Hlas column: Tennis' Andy Roddick served golf's Zach Johnson Wednesday at Augusta

AUGUSTA, Ga. - Two things tennis great Andy Roddick might have realized while caddying for Zach Johnson Wednesday:

1. One upside of tennis over golf is you don't have to hit land tennis shots over a body of water.

2. There is at least one sports event televised live by ESPN that isn't good to win.

Let's backtrack. Why is a former U.S. Open tennis champion carrying a golf bag for anybody, as Roddick did for Johnson at the Masters' annual Par 3 Contest?

“I was coming here with some buddies,” Roddick said, “and said ‘Wouldn't it be cool if I could caddie for someone?'

“I not only got to walk with someone. I got to walk with a former champion. So it was pretty awesome.”

Johnson is represented by SFX World Sports Management. That agency used to have Roddick as a client. Roddick approached SFX recently about caddying for anyone at the Par 3. Over the years, Johnson had tabbed his wife, father, brother and father-in-law to caddie in the for-fun event on Augusta National's 1,060-yard, 9-hole course adjoining its renowned 18-hole layout.

Johnson, a big fan of other sports, accepted Roddick's request immediately though the two had never met. Johnson has had his wife, father, brother, and in-laws caddie for him in the past. He had planned on using swing coach Mike Bender this time, but Bender graciously stepped aside for another year.

Roddick started golfing in his spare time a couple of years ago, and the 29-year-old is hooked.

“I love it,” he said. “I play whenever he can.”

He tried to be as inconspicuous as he could while wearing a white Masters caddy's jumpsuit. He left the autograph-signings between each hole for the threesome of Johnson, Jonathan Byrd and Stewart Cink.

It wasn't clear how many people surrounding the 135-yard ninth hole knew it was Roddick who was given the chance to launch a golf ball toward them from the other side of Ike's Pond, but it obviously wasn't a majority.

Roddick's shot veered left of the green and into the water. On a shot that meant nothing competitiviely, a winner of 30 ATP World Tour tennis tournaments had jitters.

“Terrible,” he said. “My hand was shaking.”

Johnson, on the other hand, was radar for the first few holes. His tee shot on the 130-yard first hole stopped two feet from the cup for an easy birdie. After he made a 10-foot putt for birdie on No. 2, he left his first shot on the 90-yard No. 3 three feet from the jar for another easy bird. That stood up as the shot that was nearest to that hole all day.

But birdie-birdie-birdie is a hard pace to maintain, and Johnson had no more ‘2's on his scorecard. He jokingly blamed Roddick.

“He gave me some great yardages early on,” Johnson said, “then he got a little tired, I think.”

Or maybe Johnson tapped the brakes because he knew no Par 3 champion has gone on to win the Masters four days later since the Par 3 contest was introduced here in 1960. Many players over the years have done whatever it takes, including having their children hit shots for them, to avoid winning the event.

Luke Donald must not be superstitious. His 5-under-par score left him atop the leader board. Not that it matters. Donald was already jinxed when I made him my pick to win on the SportsDesk webcast John Campbell and I taped for KCRG.com. Click here to watch.

The real tournament starts this morning, with professional caddies and far fewer lighthearted moments. Johnson sounded like he was in a happy place mentally when interviewed Wednesday.

“I feel good about things,” he said. “I've worked hard, gotten to the point where am now, and I just feel content.

“I'm making cuts, which is not my goal. I'm just this close (he held two fingers a quarter-inch apart) to getting over the hump to start really scoring. I'm close.”

Roddick, meanwhile, is sticking to his day job. Wimbledon is tough, but shots there don't threaten the health of innocent fish.

NOTE TO A FEW HORMONAL-MALE TYPES WHO ASKED ME ABOUT THIS ON TWITTER: No, Roddick's wife (supermodel Brooklyn Decker) was not here, at least as far as I know. So stop asking. It's unbecoming of you.