Posted April 13, 2019, 4:46 pm
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Gatehouse Media

Junior patrons enjoy good fortune in getting golf balls from Masters competitors

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Marc Leishman gives golf balls to young fans off the ninth green. [MICHAEL HOLAHAN/THE AUGUSTA CHRONICLE]

As soon as Elizabeth Rudisill and her father, Brian, got to Augusta National Golf Club on Friday, there wasn't any hesitation as to where they were setting up.

Their traditional spot at the No. 2 green is also closely positioned to the players' walkway to the No. 3 tee box.

The 11-year-old Elizabeth, a Masters veteran, knows it's one of the prime places on the course to get a golf ball from one of the golfers.

"I've been pretty lucky," she said.

She scored balls from Brooks Koepka and Gary Woodland on Friday, bringing her total at the Masters to three. She also got one from Woodland a year ago.

The 11-year-old from Charlotte, N.C., has attended other pro events and said she's been able to get 12 balls overall.

Samuel Sutton, an 8-year-old from Columbia, S.C., might not have the same experience as Rudisill. But, positioned along the walkway from the No. 7 green to the No. 8 tee box, he was just as fortunate. Maybe even more so.

When Tommy Fleetwood tossed him a ball late in the afternoon, it was his third of the day. He earlier had received balls from Dustin Johnson and Martin Kaymer, both in the first hour of being at the tournament.

For a kid who wasn't originally going to be at the course, it was quite a haul.

"He went to school," said his father, Scott. "But we pulled him out to bring him here."

Samuel wasn't able to get a ball from his favorite player, Tiger Woods, but he did get a high-five. Sutton didn't have much to say, but his Moon Pie smile spoke volumes.

"He's been blessed by God for sure," Scott Sutton said.

Junior patrons enjoy good fortune in getting golf balls from Masters competitors

From AugustaChronicle.com »

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