Masters 2024: Big-hitting amateur rockets first two drives more than 700 yards at Augusta National

AUGUSTA, GEORGIA – APRIL 11: Christo Lamprecht of South Africa walks on the first green during the first round of the 2024 Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club on April 11, 2024 in Augusta, Georgia. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)

The Masters may have started a little late, but the delay didn’t seem to bother amateur Christo Lamprecht … at least when it came to his opening two drives. The 6-foot-8 23-year-old put everything he had (and then some) into his first two tee shots, and boy did it show.

Lamprecht doesn’t have the experience of playing partners Charl Schwartzel and Luke List at Augusta National (he’s a rookie who qualified by winning the British Amateur) but none of that mattered as the big-hitter powered the golf ball 353 and 366 yards, respectively, with his tee shots on the first and second holes. That’s a combined 719 yards, one yard less than six football fields (if you’re counting the end zones).

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Despite the bomb to start it all off, Lamprecht settled for par on the first hole. A birdie on the subsequent hole, the newly lengthened par-5 second, helped to justify the South African’s legnth, however.

One of five amateurs in this year’s Masters, Lamprecht already has a good deal of major experience. He had a share of the first-round lead at last year’s Open, eventually earning the silver medal for low amateur.

This isn’t a new development for Lamprecht who is known for hitting the ball farther than just about everyone else. He even drilled a 418-yard drive at the Alfred Dunhill Championship at the end of December. In the golf business, we officially call a drive like that “very, very far” and “ridiculous.”

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With three birdies over his first eight holes, Lamprecht got off to a solid start eventually dampened by three bogeys on holes nine through 11. No matter what he does, we know for sure that he’ll have one enemy at Augusta National and various courses for the rest of his career:

Golf ball rollback.

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