This professional’s Masters heartbreak is (virtually) too agonizing to relive

Marcel Siem has performed in 14 majors (and counting), however he’s by no means teed it up on the Masters at Augusta Nationwide Golf Membership, which in fact is the holy grail of majors and in addition essentially the most troublesome one to get into.

However the 44-year-old German did assume he’d certified for the Masters at one level in his profession, earlier than later realizing he got here up painfully quick in what turned out to be one of many craziest weeks he’s ever skilled.

On the newest episode of the DP World Tour’s Life on Tour podcast, Siem defined that insane week in 2013, when he was satisfied he was Augusta-bound…till he wasn’t.

On March 31 of that yr, Siem gained the DP World Tour’s Trophée Hassan II in Morocco, which vaulted his World Rating from 72nd to what was projected to be within the prime 50. The timing was essential, too. The week earlier than the Masters, the highest 50 within the Official World Golf Rating auto-qualify for the occasion.

Siem thought he was in. Folks had been congratulating him on-site, and he even referred to as his spouse again dwelling to report the excellent news. She celebrated from afar, partying at dwelling considering she and her husband had been headed to the Masters.

However about 5 hours later, Siem acquired a cellphone name. Seems he was bumped out of the highest 50 as a result of end on the PGA Tour’s Shell Houston Open. Henrik Stenson birdied the final two and shot 66 to tie for 2nd, which moved him from 53rd within the OWGR to forty second, securing a Masters spot. That additionally bumped Siem to 51st, one spot exterior of qualifying, simply .0251 agonizing factors behind No. 50 Russell Henley.

(Ed. word: Within the podcast, Siem stated Stenson and Daniel Berger had sturdy finishes to knock him out of the highest 50, however Berger wasn’t within the Houston Open subject, wasn’t ranked within the prime 1,500 of the OWGR and didn’t make a PGA Tour begin that season. Regardless, Stenson was in, Siem was out.)

The PGA Tour observed Siem’s tough break, and so they invited him to the next week’s Valero Texas Open. However to achieve a Masters invite now he needed to win the Texas Open. However first he needed to get there — and quick.

Since attending to the States from Morocco isn’t precisely simple, Siem had to make use of a few of his first-place winnings to guide a personal jet again to Frankfurt, Germany, cease at dwelling after which take off for Texas. He arrived dwelling at about 3 a.m. on Monday morning however was locked out. He knocked on the door and began calling his spouse’s cellphone, however he acquired no reply.

He was beginning to get nervous, too. His flight from Frankfurt was scheduled for six:40 a.m., and he nonetheless wanted to drive 90 minutes to get there.

“So I’ve no keys, nothing,” he stated. “So I’m ringing the bell, no one opening. I’m like knocking, ‘Come on! I’ve to rush up!’”

Lastly he walked round to the again of the home and regarded by way of the window to see his spouse sleeping on the sofa, the aftermath of her celebrating what she thought was her husband’s first-ever Masters berth.

“My spouse, handed out, ingesting a lot champagne and rum and whiskey and every little thing,” he stated.

Finally Siem acquired inside and made his approach to Texas, the place his final likelihood at qualifying for the Masters was off to a promising begin.

He birdied 10 and 11 within the last spherical and was one again with seven to play, however he made a triple-bogey 7 on the par-4 twelfth gap to derail his possibilities. (Siem recalled it was a 9, however both rating was not useful to profitable a golf event.)

He tied for tenth, seven behind the winner, and made $155,000.

“Nice test,” he stated. “No less than it paid for the silly non-public jet from Morocco to Germany.”

“However that was intense, ya know?” he continued. “Sunday after the spherical you’re within the Masters, and 5 hours later you’re out. Rapidly in Texas you bought the possibility once more, and out once more. Yeah, it was robust. It was actually robust.”

You’ll be able to hearken to the full podcast with Seim right here.