Paul Lawrie impressed on first Masters visit

Like so many first-time Masters participants, British Open champion Paul Lawrie has found many surprises at Augusta National Golf Club.

"It is fabulous and beautiful," the 31-year-old Scot said on Tuesday after playing a practice round with veteran Masters champions Charles Coody and the legendary Gary Player, the first non-American to win the Masters.

"The course is much hillier than I thought. It is very hilly," said Lawrie, whose only previous impressions of Augusta came from watching the Masters on television.

"The greens seem smaller than they look on TV," he added. "They were pretty soft today because of the (overnight) rain but by Thursday I expect them to be much faster."

Lawrie, who played a practice round with fellow Scot Colin Montgomerie on Monday, also said he was surprised by Augusta's notorious swirling winds.

"We were walking down the 11th and the wind was at us and on the 12th it was against us -- and they're right next to each other," Lawrie said with a trace of wonder in his voice.

Lawrie said he always dreamed of playing in the Masters when he was growing up but never really expected to be playing in the fabled tournament, the first of golf's four major championships.

"When I became a professional, I expected to be a club pro," he admitted. But his playoff victory in last year's British Open at Carnoustie earned him an invitation to the Masters for five years.

Lawrie said Montgomerie, the best player on the European PGA Tour for the past seven years, was extremely helpful to him during their practice round, pointing out the intricacies and nuances of Augusta that have beguiled so many players over the years.

"Monty has been fantastic this week," said Lawrie, who also got a sand bunker lesson from Player, a three-time Masters champion and one of only four golfers to win each of the sport's major championships.

"He hit his ball in the bunker on number 15 and before we knew it everyone (in his group) was in the bunker with him," Lawrie said. "He (Player) showed me a couple of different shots."

Still, Lawrie said he did not have any illusions about his chances for victory in his first Masters.

"I just want to play one hole at a time and see what happens," he said. "A top-10 (finish) would be a good week."