Randal Lewis, Age 54, Prepares for His First Masters AUGUSTA, Ga. - The greatest Christmas gift Randal Lewis ever received was the one he knew was coming. Last Christmas Eve, as Lewis and his wife, Melanie, opened the mail, they sucked in their breath when they saw the thick envelope with a Georgia return address. The invitation to play in the Masters is "like a wedding invitation," Melanie Lewis said, with flowery green calligraphy crisscrossing a thick ivory paper stock. The couple admired it for a few moments, but "barely touched it," she said, "because it went right into a frame." Ernie Els, a three-time major champion, is not at Augusta National this week because he did not qualify. Neither is Retief Goosen, a two-time United States Open champion, or Davis Love III, a P.G.A. Championship winner. But Randal Lewis, a 54-year-old financial adviser from Alma, Mich., is because of his victory in the United States Mid-Amateur Championship last September. He will become what is believed to be the oldest first-time Masters participant when he tees off Thursday. The Masters embraces amateurs because of its connection to Bobby Jones, perhaps the most famous amateur golfer in history. Currently, the winners of the British Amateur, Asian Amateur, United States Mid-Amateur and United States Public Links tournaments receive invitations, as well as the champion and runner-up in the United States Amateur. Lewis nearly won the Mid-Amateur, which is restricted to players 25 and older, in 1996 but lost in the final round. Over the past 15 years, as he and Melanie watched the Masters together each year, there was always a tinge of sadness. Lewis shrugged. "There were definitely times when I wondered if I would ever get that close again," Randal Lewis said. Sometimes you think: Maybe it won't ever happen. Maybe that was my chance. But he got another. Over the past few months, as he has made several trips here to play practice rounds, he has soaked in the experiences. He played a round with Phil Mickelson. He met Jack Nicklaus during a visit last month, chatting briefly as Nicklaus made the turn on his own round. The Lewises named their younger son Nicklaus (he goes by Nick) after the legendary golfer, but they did not tell the Golden Bear about the homage. "It just seemed like maybe too much," said Melanie, who was walking along with Lewis that day. On Monday, Lewis played with Tom Watson, a player Lewis has long followed. Lewis took inspiration from Watson when he - at 59 - nearly won the British Open in 2009. How did the pairing come to be? Lewis wrote Watson a letter - not an e-mail, not a text - asking if he would be willing to play with him, and Watson replied in kind. While it might have been less efficient than using more advanced technology, the letters were wonderfully quaint. "His letter back went right into a frame, too," Melanie Lewis said. Andy North and Martin Kaymer ended up joining the group, and Lewis reveled in the experience. As the gallery around them grew, fans frequently could be heard saying things like, "Who's the short guy in the pink shirt?" and a few even confused Lewis for Ian Woosnam, the diminutive Welshman who won the Masters in 1991. Whenever Melanie or Nick or older brother Christopher heard those questions, they made sure to identify Lewis. "How often do you get to say, "That's my dad!" at Augusta?" Nick, 19, said. The Lewises were joined by more than 20 family and friends who made the trip, many of whom were wearing green wristbands that had "We're pulling for you Randy" written on them in yellow. In terms of the actual tournament, Lewis's goals are modest. No Mid-Amateur champion has ever made the cut at the Masters, and Lewis acknowledged that at 7,435 yards, "this is a pretty big golf course for me." Mickelson's drives were as much as 50 yards in front of Lewis's when they played, and on the 18th hole Monday, Lewis hit a hybrid into the green while Kaymer was hitting an 8-iron. Still, Lewis made three birdies in a row on the back nine and drew rousing cheers when, as per tradition, he skipped his ball across the pond and on to the 16th green. While Kaymer managed to hole out his skipped shot, Lewis was happy just to make it over. "I actually practiced that," he said, smiling. I didn't want to dunk it. Those moments are what this week is about for Lewis. He is as close to a regular guy as there is here this week, someone who gets up at 8 a.m., works till 5 or 5:30, and tries to play golf after work or on weekends. He wears a brace on his right arm to help ward off tendinitis, and Melanie, who played at Central Michigan and still shoots in the high 70s, even beat him in a nine-hole round not that long ago. "He didn't have much to say about that," Melanie said, laughing. Both of them know it will take almost everything going right for Lewis to make the cut this week. but for an unlikely participant nearing the end of a priceless process that began in earnest last Christmas, there is no harm in hoping. "Look, I live through Michigan winters - nobody has a greater appreciation for just being able to play golf than I do," Lewis said. At this point in my life, it's just pretty amazing that I'm here at all.