From the Masters: At 21, Iowan Newman about to become Masters veteran

(Jack Newman at Augusta National's chipping green on Thursday - AP photo)

AUGUSTA, Ga. -- For a little while Wednesday, an Iowan was atop the Masters leaderboard.

That's no longer a novelty since Zach Johnson won the tournament two years ago. But this leader wasn't Johnson. It was a 21-year-old amateur from Des Moines.

The tournament wasn't the Masters, either, but Newman was 4-under-par through 5 holes and led the Masters' annual Par 3 Contest for almost a half-hour Wednesday.

Alas, the Michigan State junior flew his tee shot at No. 8 over Ike's Pond, and double-bogeyed. That cost him a chance a shot at having his name engraved on the Par 3 champions plaque on the short course adjoining the large track Newman will play today.

Newman did birdie the ninth and final hole, though. His 3-under tied Jose Maria Olazabal for second behind Tim Clark, who used a hole-in-one on No. 9 for his winning margin.

Today begins what Newman will remember most about this week, however.

How would you like this scenario: You're 21, you're in a grouping with former Masters champ Fred Couples and 2008 U.S. Open runner-up Rocco Mediate, and, oh yeah, you're playing in the Masters.

"It's such a surreal experience," Newman said Wednesday after hosting a live blog for Golfweek.com before he began play in the Par 3 Contest.

"Not many professionals play in the Masters. For me as an amateur to be out here, staying in the Crow's Nest (the area in the top floor of the Augusta National clubhouse where amateurs traditionally spend at least one night), it doesn't get much better than all this."

Newman is here because he won last July's U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship in Aurora, Colo. The winner traditionally gets an invitation to the Masters.

The Des Moines Hoover grad was seeded 20th entering that tourney. He left with nine months to think about playing in the nation's most-fabled golf event.

"It wasn't something I really thought about during that tournament," Newman said. "It never affected my play."

But once he won, oh, has he thought about it. Enough to have made four advance trips to Augusta, one with each of his brothers and one with his father, Bob Newman.

Bob caddied for Jack in the Par 3 Contest. But older brother Andy, who was a golf pro, will carry the bag today.

"I was down here with him in February on a Saturday and Sunday," Bob said. "It'll be kind of hard to walk outside the ropes now."

Newman returned here Friday to get back to learning all he could about the course. Among his playing partners since Sunday were Johnson, Mediate, Anthony Kim, Boo Weekley and Kenny Perry.

"That's been an awesome thing for me," Newman said.

"He's a good player," Johnson said. "He's got a lot of potential.

"I hope he just comes out and plays golf  (Thursday) and tries not to worry about the outcome. He's kind of laid-back, which is good."

When the pairings for the first two rounds came out Tuesday, "I was pumped," Newman said.

Couples is a Masters icon of sorts, and Mediate played his way into a lot of hearts last year at the Open when he took Tiger Woods to a playoff.

"I had already played with Rocco for nine holes, so I knew him," said Newman. "Being paired with Freddie Couples just made my day even better. There will be a few people out there to watch."

Many have already seen him wearing a Michigan State visor and shirt in practice rounds, and some have ribbed him about the whipping the Spartans took from North Carolina in Monday's NCAA men's basketball title game.

Even with that, though, you'd have to say the guy's not having too terrible a week.