Craig Stadler said he’d consider making a bet with his son on their first round in the Masters but Kevin would have to give him at least six strokes a side.
Kevin Stadler didn’t bite, but he should have. The Masters rookie shot a 70 in the opening round on Thursday come off the course as leader in the clubhouse. He was tied with fellow rookie Jonas Blixt as the early starters wrapped up their rounds just after lunch.
“You’ve got to believe regardless, but it’s just one day. I’d obviously love to do it three more days, but I’m happy just with day one. I’d take 2-under out here all day, every day.”
Kevin Stadler, 34, and his 60-year-old father on Thursday became the first father and son to compete in the same Masters. Predictably, son did much better than dad. Craig Stadler shot an 82, or 12 more strokes than his son.
That would have matched the six a side. But the younger Stadler was happy to just get the first round over with. He said he nearly whiffed his opening tee shot.
“It was cold and I hit a pretty poor tee shot,” Kevin Stadler said. “It went in the fairway just not very far. I was pretty nervous on the tee, but that’s to be expected. … I was just happy to get it under way. I was actually pretty good to go after the first hole.”
About the Author
