AUGUSTA, Ga. -- The Mercedes SUV, courtesy car No. 41, slows then stops in front of the clubhouse. It does not pull into the champions parking lot. Martin Kaymer, the No. 1 golfer in the world, climbs out. There's a lot of work between him and his own space in that lot. He grabs his hat and his spikes out of the back and carries them into the clubhouse.
The locker room is quiet and smells like breakfast. There are rows of deep wood lockers, with long, white cushions on the benches in front of them. Augusta National shoehorns are at every spot. A few feet away, the No. 2 golfer in the world, Lee Westwood, prepares, as well. They talk about friends, and about the Par 3 Contest. They talk about the travel to Georgia.
"I heard it was a little scary trip for you," Martin says.
"A little bit," Lee says.
Upstairs, in the champions locker room, with a guard at the door, the men who've won this tournament before get ready, as well. Martin and Lee want a green jacket on a hook up there, and a parking spot outside, and one careless shot over the next four days could undo 270 perfect ones. That's the task before them.
Martin and Lee tie their shoes and step out into the sun. Both carry big dreams. They've played this game their entire lives, sacrificing so much in a search for greatness. They are world-class, ranked first and second in the entire world, and this week, at least one of them will fail.
