Once the 73rd Masters Tournament was over, and Angel Cabrera had slipped on the green jacket, I thought back on two incidents that foreshadowed the outcome.

On the eve of the tournament, Kenny Perry was sitting alone in the players' dining area of Augusta National Golf Club's locker room, waiting for his late Par-3 Contest starting time.

That part of the locker room is off limits to the media, but Perry agreed to let me join him and ask a few general questions about how he thought the tournament would unfold.

Little did I know that the 48-year-old Perry, whose previous best Masters finish was a tie for 12th, would be one of the key stories of the tournament as he sought to become the oldest major championship winner.

In the course of the interview, Perry mentioned the potential for "mudballs" at Augusta National, which was still wet from rain the week before.

How ironic that five days later, Perry had the misfortune to get a mudball on his drive on No. 10, the second hole of sudden death with Cabrera.

Perry never used it as an excuse, but admitted the mud affected the flight of his second shot, which went left of the green into no man's land. He hit his third shot well past the pin and missed the par putt. He never putted again as Cabrera closed out the victory with a two-putt par.

The other spooky incident before the tournament had to do with the cover of Augustan Tripp Bowden's new book, Freddie & Me, which tells the story of Bowden's four years of caddying at Augusta National under caddie master Freddie Bennett.

The book's cover is a shot of the 10th hole, taken from the top of the hill, with the small form of a Masters participant and his caddie at the bottom of the cover, walking to their drive.

I had recognized the golfer as Cabrera, but only because of his burly build. I'm not sure how many people would have picked him out.

In a story I'd written on the book for Masters Week, I had asked Bowden why Cabrera was on the cover. He explained that his publisher wanted a shot of Augusta National, and that it was appropriate for Cabrera to be in the picture because he learned to play golf as a caddie in Argentina.

Wonder what the odds are that of the cover of the book, which was released eight days before the tournament started, would depict not only the eventual 2009 Masters champion, but show him playing the hole he would win the tournament on in sudden death?

He's Already in: North Augusta's Scott Brown won't have to qualify for the Nationwide Tour's BMW Charity Pro-Am in May in South Carolina. The former USC Aiken All-American earned an exemption into the field for winning the recent eGolf Professional Tour's Bushnell Championship in Carthage, N.C.

The exemption was one of two granted to the eGolf Tour (formerly the Tarheel Tour) by South Carolina Charities, Inc., the main beneficiary of the BMW Charity.

Brown was the recipient of the exemption that went to the low participating tour member at the Bushnell event. The second goes to the leading money winner through the tour's first four 54-hole events, which would be Tom Gillis.

"The tour, getting those spots for us, it's just awesome," said Brown. "I wanted to get it one way or the other, via the money list or winning this one. I'm just glad I got it. I'm looking forward to it."

Brown shot 68-70-70 to win the Bushnell Championship. He birdied the final two holes for a one-shot victory over Ryan Carter. Brown won $30,000.

Reynolds honored: Augusta's Dr. John Reynolds was inducted into the Professional Caddie Association's Hall of Fame at a ceremony at the PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando, Fla.

Reynolds went in the hall's Gene Sarazen "Spirit Award" wing, which is for notable people who started as caddies.

As a youngster, Reynolds caddied at Augusta Municipal Golf Course and Augusta Country Club.

Reynolds earned the U.S. Army's Bronze Star during service in Vietnam; was an Augusta neurosurgeon for 20 years while serving on the U.S. Golf Association's executive committee and president of the Georgia State Golf Association.

In 1997, Reynolds left medicine for his current position as vice president of Global Business Development for Club Car.

"Caddying was hard work, but it taught me about life's challenges and the sense of accomplishment that comes through hard work," Reynolds said in a statement. "Caddying also opened my mind to the pleasures of the game of golf, a sport that has influenced my entire life."

For the past 20 years, Reynolds has awarded the Reynolds Medal to a deserving caddie or caddie master in Georgia. It is presented in memory of Reynolds' parents, John and Francis Reynolds.

Regions Cup kickoff: Openings remain for the season opening Regions Cup tournament at Mount Vintage Plantation in Edgefield County. The Sunbelt Nissan Golf Capital Invitational is scheduled for May 2-3.

The best way to enter is to go to sunbeltnissan.org and print out an application and either mail it or drop it off at Sunbelt Nissan on Washington Road.

Entry fee is $160, and the regular and senior division winners will get a $350 merchandise certificate. If the winner is also a member of the winning team portion of the tournament, he would get another $150.

"The economy being a little tough, Sunbelt and Mount Vintage got together and made some concessions so we can keep everything the same as last year," said tournament director Richard Felder. "In fact, we're giving out a little bit more prize money."