TONY FINAU has been working hard on a new hole-in-one celebration to avoid any more gruesome injuries.
The American dislocated his ankle and tore ligaments as he danced in front of his family having bagged an ace in last years Par 3 Contest at The Masters.
As Finau looked down and saw the joint bent at an unnatural angle, he quickly decided to pop his ankle back in place.
It was a minor miracle he was even able to take part in the main event the very next day but it was even more incredible that he managed to fire two rounds in the 60s and bag a top-ten finish.
Finau, 29, was one of the few USA success stories on his Ryder Cup debut in Paris last autumn.
And he believes he is now ready to mount a real challenge for his first Major victory at Augusta this week provided he plays on two good legs.
He said: Im going to play the par three again this year and my kids will be with me again but I can promise you there will be no repeat of what happened last year.
If I get another hole in one, the reaction will be a million miles away from what I did a year ago.
"I WAS IN SHOCK"
It will be the most boring celebration anyone has ever come up with for an ace in the history of the game!
I was probably in shock a bit when it happened last year, because I just remember looking down and thinking, Thats weird, my legs sticking out at a funny angle. I just straightened it out without thinking about it.
That probably saved me from a worse injury, because if you dont click a dislocation back into place right off it can apparently lead to a lot of complications.
In that respect, it probably helped that my kids were there, because I also remember thinking I dont want them to see me like this. And that was probably why I popped it back in.
I had an MRI scan later that day. The doctors said Id torn a couple of ligaments but that I could still play as long as I was prepared to put up with a bit of pain.
The next morning was agony. I couldnt put any weight on my foot and I was worried the injury could even end my season.
If it had been any tournament other than The Masters I would have withdrawn.
But I had six hours before I teed off and the physios worked on it and gradually it felt a little better.
Finau added: I always feel like Ive been tough and my tolerance for pain is pretty high.
Ive played through some pain before but I definitely learned from that experience that Im a fighter.
And with my upbringing, the humble beginnings I grew up in, I feel like I always have that chip on my shoulder to compete and play hard.
Maybe the injury took a bit of pressure off me, too. I made a great start and my 68 was about the worst score I could have shot.
It was a pretty spectacular rebound. You cant make stuff like that up.
STRONG FIN-ISH
It will be interesting to see what I can do this time with a solid base to hit off.
"I had to play with the ankle strapped for the next few months and even now it causes me a bit of discomfort from time to time.
But its something I can manage, as long as I dont try to overdo it in practice when I feel its hurting again.
Finau says finishing seventh on the 2018 PGA Tour money list he has banked more than 6million in the last 15 months means he has been able to plan his schedule better ahead of The Masters.
He said: I played a lot of tournaments leading into last years Masters you tend to chase the money a bit more when youve got four kids under the age of eight.
But now that Im more established Ive been able to cut back on how much I play and I feel a lot better prepared.
Ive also got the confidence of knowing I can play Augusta really well even on one good leg!
I shot four under par in the first round just a day after I hurt my ankle and then went a couple better with a 66 to close the event.
The stuff in between wasnt great but it was still a top ten. And I know I can clean up the things that went wrong in the middle rounds and make a real run at the title.