Masters souvenir leaves boy stunned
A 6-year-old Harlem boy has a souvenir of his first trip to the Masters Tournament - one that would be the envy of any golf enthusiast.
Nolan Lambert and his father, John, went to the practice rounds Monday and were watching Fuzzy Zoeller practice when his caddy walked up to them with a driver in his hand.
"He just handed it to Nolan and said, 'Mr. Zoeller wants your boy to have this driver that's been signed by him,"' Mr. Lambert said. "Nolan said, 'Thank you.' Everybody said, 'Man, that's pretty cool.' It just blew me away. Nolan was smiling from ear to ear."
The driver is a TaylorMade 540xd with Zoeller's signature on the head and a bright blue shaft.
Nolan, who has been hitting golf balls since he was 3 and has been playing at the Three Oaks golf course since he got his own set of clubs for his birthday last year, realizes the significance of the gift.
"It was nice and neat," said Nolan, a North Harlem Elementary School first-grader. "Fuzzy Zoeller is the best hitter on the driving range."
His mother, Cacey, said it was a sign.
"His grandfather has always said, 'I knew this boy would be a famous golfer one day.' I really think that will inspire him to want to do more," she said.
The Lamberts have made a tradition of watching the Masters on television together, so getting to see the course in person was a real treat for Nolan, who kept a sharp eye out for his favorite golfer Tiger Woods.
"We walked the whole course, and we watched everybody.," Mr. Lambert said. "He wanted to see Tiger Woods, so every golfer we'd see, he'd say, 'Is that Tiger? Is that Tiger? I think that's Tiger's ball there.' And I'd say, 'No, that's Vijay Singh' or 'Fred Couples.' He'd get out the map and look for their names."
But Zoeller's gift certainly has elevated him in the eyes of the family.
"You wish you could tell him thank you," Mr. Lambert said. "I don't know if he knows how much it affected Nolan. He was really excited."