Augusta boys hope to make own hometown history

Vaughn Taylor and Charles Howell, both Augusta natives, grew up on Masters lore and consider Larry Mize's shocking 1987 win one of their most vivid memories. Twenty years later, both believe they can star in the event they long have watched.

By Helen Ross, PGATOUR.com Chief of Correspondents

AUGUSTA, Ga. -- Vaughn Taylor had just turned 11; Charles Howell III was four years younger.

The two young Augusta natives were lucky enough to have tickets for the Masters in 1987, the same year that another hometown hero stunned the golf world by beating Greg Norman and Seve Ballesteros in a playoff to win the Green Jacket.

Taylor was actually at home when it happened, watching on TV with his father as they always did on Sundays because otherwise "it's tough to see the leaders." He remembers Larry Mize's perfectly executed pitch-and-run on the second extra hole as "amazing."

"My dad jumped out of his chair," Taylor recalled with a shy smile.

Howell, who was also attending the Masters for the first time that year, admits that he didn't appreciate the magnitude of Mize's victory. That's understandable, given his age, but now Howell, who calls it "inspiration stuff" knows what a feat it was.

"You go down in a playoff against Ballesteros and Norman; Larry Mize is not the favorite going into that playoff, let's face it," Howell said. "For him to come out on top of that and to be from Augusta, and obviously the chip he holed at 11, you've got to play some good golf to get in that position against those names.

"Yeah, that was a big part of my growing up, to see a guy from Augusta that won the Masters that's right here in my backyard; I don't think I knew how difficult then this tournament was to win, but I do now."

Indeed. Howell and Taylor are playing in the Masters with Mize this week, two decades after that historic victory. Howell is making his sixth appearance in the season's first major championship while Taylor is back for the second straight year.

Both are playing well, too. Howell won the Nissan Open in a playoff earlier this year and has two other runner-up finishes in 2007. Taylor was third at the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by MasterCard three weeks ago.

Sure, they'll still play tour guide for their friends when needed. Bo Van Pelt rented a house down the street from where Howell's parents live when he played in 2005. But the two TOUR pros have much bigger things to worry about this year.

"The occasional player will come up and ask, you know, what side of town should I rent a house on, where should I avoid," Howell said. "Or, I actually rented a house way down here, what's another way to get to the golf course. Little stuff like that, yes.

"And for dinner recommendations, I say, 'Cook at home.' That's the best I can give you."

Mize's victory in 1987 helped make golf "cool," Howell said, for youngsters who grew up in Augusta. Five players in the junior golf program at Augusta Country Club, which is adjacent, in some spots, to the Augusta National, got NCAA Division I scholarships, including Howell.

"We had a great junior program," Howell said. "And then the Masters, obviously it comes along every April. If you ever needed some enthusiasm to get going, this did it. Now sort of once a year, you've got this kick, if you will, of, hey, man, get going, this is the Masters.

"And Augusta National, I mean, it speaks for itself. It's as close as I've seen to heaven to this point. It's a great place. There's nothing wrong with it. ? The whole place has been special. It was to my advantage to grow up in Augusta really to be a golfer."

Howell was fortunate enough to get play the Alister MacKenzie masterpiece quite frequently as he grew up due to friendships formed with Augusta National members. Taylor's first experience came during his freshman year at nearby Augusta State.

Both have dropped a ball beside the 11th green and tried their hand at the pitch Mize holed for the improbable birdie that sent him on a celebratory jaunt that was half-running and half-jumping. Taylor did it Tuesday afternoon, in fact.

"I didn't know exactly where pin was," said Taylor, who used to watch the Masters in the morning and then play golf with his friends in the afternoon. "But I pretended like I was over there. Think I hit a pretty good chip shot. It probably was a little long, though."

Howell has put a tee in the ground where he thought the pin was and tried the shot, as well. "I don't think people have any idea how quick that is, going that direction," he said.

"To bump it on the hill like he did, wow, it was an incredible shot, but at the time it made it even more incredible really. And sort of solidify Greg Norman being snakebit, you know."

Howell and Taylor know shots that Mize's are part of Masters lore, the legacy of the event that returns each year to this expansive green Parthenon of azaleas and dogwoods and the greatest players the game has to offer.

Neither left the grounds in a particularly good frame of mind last year. Howell shot 80-84 to miss the cut for the second straight year while Taylor's rounds of 75 and 74 sent him packing. Both enter the 71st renewal of golf's first major with positive vibes.

Taylor says he's feeling more comfortable at Augusta National, and he finds the slick greens to his liking. Howell, who stands second in the FedExCup rankings and third on the PGA TOUR money list, has the confidence born of realizing an important goal.

"At the beginning of the year, I, as well as I'm sure a lot of players, it sort of set them, and it was pretty easy getting back into the Masters was on the top of my list," said Howell, who returned to swing guru David Leadbetter, worked on his short game and vaulted from 86th in the world to 15th.

"You know, I'm very thankful to be here this week. It's definitely a privilege for me to be sitting here at this golf tournament and hopefully I can take advantage of it."

Expectations are hard to avoid, though. Taylor said his friends -- and some members of the media -- are talking openly about how close he is to winning again, and everyone is only too aware that this week would be the fairytale come true.

"I'd rather not hear it," he said. "I've kind of told some people to not talk about winning. It will happen when it's ready. It does add a little bit of pressure."

The self-imposed kind is hard enough to handle, without adding the weight of others' expectations. Just ask Howell, whose best finish is a tie for 13th in 2004.

"I haven't done well in this tournament having big expectations," he said. "I know that sounds crazy, but this golf course here will do a lot to sort of pull you out of your own normal rhythm and your own game. You sort of see an innocent-looking flag up there and you may change your game plan a little bit and go at it and next thing you know, you've had a number.

"So the best thing I can do this week is, as much as I can, treat this as a normal event, and we all know that it's not. We all know that the pressure is there and the golf course is there, but the best thing that I can do is just try to treat this as if it were just another stop on the PGA TOUR, truthfully, and that's not an easy thing to do, especially when a place is very special to you."