Masters 2025
Venue: Augusta National Golf Club Dates: 10-13 April
Coverage: Live radio commentary and live text commentary, with in-play clips across all four days. Click here for full details.
Bath's Laurie Canter has brought his whole family to Augusta to witness his Masters debut this week.
The 35-year-old wants to share the moment with the people closest to him after sustaining the best golf of his life to make the world's top 50 in time for the first major of the year.
"It is one of those pinch yourself moments," Canter told DIWIDA > NEWS |Sport as he sat on the outside terrace of his rental home. Inside were his parents, his wife Anna and their two young children.
"It is such a tough tournament to get in," he said. "Getting in the top 50 in the world is difficult, especially if you're not playing full time out in America. So I'm really proud that I've managed to do that."
Canter played the 2022 and 2023 seasons on the LIV tour, but missed a putt in the breakaway circuit's qualifying event for the 2024 season. From there the Englishman needed to rebuild his career on the DP World Tour.
Initially his exemption options appeared limited, but he played well enough to keep getting starts before landing his first victory at the European Open in June last year.
He secured another victory in Bahrain during February and later finished as the runner-up at the South African Open. This sudden rise propelled him into the ranks of the world’s top 50 players, making history as the inaugural LIV golfer to participate in the PGA Tour's Players Championship held at Sawgrass just last month.
Currently, he is attempting to master the sport’s most dazzling competition taking place in Georgia.
"And I had the chance to view the track on Sunday," Canter mentioned.
Since Monday turned out to be a complete washout, it was fantastic to gain this experience as it feels like a golf course where you could never have too much playing time.
You need to absorb everything swiftly. Get familiar with the golf course and then attempt to use what you've learned, going out there as if it were an ordinary week, despite knowing very well that it isn’t—it’s quite the opposite.
That's why Canter has taken his family along as this week could very well be the most significant one of his career so far.
He reminisced about his first experience playing The Open." "In 2010, as an amateur, the championship took place at St Andrews." "I approached it just like another competition," he said, "believing my extensive background in links golf would be beneficial.
I've had quite a challenging week. Time flew by, and unfortunately, I failed to make the cut on Friday. I recall feeling like I hadn’t enjoyed it at all.
Ever since then, whenever I get the chance to participate in major tournaments, I simply aim to ponder what would constitute a successful outcome for me by the end of the event.
And even though it might sound cheesy, the purpose of us playing is to aim for tournaments like these, and to acknowledge those who supported me in reaching this point.
I want all those who inspired me to be present now, so they can experience it firsthand, watch me perform, and ideally witness my good gameplay.
Canter is excited about participating in Wednesday's Par 3 Contest along with his family attending. Afterward, he'll shift gears for the more intense competition as he starts play at 15:59 BST alongside former champion Angel Cabrera from 2009 and Adam Schenk.
Cabrera is making his return for the first time since 2019 following a 30-month jail term due to a conviction for domestic abuse.
"One of my favorite golfers was him; I genuinely enjoyed watching him play," Canter mentioned.
Clearly, he’s returning after serving time in prison. From the tournament’s viewpoint, he’s ready to get back into action and eager to play for and represent Argentina, showing that he’s in great shape."
On my first day, I’ll extend my hand for a handshake and likely relish observing him perform on the field.
On Tuesday's practice session, Canter played under sunny skies alongside Ryder Cup legends Tyrrell Hatton and Shane Lowry.
The newcomer mentioned that he could hear both golfers lamenting about shots landing in spots where they knew they shouldn’t go at Augusta National. Canter completely understands how crucial accurate iron play will be this week.
This will be my first attempt at playing for that prize or executing that shot," he stated. "To the greatest extent possible, I have to welcome this challenge.
I have observed how the ball has performed throughout the year, so my plan is to build upon that and maximize my chances of potentially putting together some good scores.
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