Fan experience at Augusta National is all the holidays wrapped together

For 10-year-old Campbell Parsons, Masters Week is special because that’s when he celebrates his birthday while watching his father, Brandon Parsons, caddie for five-time PGA Tour winner J.B. Holmes.

“He’s a Masters baby,” his mother, Miranda Parsons, said. “Whenever we get into the tournament he celebrates it here at Augusta. This year it fell on Sunday. Normally we celebrate it in the middle of the week so we celebrated it last night.”

Photos: Wednesday at the Masters

The Parsonses, also from Holmes’ hometown of Campbellsville, Ky., said that she tries to take Campbell to as many tournaments as possible so they can watch Brandon in action on the course.

“Anytime he’s gone for more than three weeks, we try to go out in the middle of it so that he can see him,” Miranda said. “Just so he doesn’t go too long without seeing him.”

Parsons said the Masters is her favorite tournament among the ones she’s seen her husband caddie. She said the Wells Fargo Championship is her second favorite because the course, Quail Hollow, reminds her of Augusta National.

“I guess it’s the luster,” Parsons said of the Masters. “When you’re standing here looking down that hill at No. 1 or at 18, it’s just an unbelievable feeling.”

Parsons said she went shopping and tried to buy the garden gnome but didn’t have any luck.

“I wish I could have got one,” Parsons said. “I saw them sitting outside of, I think, Kuchar’s bus. J.B. has his bus next to a couple of players and they had the garden gnomes sitting outside the buses.”

Brandon said he was excited to celebrate his birthday this week but the special part of the week was the time spent with his father.

“Seeing my dad out here,” Brandon said was his favorite thing about the Masters.

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Todd Muhleman from Cincinnati stood in the autograph area near the range with his 14-year-old son, John.

They were carrying large Canon cameras, with zoom lenses attached.

“It’s a hobby,” Muhleman said. “I picked it up from my dad when I was a kid. I’ve done some sports photography. We did a safari in Kenya a couple years ago. I was like, I’m gonna see if I can bring my 200-400 lens and they didn’t give me any issues bringing it in.”

John said he got defending champ Patrick Reed, Ian Woosnam and Charley Hoffman to sign his yellow Masters flag.

“It’s been fun,” John said. “I got a lot of autographs. But it’s really been nice to see the course because you see it so many times on TV. I’m glad to be out here.”

The two were excited to watch the Par-3 Contest and Muhleman was hoping for a certain professional’s signature.

“Maybe Jason Day will stop by,” Muhleman said. “He’s living in Columbus these days since he married an Ohio girl.”

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Husband and wife, Travis and Shelby Johnson from Houston, were standing with Shelby’s father, Powell Fancher, by the putting green watching Kevin Kisner and Gary Woodland practice.

Fancher said he was ecstatic to actually be at the Masters. The Dallas, native didn’t believe he’d be in Augusta this week.

“This was my Christmas gift,” Fancher said while laughing and grinning. “They brought me. Biggest surprise of my life.”

Travis won the tickets in a raffle and that’s how he was able to bring Shelby and his father-in-law.

“Just being with them and enjoying the scenery,” Fancher said about what he was looking forward to. “Seeing all the fairways and greens and everything.”