AUGUSTA, Ga. — Standing in front of the clubhouse at Augusta National on Sunday afternoon, William McGirt was all smiles as he held his two children, Mac and Caroline, in his arms.
The Fairmont native had just completed his debut at The Masters, posting a score of 2-over par to finish in a tie for 22nd place.
He agreed: No one had more fun than him.
“I’m taking nothing but positives away from this week,” said McGirt, who carded rounds of 69, 73, and a pair of 74s in his first appearance at Augusta National.
“This week was so much fun. That’s all I’m looking at. The negatives, they can stay out there on the course and I might relive them if I get to come back here again. But I’m taking nothing but positives away from this week.”
It was a week to remember for McGirt, who soaked in every moment en route to making the cut at a major for the second consecutive time.
But it was a struggle on the course Sunday.
After rolling in birdie on the par-4 11th to get back to even par, McGirt knew he had to be aggressive over the final seven holes in order to get in the mix for a top-12 finish — which would have earned him a 2018 Masters bid.
When he made his way to the par-5 13th, McGirt attempted to reach the green in two shots only to find the hazard. After playing partner Jon Rahm holed-out for eagle, McGirt followed with a birdie, holing out from the drop zone left of the green to move into red figures at 1 under.
But he stumbled down the stretch with bogeys on two of his last three holes, carding a double bogey after finding the water off the tee box on the par-3 16th and posting bogey on the final hole to finish at 2 over for the tournament.
“I had to absolutely try to nuke a 7-iron back there,” McGirt said of his tee shot on No. 16. “I knew a 6-iron was going to land past the pin and probably go over — and you’re dead back there.
“It wasn’t my best weekend. I was thinking about it the whole back nine, trying to make a push to get back there (inside the top 12). I wasn’t nervous at all (on Sunday).”
McGirt started with a pair of bogeys on two of his first three holes, but birdied the par-5 eighth to make the turn at 1 over.
Despite a disappointing finish on the course, McGirt could only rave about his overall experience throughout the week.
“It was so much fun,” he said. “The members (at Augusta National) have been so great to us this week. They’ve been so gracious to let us come in and play ahead of time. It’s just a testament to everything they do for us. They are some of the greatest people in the world and we all just need to say thank you.”
He was also grateful to have a gallery full of his family and friends follow him during each round.
“It’s awesome to have so much support. … I heard, ‘Go Wofford, go Terriers, Spartanburg, Fairmont,’ you know, I heard it all so much this week,” he said. “It’s awesome to have that much support. We gave them something to cheer about for awhile, I just didn’t really have it the last two days.”
As he looks forward to the rest of the PGA Tour season, McGirt hopes the experience at Augusta will be a springboard for him. He’ll be back in action this week in Hilton Head, South Carolina at the RBC Heritage.
“I saw a lot of positives this week,” he said. “I haven’t played my best this year and it’s been a little bit of a struggle. I saw a lot of good. It’s something to build on for sure.”
And as he reflected on his first Masters experience, McGirt said the opportunity made him realize he didn’t want it to be his last appearance in golf’s greatest tournament.
“It was fun. It was a heck of a week,” he said. “It makes me want to come back even more. It fuels my desire to come back even more. This place is so awesome, so fun. I definitely don’t want this to be my last.”
