Sunday 8 April 2018 08:40, UK
Former England captain and now Sky Sports commentator Michael Atherton is enjoying his first visit to the Masters, but how does Augusta National compare to Lord's?
There are many similarities between cricketers and golfers in terms of concentration levels, and both are very hard, mental games. Bowling is obviously more of a physical test, but batting is all about the mind, and it's about how you cope with a run of low scores or a bit of bad luck or a bad decision.
Professional golf is quite similar when you get a bad break or a bad bounce, or a putt lipping out. Take what happened to Sergio at the 15th on Thursday - the test of a truly great golfer is how you bounce back from that kind of adversity.
It seems to me to be a very mentally draining game, especially when you're stood over a six-foot putt for a par, or for a win, or to save your card.
I've heard people say that Matt Fitzpatrick looks like a young Michael Atherton. I actually followed him early in the third round and he enjoyed an excellent day. He's playing well, he's hugely talented and has a bright future.
But I don't know if there's a golfing equivalent of Michael Atherton the cricketer. Maybe someone who's a bit crabby, plays ugly and just gets it round. I'd better not name names!
This is my first visit to Augusta National and it's a great privilege to be here and to see everything close up after years of seeing it on television, with all the memories from watching golf in my youth.
I remember vividly the outstanding moments, like Jack's amazing win in '86 at the age of 46, Sandy Lyle's fantastic shot from the bunker 30 years ago and the run of British and European winners that followed.
I've always wanted to sit behind the tee at the iconic par-three 12th, and I was lucky to be there in the third round when Tiger Woods finally hit the green after knocking two in the water over the first two days. That prompted a mock bow to the crowd, and it was nice to see him in good spirits there.
What many people don't realise is that this course is so incredibly undulating, and that's what you can't sense on television. Your TV screen tends to flatten everything out, so when I saw the 10th fairway looking like a downhill ski slope, that was an eye-opener.
I've watched this tournament avidly since I was in my late teens, and it's really tough to pick out one particular moment that stands out above the rest.
If I had to narrow it down to a specific period, I'd probably start with Jack Nicklaus in '86, and especially his putt at the 17th with the steely glare and the raised putter.
But then there was Sandy in '88 which started a period of huge success for European golf, with Nick Faldo - twice - followed by Woosie and then Langer and Olazabal ... and then Faldo again!
