Fan Notes: Have umbrella, ready for rain

BE PREPARED: Knowing a little something about rainy weather, Seattle resident Jeff Campbell bought a Masters Tournament umbrella on Wednesday in preparation for thunderstorms Thursday.

He carried it with him Thursday morning, anticipating a rainy afternoon.

Campbell said he was curious to see how quickly the course clears out if there is a rain delay. “Where does everyone go? That’ll be interesting,” he said.

VIEWPOINTS: Brian Curtis was too late to claim the best viewing spot on the 18th green. He placed his chair in the first row behind the ropes at 9:30 a.m. but didn’t have a clear view of the pin.

Curtis said he didn’t know the best strategy for saving a seat because this is his first trip to the Masters.

“We came to 18 to get our chairs down, to see everyone come through and be on a special hole,” he said.

SHOWING THEIR SUPPORT: Family and friends of Jamie Donaldson showed their support for the Masters first-timer in a special way Thursday.

Donaldson’s father, brother and two friends wore specially designed shirts. The apparel featured a large, red dragon similar to that found on the flag of Wales, where Donaldson was born.

The group has two shirts each to wear for the tournament’s four days.

“I guess it doesn’t matter if we smell,” said Alex Donaldson, the golfer’s brother.

CONVERSATION STARTERS: Alice Valdez, of Columbia, bought 25 packages of cheese crackers from a concession stand but doesn’t plan to eat them right away.

“I just want to have them in the house to eat over the next year,” she said.

Valdez said the crackers would make great snacks for visitors to her beach house, and she can talk about her trip to the Masters Tournament at the same time.

“It’s the perception of prestige without actually having it,” Valdez said.

She also purchased several Moon Pies for her mother, who loves the sweet treats.

NO PHONES: Bert Young, of Birmingham, Ala., repeatedly reached for his iPhone only to find the carrier on his belt empty.

The urge to send a text message or run an Internet search was thwarted by the ban on cellphones at Augusta National.

“It’s actually a relief in a way and a vacation from it,” Young said. “But at the same time, I’m wondering what’s going on.”

Young said he would be checking tournament scores and player biographies if he had his phone.

“It’s not the end of the world,” he said.

– Meg Mirshak, staff writer