When a player finds themselves at the top of the leaderboard at the halfway stage of their Masters debut, they are probably hoping for calm conditions over the weekend to give them the best chance of getting across the line and having the opportunity to wear a green jacket on the most iconic golf course in North America.
There is a reason why Fuzzy Zoeller remains the last player to win The Masters on their debut at Augusta National, with his victory coming back in 1979.
Experience is so important around Augusta National, with The Masters the only major to return to the same golf course every single year.
But after two rounds in 2007, it appeared that there was a good chance of the tournament seeing another player winning on their Masters bow.
The golfer who posted the worst ever score by a weekend leader at The Masters
The 2007 Masters proved to be the most recent occasion in which the winner did not break par for the week, with Zach Johnson ending up on one over. Seven over par would have been good enough for a top 10 finish.
Unfortunately, one of the players who led at the halfway stage finished the tournament at 14 over par, with much of the damage done on Saturday.
Brett Wetterich had a rapid rise on the PGA Tour. He became the first player to ever make the Ryder Cup team after only keeping his card through Q-School the previous year. However, he would lose both of his matches at The K Club in 2006.
He did win the EDS Byron Nelson Championship that year, which meant that he got to make his debut at The Masters in 2007.
Wetterich started superbly, with the American – who finished second in his previous event, the WGC-CA Championship – and Justin Rose sharing the lead after being the only players to break 70 in the first round in Georgia.
A 73 on Friday was still enough for Wetterich to remain tied at the top. It was Tim Clark who joined him. The South African had finished second to Phil Mickelson the previous year.
But both men saw their chances of glory end after the third round. Clark posted an 80 while Wetterich broke the record for the worst score on the weekend by a Masters leader with an 83.
The nightmare began with a bogey on the second hole, before a seven on the par four third. He also made a double bogey on the 10th hole.
In fairness to Wetterich, no player managed to break 70 in the tough, windy conditions on the day. Stuart Appleby led the tournament on two over par heading into the final round.
Wetterich finished in a tie for 37th.
The rapid rise and sharp fall of Brett Wetterich
Wetterich missed the cut on his second and final appearance at The Masters the following year.
In fact, that would prove to be his most recent appearance in any major, as Wetterich began to struggle with injuries.
He most recently made the cut on the PGA Tour in 2012, while the 52-year-old has failed to make the weekend in any of his handful of PGA Tour Champions starts over the last couple of years.
It is hard to imagine what Brett Wetterich must have felt when he found himself top of the leaderboard at The Masters 16 months after having to go through Q-School just to remain on the PGA Tour.
Sadly, that infamous third round at Augusta marked the start of a decline that he never really bounced back from.
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