Rick Fehr attended and competed for Brigham Young University and played in the Masters as an amateur in 1983 and 1984. In 1984, Fehr made the cut by three shots, posting 72 and 71. He followed those rounds with 70 on Saturday, and closed with 75 on Sunday. He finished in a tie for 25th place with five other golfers. He was one of three amateurs to make the cut that year. The most astonishing data point from Rick Fehr’s 1984 Masters was this: he went 72 holes without a three-putt green.

Fehr has been a professional golf teacher for the past 20 years. After winning twice on the PGA Tour, he transitioned to golf instruction. In addition to his low amateur prize at the Masters in 1984, he was low amateur that year at the U.S. Open at Winged Foot.

Mr. Fehr was generous with his time and gave us some insight on precisely how someone navigates each Augusta National green four times, in the heat of competition, and comes away with zero three-putts.

1984 low amateur prize and no-three-putts putter. Photo courtesy of Rick Fehr.

GolfWRX: Which accomplishments earned you an invitation to the 1983 and 1984 Masters tournaments?

Fehr: My invitation to the 1983 tournament was for being a semi-finalist in the 1982 U.S. Amateur and my invitation to play in 1984 was for being a member of the 1983 Walker Cup team.
(of course, those exemption categories no longer exist. I was fortunate)

GolfWRX: Talk us through your acclimatization process with Augusta National. There’s no other golf course like it, or is there? Did you use a club caddie each year? Was it the same caddie both years?

Fehr: I did use a club caddie both years. College players and amateurs don’t normally have a caddie in other tournaments, so it was an adjustment. Despite his familiarity with the greens, I chose to read them on my own.

GolfWRX: Tell us about the specs of the putter that you used in 1984. Had you used it for a period of time, or was it a relatively new club in your bag?

Fehr: 35-inch Ping Anser 2. I had used it for a few years prior to the ’84 Masters.

GolfWRX: Were you a reverse-overlap grip guy, a left-hand low, or something else? How did you settle on that connection with the club?

Fehr: I used the reverse-overlap, and still do. Honestly, nearly everyone used that connection with the club unless they were fighting the yips.

Photo courtesy of Rick Fehr.

GolfWRX: I know that Tiger Woods recently said that he could not replicate his famous chip-in at 16, as the green has been adjusted. We assume that to be the case with many of the putting surfaces. Which greens at Augusta National were the toughest to read and putt during your years?

Fehr: The fifth green seemed to present the most challenging long putts in addition to presenting the most challenging approach shots.

GolfWRX: I was a freshman in college during the 1984 Masters. I followed all the top amateurs, and I remember your game having zero weaknesses. Do you think that the zero-three-putts achievement was a result of extraordinary approach play, or was it also the best putting week of your life?

Fehr: Excellent question. My iron play was on point that week, which is often underrated in importance at Augusta. That was certainly key in avoiding three-putts, for sure. That said, I made a bunch of 6-10 footers for two-putts.

GolfWRX: Did you have a pre-putt routine that you utilized during that period? Did you read putts from all sides, or did one angle tend to dominate for you? What were your mental/physical keys for your putting?

Fehr: Most often, I would take a look midway between the hole and my ball to get a good look at the slope (uphill/downhill), and then a look from behind the ball to find my line. I maintained my “vision” of where the ball was to travel to the hole and executed prior to losing the picture in my mind.

GolfWRX: Were you aware that you had such a run going, or did you only realize after the fact? Did you figure it out yourself, or did someone else bring it to light?

Fehr: Like so often was the case back then, my father (Jerry) brought it to my attention.

GolfWRX: What question haven’t I asked, about 72 holes of exquisite putting, that I should have asked? Please ask it and answer it.

Fehr: Was putting always a strength of your game? Yes. I went on to lead the PGA Tour putting statistic later in my career and felt as if I was always one of the best of my era. It all started with putting competitions with my junior golfing friends at my home course in Seattle.

Photo courtesy of the Pacific Northwest Golf Association