One emotional photo said it all—Brandel Chamblee called it the “greatest sports photo” ever taken. A beautiful moment for the ages. In an unforgettable Masters 2025, Rory McIlroy held his nerve to beat Justin Rose in a playoff and finally slip on the green jacket, completing the career Grand Slam.
The American golfer who turned professional in 1985, Chamblee, owns four victories and 25 top-10 finishes on the PGA Tour under his name. One of the four is from the PGA Tour at the Greater Vancouver Open in 1998. Thanks to this victory, he was invited to the Masters for the first time in 14 years as a professional. Unfortunately, neither he nor his fellow has the best memories of his debut. Recently, he shared his memory during an interview with the Fore Play Podcast.
Recalling his memory, Chamblee said, “I’m not one to look back on my career and go ‘I wish I had made that putt or I could have done that’, with one exception.” Further sharing, he also pointed out that it “was blowing like hell on Sunday.” The final putt on the 18th hole was 2.5 feet away from the par-putt. However, that putt made the difference for him as he was placed T11 then, but the strong blowing wind left him in shock.
“As I went to putt it, the wind blew me, I moved forward, and I pulled it. And if I had made it, I’d have finished 11th… Every other year until then, if you finished in the top 24, you got an invite back. There were a logjam of people tied at 11th, I tied for 18th, so I missed by one shot, getting an invite.” he added. Chamblee, with his debut performance, was in shared lead during the first round. However, he slipped below as the event proceeded. And by the final putt, he slipped to tied 18th position. With just a stroke difference, he was out of the top 24 players list to get an invite for the Masters 2000.
But interestingly, despite being out of the list of invitees, a newspaper incorrectly published the names, leaving the golfer in the hope. Sharing for the instance, he said, “Funny part of the story was I was playing with Bill Glasson the first couple of days and Jose, the next day in USA Today they listed the players that got an invitation back because of their finish and they incorrectly listed me getting the invite from last year with Bill Glasson.” The golfer was pumped for his invite. That’s when the golf commentator told him about the reality of not being on the list for the 2000 Masters.
The journey of Chamblee had just one appearance, that too, with a heartbreaking memory. However, looking at the scorecard, many lapses led to missing the invite.
Brandel Chamblee’s scorecard of the Masters
Who thought the golfer, after leading in the first round, would face lapses later? But that was the story for Chamblee’s debut at the Augusta National. In the first round, he scored 69 with four birdies and two bogeys. He was leading with Davis Love III, Scott McCarron, and Nick Price. But the bogeys count in the later round increased, and he also slipped from the lead. Chamblee carded four bogeys and three birdies to end the round at +1. With that score, he was placed at T7.
But, the chances of a comeback faded from the performance in the third round. Brandel Chamblee added four bogeys and a double bogey to the score, which three birdies could not even help him recover. The result led to a round score of 75, and his position slipped from the top 10. His hopes for the victory had faded, but the chance to stay in the invite circle was still alive. As the remorse still stays in his heart, the par round with 3 birdies and 3 bogeys could not help him be inside the top 24 spots for the invite.
Unfortunately, the 1999 Masters was his first and last appearance. After that, in 2003, he lost his PGA Tour card and started his journey as an analyst. Still going strong, being one of the most renowned commentators with his unique stance on players. But did you know about his past performance on the PGA Tour? What are your thoughts on his career as a pro golfer? Share with us in the comments below.
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