Newmarket man heading to Augusta
By
JOHN DOYLE
Staff Sports Writer
jdoyle@fosters.com
DOVER — The Internet, with its worldwide reach and its easy accessibility, has transformed the world of journalism. Nowhere is this fact more apparent than in the sports world. The ability to have one's views on the world of sports read by a large audience once was a privilege reserved for those with their own newspaper columns. Now, anyone with a computer, a modem and a thought to share can do so with just a few clicks of the mouse. An area man is doing just that, and his passion for golf and writing is taking him to the Masters golf tournament this weekend in Augusta, Ga. Newmarket's J.M Sahr and his cousin, Daniel Seamans of Newark, Del., have launched livefromaugusta.com, a website dedicated to delivering an alternative source of information from the popular and heavily-covered golf tournament. "I've always been a decent writer, in my own mind," Sahr said with a laugh. "I have experience writing blogs, and I was able to put this site together rather quick. It was easy." Sahr and Seamans do not have a press credential for the tournament itself, but they are armed with hard-to-get tickets. Sahr said he and his cousin hope to bring golf fans news from Georgia that they might not get anywhere else, including what the local folks think about all the hoopla surrounding the tournament. |
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| Newmarket's J.M. Sahr, right, and his cousin,
Daniel Seamans of Newark, Del., left, will attend the Masters golf
tournament in Augusta, Ga., this weekend. They will chronicle their
adventures and bring golf fans up-to-date information on their website,
livefromaugusta.com. (Courtesy photo) |
"The game plan is pretty loose right now," Sahr said. "Our schtick is to get an idea of some of the people in the (Augusta) community that don't get to voice their opinion about being invaded by (golf fans) who come into the city. We're trying to get opinions from some bar and inn owners.
Sahr said a lot of Augusta residents vacate the town during the hectic Masters season.
"Some people are tired of it," he said. "They've all either gone to the tournament once, or several times, and they take off for the weekend. They rent their houses out. We just wanted to get their take on the weekend. To be honest, a lot of these people are just thinking dollar signs. (The Masters) is blown out of proportion to some degree," Sahr said.
Sahr said his website should appeal to those who love golf, but also to those with a sense of humor. He and Seaman aim to write stories with a humorous twist during the Masters weekend.
"It's for people in the upper 50 to 35 percentile of average golfers," Sahr said. "It's also for people looking for a good laugh. There's a serious side to this. But when you think about it, it's a website done by two guys who are going to the Masters. We interviewed (pro golfer) Ted Purdy, and he threw in a story about (fellow pro golfer) Chris DiMarco drinking a six-pack before each round at Augusta."
Sahr said his blog aims to uncover stories the mainstream media won't be interested in.
"We want to know the craziest thing the golfers have seen in town during the tournament week," he said. "It's stuff I don't think ESPN or CBS Sportsline are interested in. I don't know if they're not interested such stories, but I don't think they feel it's appropriate."
Sahr said he hopes to get as much access as possible to the golfers themselves.
"We have a couple people down there who have been helping us get in touch with people on the 'inside,'" Sahr said. "They know some places where the golfers are going to be. We're basically just doing the 'hangout thing.'"
Sahr said the website is supported by sponsors, and the financial contributions of the creators themselves.
"From an income standpoint, we're just looking to cover the trip," he said. "We had a financial (goal) in mind, but we missed it unfortunately. But we're still going, and we're going to have a good time anyway."
Masters tickets are hard to get, as evidenced in this blurb on livefromaugusta.com — "Unless your grandfather fought for the Confederacy or caddied for Bobby Jones, you just cannot get tickets to the Masters." Nevertheless, Sahr and Seaman have the tickets in hand, and hope to make a trip to the tournament a once-a-year event.
"Ideally, it would be an annual trip," Sahr said. "As far as we know, at this point, we do have access to the tickets ongoing. Next year we're going to apply for a press pass. We missed the cutoff by about a month unfortunately."