Thursday, April 8, 2010

RE: 20 year at the Masters and Counting


(Debbie Walker, Ed Wanambwa and Donna Williams)

Augusta natives Donna Williams and Debbie Walker have been attending the Masters every year for 20 years. They started coming to Augusta National when they were students working as gallery volunteers at the Masters Tournament and now they are a fixture at golf’s spring classic.

“We like the fact that we get meet people from all over the world and it’s nice to sit and talk with people from other cultures” said Walker. Augusta National has a way of taking your breath away as you enter the gates and according to Debbie Walker the beauty of the course is a big reason why she has been back for the past two decades. “I love the beauty of the golf course and how pristine they keep the golf course. It looks almost perfect”.

As they sat with me and chatted about the nuances of The Masters I quickly realized that Debbie and Donna were truly Masters Veterans and loyal patrons of the Masters. They commented about the how cheap the food was how the prices have on gone up about 2 cents in the past 20 years. The fact the you can buy a drink and a sandwich for $3.00 make the Augusta a unique and refreshing golf viewing experience.

“I have seen the place change of the past 20 years and I remember when you could just walk up to the gate the day of the tournament and buy a ticket. But now it’s just not like that anymore” said Williams. Debbie added “because we were born and raised here in Augusta it’s amazing to see Augusta National come to life for one week out of the year. We often drive by the golf course and wonder what’s behind those tall Bamboo sticks and it’s nice to able to come inside and see for ourselves”

I asked Debbie and Donna what their single most memorable moment at the Masters in the past 20 years and almost in unison the said Tiger Woods win in 1997. “We felt so proud that Sunday when Tiger won. We felt he won The Masters for all the African American people that came before him. We were so proud and we feel blessed to have been able to be here to witness it” said Williams.

I can truthfully say meet this wonderful and engaging ladies will be a lasting Masters memory for me.


Ed Wanambwa

Senior Editor African American Golfers Digest

www.thegolfwriter.com

2 comments:

  1. Once again, we had the opportunity to meet wonderful people. Thanks for taking the time to chat with us and thanks for giving us a new memory to add to our cache of Masters memories.
    -Debbie

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  2. Good story, it was great to hear information from true black patrons that have been going for years and who really enjoy the game. So often we are thought of as "not knowing" the game of golf, it was good to hear from those that do.
    - lotta

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