Lynn's Masters time was 17 years in the making

AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) a' David Lynn noticed the leaderboard as he was making the submit front of Augusta National club. Yes, it absolutely was something to behold. "It is obviously not really a bad thing to see your name up there leading the Masters," Lynn said after Thursday's opening round. "But there's a lot to be achieved for the others of the week, and hopefully I will hold my name up there." The guide slipped away on Day 1, but a 68 left the Englishman just two strokes behind the front-runners, Sergio Garcia and Marc Leishman. Perhaps not detrimental to some body playing their first Masters. But not that big of a, considering Lynn was the runner-up to Rory McIlroy in last year's PGA Championship. He truly had to be patient. That time was 17 years in the making. "It is taken me a golfing lifetime to obtain here," Lynn said. The 39-year-old Lynn first played on the European Tour in 1996, his solitary success coming seven years later. But his career took a brand new path after his performance last August at Kiawah Island a McIlroy won by eight strokes but Lynn was next after back-to-back 68s on the weekend. He cashed an $865,000 check always, moved across the Atlantic to play on the PGA Tour, and began prepping for the Masters. "It is given me a second wind," Lynn said. "Everything is new. I'm planning to different places each week, different courses. It's like I have started my career again almost." Going into Augusta, he got some suggestions from previous pal David Gilford, who shot 67 the very first time he enjoyed the Masters in 1995. The advice: "Do not be too intimidated by the vegetables. There are birdies out there. Take to and be hostile when you're able to be." Lynn will need to have listened. He got off to a solid start, slamming a to 8 feet at the initial hole and coming in the birdie putt. A 6-footer on the par-5 eighth sent him to 2 under, then the ideal wedge that plopped down 6 feet below the hole left him with another simple birdie at No. 9, sending him to the trunk side with a 33. Lynn finally came at the 10th, the place where a difficult 3-footer slid by the hole for his first bogey. But Lynn birdied another two holes, going in a putt at the hard 11th. After giving back a swing with still another brief miss at the 17th, Lynn combined in a 15-footer to truly save par at the last opening. "Obviously, it had been great to create par there, end on a high," Lynn said. Lynn was still discussing his round in the media center when still another name surged to the top of the board. Leishman cheated four straight birdies on the back part to catch the lead. That did little to lower Lynn's feeling. "I know when I'm on my game, I could compete at that sort of level. What occurred at Kiawah Island was basically confirming it to myself," he explained. "Although McIlroy went away with it that week, it was still, for me personally, a host that I had not been in before." May seem like he is getting used to it now. "If you talk to just about every golfer who is out here on different trips, they will all think that they have performances included as effective as the most truly effective guys," Lynn said. "I have always thought that I could perform well. I simply do not do it regularly enough. And why, I do not know. I assume right position, right time at the PGA and everything going right for me." If he's in rivalry going into the week-end, he will feel convenient with the position. "You come out the other side with a little more confidence," Lynn said. "I am perhaps not going to stay here and say I am going to be there Sunday night, but deep down, I know that I have got shows in me that might set me there Sunday night." Com Follow Paul Newberry on Twitter at www.twitter.com/pnewberry1963

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