaintiffs' attorney opted to not rent his house and returned early from vacation so he could attend the Masters with his 8-year-old son, Jackson, on Saturday.

"It was his first Masters," said Doumar. "He did well. He got a little tired. It was hot and humid."

Father and son enjoyed sitting at the 14th tee so they could see golfers play 13 and hit their drives on 14.

"Bubba Watson bombed it," said Doumar. "Tiger hit 3-wood on 14. His swing looks under control."

A former collegiate golfer at Clemson, Doumar had friends in town from Florida for the weekend and entertained them at the Masters on Sunday. The group was positioned at hole 16 when Tiger Woods made a charge on the front nine.

"The roars were pretty loud when Tiger was making his move," said Doumar. "You could hear it from the back nine what he was doing on the front nine. I thought he was going to go low on the back."

Doumar and friends left the tournament around 5 p.m. so they could watch the finishing holes on TV at his nearby house. "It gets really crowded the last two hours," he said. "We had a good time."

Love is in the grass

John A. Ernst Jr. and wife Monica L. Vining, both Atlanta attorneys, attended their first Masters together this year. They went on Saturday for the tournament's third round of play.

The couple enjoyed seeing Woods, Matt Kuchar, Jason Day, Rory McIlroy and Phil Mickelson. They saw eventual-winner Schwartzel play through on hole 2.

At hole 7, the couple saw Mickelson tee off and then reach over the ropes to high-five his daughter.

Ernst said attending his first Masters brought out the "little kid" in him. When he saw turtles in the pond at 16, he exclaimed, "Look, turtles!"

"I had no idea they had turtles in the pond at 16," said Ernst. "I thought that was cool."

The couple was impressed by the beauty of the golf course.

"It's high-level horticulture," said Ernst. "I've never seen any grass any greener."

"The azaleas were gorgeous colors," said Vining. "John tried to find a weed, but couldn't do it."

The most unusual thing they saw occurred at Amen Corner, the section of the golf course at holes 11, 12 and 13. They were sitting in the stands there when they witnessed a marriage proposal in the nearby grass.

"She said yes," said Vining. "A lot of people were around and started clapping."

Super Bowl of golf

Athens attorney Kevin G. Sweat was sitting in the bleachers at No. 16 on Sunday when the score was posted for what McIlroy made on No. 10: Seven.

"Everybody in the stands was taken aback," said Sweat, an associate at Cook Noell Tolley & Bates. "Nobody could believe he made a triple bogey on 10. Then to see him fall further, my heart went out to him. He was playing as hard as he could, but was unable to hold it together."

McIlroy started the final round with a four-shot lead, but stumbled under the pressure and fell out of contention on the back nine.

As a 14 handicap, Sweat said he plays golf in Athens at the University of Georgia Golf Course and Lane Creek Golf Club. This year was his fourth time attending the Masters. He went with a friend who had badges. "It's one of the hardest tickets to get in sports," said Sweat. "I compare it to going to the Super Bowl."

The most memorable shot he witnessed this year was Adam Scott's "near ace" on 16 in the final round. He also saw Woods miss a short eagle putt on 15.

"You could tell that took the wind out of his sails," said Sweat. "He was still dejected as he played 16. If he would have made that eagle, I think he would have charged to the finish. That was a crucial putt. He needed to make 3 there if he was going to win."
This article was originally printed in the Daily Report on April 22, 2011.