Following Westwood at Augusta

Neil Tappin spends day two in the company of Lee Westwood

westwood
(Image credit: Getty Images)

In his Wednesday's press conference, the Chairman of Augusta National, Billy Payne told us that the Masters committee have a "less is more" attitude to the tournament. This means that both the TV coverage and the crowd numbers are limited.

For those who do manage to make it inside the gates, the viewing experience is second to none. I spent day two following Lee Westwood and discovered that with the vast majority of the crowd watching Woods, I could comfortably see each of the Englishman's shots without any inside the ropes access. Playing with Mike Weir and Matteo Manassero, interest in the trio was, at best limited, despite Westwood's growing position at the top of the leaderboard. It was noticeable how many family and friends, Westwood had following him. Mixing among the Augusta crowd, it is easy to spot any Brits, especially those with Worksop accents.

Ian Poulter however, playing in the group in front of Tiger Woods had to deal with hoards of people all looking for a slice of the action. But as you probably know, Poulter isn't afraid of the limelight and the added atmosphere only seemed to spur him on.

Whatever the future of this tournament holds, the draw has been kind to both Poulter and Westwood. Their position at the head of affairs is reason for us all to be excited, even if it is only Friday evening.

Neil Tappin
Editor

In July 2023, Neil became just the 9th editor in Golf Monthly's 112-year history. Originally working with the best coaches in the UK to produce instruction content, he has also presented many Golf Monthly videos looking at all areas of the game from Tour player interviews to the rules of golf. 

Throughout his time with the brand he has also covered equipment launches that date back well over a decade. He clearly remembers the launch of the Callaway and Nike square drivers as well as the white TaylorMade driver families, such as the RocketBallz! If you take a look at the Golf Monthly YouTube channel, you'll see his equipment videos dating back over a decade! He has also conducted 'What's In The Bag' interviews with many of the game's best players like Rory McIlroy, Dustin Johnson and Jon Rahm. Over the years, Neil has tested a vast array of products in each category and at drastically different price-points. 

Neil is currently playing: Driver: TaylorMade Stealth Plus Fairway Wood: Titleist TSR2 Hybrid: Titleist TS3 Irons: PING Blueprint S (4&5), PING Blueprint T (6-PW) Wedges: Titleist Vokey SM7 50˚, 54˚, 60˚ Putter: Odyssey Triple Track Ten Ball: Titleist Pro V1X