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Clay Ogden walked to the crest of Augusta National Golf Club's No. 11 fairway, where Amen Corner unfolded in front of him.

"My body almost felt numb," Ogden said, 11 years later.

Daniel Summerhays' view of No. 11 is more practical. He's concerned about the drive on the demanding par-4 hole.

Ogden's distinction as the only Utah native to make a Masters appearance in this century will be matched this week by Summerhays, his former Davis High School and BYU teammate. Ogden's experience was different, considering he was a junior in college in 2006, having qualified by winning the U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship. "It wasn't my livelihood," he said.

Summerhays is in his seventh season as a PGA Tour member and has played in each of the other three major tournaments, with multiple appearances in the U.S. Open and the PGA Championship. At Davis, Summerhays wrote English essays about dueling in the final round of the U.S. Open with his brother Boyd. Yet the Masters and Augusta National always have been mythical to Summerhays, and he'll try to balance the thrill of the tournament aura with the reality of hitting the required shots.

"Trying to take it all in, and compete … that's tough if you want to do it well," said Ogden, who shot 83-76 to rank third among the five amateurs in the '06 field.

Summerhays toured the course for the first time March 11 with his father, Lynn. Other than that special occasion, he followed the advice of Zach Johnson, the 2007 champion. Johnson recommends playing closer to Thursday's start of the Masters, to experience something resembling tournament conditions. That's why Summerhays skipped the Shell Houston Open, intending to play Saturday through Tuesday at Augusta National, followed by Wednesday's Par 3 Contest.

"Visually, the golf course sets up really well for me, except for the visual on 11," Summerhays said. "That'll definitely be a key thing for me. … There are a lot of shots off the tee boxes that [fit] my eye pretty well. I'm pretty comfortable just hitting a nice draw."

Augusta National is generally known as a second-shot golf course. Driving is less important than the approach shot on most par-4s. That's an issue for Summerhays, who describes his recent iron play as "pathetic." He ranks 189th on the PGA Tour this season in hitting greens in regulation at 62.3 percent.

During his two weeks off, Summerhays has worked on "trying to be a little less perfect, trying to focus on a few simple things," he said.

The famous par-3 No. 12 over Rae's Creek also will test his short-iron play. "Good things and bad things can happen there," said Summerhays. Jack Nicklaus built a similar hole at Muirfield Village in Ohio, where Summerhays has played well in the Memorial Tournament.

Left-handed golfers, including 2003 champion Mike Weir of Sandy, have an advantage on that hole. That's because the standard misses — long and right or short and left — are acceptable on No. 12. A right-handed player's misses — long and left or short and right — cause trouble.

Lynn Summerhays succeeded on No. 12, hitting a nice 6-iron shot on his way to a solid 81 while touring the course with his son.

The visit on a sunny Saturday was "one of those things you can only imagine in your sleep, but it was better than that," he said. "Just gorgeous, and the whole mystique … it exceeded our expectations, and our expectations were really high."

kkragthorpe@sltrib.com Twitter: @tribkurt —

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