Print this page  |  Close Window

By Brett Quigley
Special to PGATOUR.com

Editor's note: Brett Quigley is playing in his third World Golf Championships event this week at the CA Championship. After a round of 1-over 73 in difficult conditions Thursday, Quigley took time out to write another installment of his blog for PGATOUR.com.

DORAL, Fla. -- I had something happen last week at the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by MasterCard that's never happened to me before. When I got done with my second round I was tied for 84th and I thought I had no chance of making the cut. I think the cut was at even at that point and I was 3 over. My parents and my wife Amy were there so we all packed up and drove back home to Jupiter. We got home about 4:30 that afternoon. The phone started ringing about that time, and my friends were telling me it would be close. I still thought I had no chance, though. About 7:30 I found out I had made it. We had already eaten dinner so I just decided to stay at home that night. My dad was caddying for me so we left about 4:45 in the morning and drove back up to Orlando. It was about two and a half hours so we made it with no problem. It's nice that early in the morning -- no traffic, no cars. It had taken me 5 hours to get there Tuesday because there was an accident on the turnpike. It was funny, though. I've heard stories of guys leaving and then finding out they had made the cut. It was unbelievable that it happened to me but fortunately I was close enough where I could get back without a big stretch.

Brett Quigley. (Fontain/WireImage)

MORE BLOGS

• Charles Warren • Tiger Woods • Davis Love III • Charles Howell III • Player Blog Archive

I've been playing pretty well this year. I just haven't gotten much out of it yet. But I'm happy with the way my game is. I know that's hard to believe without getting results, but I am. Obviously this week is a big week. I played pretty good today and shot 1 over in pretty tough conditions. Guys shooting 5 under out there -- that's an amazing score. It's just a good, tough golf course. It's fair, you know, it's just blowing 30 mph and raining every other hole. I don't see anyone kind of running away with it, and I'm certainly not disappointed shooting 1-over. I know I'm still in there.

Certainly everything's looking forward to Augusta right now, though. I just have a smile on my face right now when I go to bed just thinking about Augusta. It's like waiting for Christmas. I've been feeling that way on and off since November but the last three weeks it's been like: here it comes. It's already less than two weeks away. I'm really excited.

I still have the invitation. I think Amy's going to frame that for me. She kept it as soon as she got it because she knew that I would probably lose it. It's a neat invitation, pretty unassuming. It's just "hey, we're having a tournament and would you come?"

I played Augusta National once three years ago. My dad has been caddying for my uncle Dana on the Champions Tour this year, and he asked Gary Player if he would play with me on Monday of Masters week. It's actually going to be his 50th Masters and my first. I'm going to really enjoy playing a practice round with him and picking his brain on where to hit it and where not to hit it and how to figure out the greens. We're teeing off at 8 a.m. on Monday morning. I got Vineyard Vines, the clothing company I'm with, to make an all black shirt and black pants and I'm going to wear that as a tribute to him. It should be really neat; I'm very excited.

Someone asked me what I was looking forward to the most about the Masters, and I told them probably being in the locker room, just changing my shoes. Sitting around and looking at all of those lockers and being in that clubhouse with all of that history and tradition there. That's it to me. It's funny. I used to go every year for practice rounds back when you could buy tickets. Amy and I went, actually, and I said I'm never coming back to watch until I make it. I didn't know it would take me 11 years to do it, but I finally did it.

I usually like to play the week before a major, but I'm taking next week off. I'm going to try to go up a couple of days next week and really get some work done before Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday because I know that will be a circus. I'm actually renting two houses up there and have got a bunch of people coming in -- probably 15 or 20 from Jupiter and Rhode Island and all over. My dad and I are trying to talk Dana into coming. It's going to be special for us. My dad's caddied in the British Open, the PGA Championship and U.S. Open but he's never caddied in the Masters. So this will complete the cycle for him. I'm really glad we can share this together.

We're getting close to another big event in our lives, too. Our first baby is due on April 16th, the Monday after the Verizon Heritage. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that everything goes as planned. The movement in Amy's stomach is just amazing. Just last night, we were laying in bed and it's like she was working a punching bag. I say "she" because they tell us it's a girl. But she's doing great, and we are both very excited. We still haven't decided on a name. Amy's got about six and I think she's going to let me have the final say, but she's got six that she wants. It will be hard to decide.