Beem finds himself in unfamiliar positions at Masters

Thanks to a nifty 1-under 71 that included an eagle and three birdies, former PGA Champion Rich Beem put himself in places he'd never been before at Augusta National Golf Club -- near the lead and in the press building interview room.

By Helen Ross, PGATOUR.com Chief of Correspondents

AUGUSTA, Ga. -- Rich Beem settled into the chair in a building he never knew existed.

He'd just broken par for only the second time at the Masters. On this cool, crisp and contrary Thursday, though, the 1-under 71 had landed Beem in the interview room of the massive green press building nestled among the trees near the first fairway at Augusta National.

"I've never known this was here," Beem said, positively beaming. "This is pretty exciting for me, too."

Beem found a way to prosper in the vexing conditions when others couldn't. His round of 1 under, which he said felt more like a round in the mid-60s at most other PGA TOUR events, left him two strokes off the lead held by Justin Rose.

"It was actually about as much fun as I could have made it," he said, the grin on his face making his words almost unnecessary.

Of course, things didn't start out that way.

Beem hit driver and 4-iron to the first green, and the ball settled in the back right quadrant about 30 feet from the pin. When his first putt stopped rolling, though, Beem's ball was about half an inch from rolling off the putting surface.

"I mean, I ran it like 15 feet by, and I'm going, 'Oh no, this could be a really long day unless I watch out,'" he recalled.

Beem steadied himself and reeled off six straight pars before moving into red numbers with consecutive birdies at Nos. 8 and 9. He gave those shots right back, though, as he made his way toward the Amen Corner.

Beem blocked his 7-iron at the 10th hole and was unable to get up-and-down from the front greenside bunker. Then he pushed his approach on No. 11 -- which he says always gives him the "heebie-jeebies" -- and made another bogey.

A 3-footer for birdie at the 12th hole got Beem back on course, though. And the 2003 PGA champion needed all the positive thoughts he could muster with the par-5 13th hole -- where he's made just one birdie in 12 attempts -- on the horizon.

"I don't know why that hole gets to me," Beem said, shaking his head. "I've hit it in the water so many times there."

This time, though, Beem picked the right spot in the fairway, about 212 yards to the front edge. The wind was in his face "and the funny thing was I didn't really know how stiff it was blowing because if I did, I probably would have laid up," Beem said.

The well-struck 5-wood found the putting surface, just clearing the front edge and rolling up within 15 feet of the pin. The 2003 PGA champion got a read off Colin Montgomerie's putt and proceeded to make the eagle to move to 2 under.

"I've never really made this many birdies, or an eagle, out here," Beem said. "I really felt three birdies and an eagle out here for me seems like a lot. I have a hard time taking it lower than 71. It was fun. Boy, it's playing tough out there, let me tell you."

The Waterford crystal that commemorates eagles at the Masters is Beem's regardless of what happens the rest of the week. He has higher hopes, though, and he feels the two days he spent at Augusta National several weeks ago will figure into that success.

"My putting has kind of held me back in years past, but I've been really working hard at it," said Beem, who played 63 holes while he was here. "I put it in some perfect positions today to attack and hit some of the putts. I gave myself probably as good of looks as I've ever seen out here.

"I think it you ask any past champion or anybody that's had a lot of success here, that's one thing they understand about the course. They are comfortable around the greens and know where to miss it and where is the best chance."

Beem is also comfortable in difficult conditions. He already has a major championship, after all, and he held off one Tiger Woods in the process. At the same time, Beem knows his name wouldn't be at the top of a list of pre-tournament contenders.

"Obviously this is the first time in the media room so you guys don't expect much out of me, which is totally fine, but I put a lot of expectation on myself because I know what I'm capable of," Beem said. "I know I'm playing well and I know that I'm putting well.

"At the same time, there's a little bit of doubt out there and it's a hard golf course. It really is very difficult and you get out there and you want to play well so bad and sometimes it just doesn't work out. But I think that, you know, when the conditions get a little bit tougher, when we play harder golf courses, I think I tend to play fairly well. I don't play U.S. Open golf courses very well because I tend to get a little aggressive with the driver and if it goes in the rough you're hacking out sideways.

"They don't do it to you here," he added. "They give you an opportunity to go for it from all over the place. I applaud them on that. It gives everybody an opportunity to fire at it if they are brave enough. I'm usually brave enough -- not smart enough always, but brave enough."