Duke: masters was 'probably best I've played'.

Ken Duke, the 40-year-old Hope native and former Henderson State golfer and Arkadelphia resident, played in his first Masters tournament earlier last month. While home for a couple of days at the end of the month to host his Ken Duke Charity Classic at Maumelle Country Club, he took a moment to reflect on Augusta National Golf Club where he shot even par and finished 35th, his play of late (he finished ranked 22nd last season but currently ranks 118th on the PGA Tour, his third full-time year) and what's ahead.

AS360.com: After being there for the whole week, what were your impressions of Augusta National and the Masters?

Ken Duke: Just a first-class organization there, the way they do things. I think that all fans respect that place more than any other tournament. There are chairs sitting out there, they talk about you running out there at daylight and putting your chair there, and no one sits in it until you come and sit in it yourself. That just shows respect, and how the fans respect it.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Not a weed on the golf course. It's in perfect condition.

I was telling Fuzzy Zoeller--I played with him the first two days--you think about Augusta as just perfect conditions, no wind, just beautiful, and that's exactly what it was.

Brent Winston, your friend who followed you during the Masters, said you hit it as well as anyone but couldn't get any putts to fall. Did putting let you down?

"Not really let me down, I hit some really good putts, it just didn't go in. It can happen there. You can hit some bad putts that [do] go in. But from tee to green, I played probably as good as I've ever played. To put the ball on the right side of fairway or the left side of the fairway to attack a right or left pin, it seemed like I did that every shot. That's what you have to do there. And you really have to be patient because you can get really frustrated. But my first time there, it was really, really good."

Having dreamed for years of playing the tournament and Augusta National, was there anything that surprised you from how you had imagined it?

Not really. I'd never been there. I didn't know what to expect. The first time I went, I thought, 'This place is kinda easy' because it gives you plenty of room to drive it. But then as the week went on, you see you've got to hit it here or there on the greens. It's not about hitting the fairway, you've got to hit it up there on the greens. And that was the whole issue. You can hit it five feet and not have a chance of two-putting, maybe. That's just the way it is on that golf course.

Did your preferred left-to-right ball flight require you to adjust to Augusta's mostly right-to-left doglegs?

Not really. There were some holes obviously that are right to left and they were tough for me, but I tried to hit them straight or draw it or just hit my cut and take what I get. But I think I had really good preparation, went up two times before and played. Played with some guys that have won the tournament that week as well. They just kind of told me to watch out for this and watch out for that, and that's what I did.

How did you enjoy the Wednesday Par-3 tournament?

The par-3 was great. My morn and dad were there, and my wife and two girls. My dad and my two girls caddied for me and so that was a special time for my dad and I.

The support from Arkansas, you know in advance a lot of people were coming, but it sounds like even more were in your gallery. It was good. I was the only one who was in the tournament [from Arkansas].

Everyone from Arkansas knew who I was, which was really special to me. It's just like home, always saying "Go Arkansas" and "Go Hogs" and all that. So it was just like playing at home for me.

You've played several weeks in a row with just one tournament off. Are you starting to feel your game coming around?

I'm getting better. It's getting close. You can't really press your game. Take it as it comes and go from there.

But has the continuous play since February, with just the one week off, worn you down?

No. I played two good tournaments in a row [the Masters and a tie for 26th at the Verizon Heritage] and I missed the cut last week [at the Zurich Classic in New Orleans], which I was tired. I had a lot of things going on with the two weeks before. I'll get some rest, do this [charity tournament at Maumelle] and we'll go the next two weeks.

Duke, who was scheduled to play the Quail Hollow Championship in Charlotte, N.C., April 30-May 3 and The Players May 7-10, will be back in this area for the HP Byron Nelson Championship May 21-24 in Irving, Texas.

Follow Duke's rounds, with exclusive photos, on ArkansasSports360.com.