LITTLE ROCK — Catching ball claim to fame

It only took a few seconds for Louis Oosthuizen to make one of the most memorable shots at Augusta, and only a split second more to give it away.

ESPN reported Sunday that Masters spectator Wayne Mitchell caught the Titleist ball that Oosthuizen tossed into the crowd after making an albatross 2 on the par-5 second hole. The souvenir wasn’t in his possession long, though.

“Actually, the biggest fear I had was that I was going to drop it,” said Mitchell, a 59-year old from New Tripoli, Pa. Instead, he gave the ball to the club after being approached by Augusta National officials later that afternoon.

Augusta officials declined to say what arrangements were made in return for the ball.

The double eagle was the first on the 575-yard hole and the fourth ever at the Masters. Oosthuizen, who eventually finished second after losing to Bubba Watson in a playoff, landed a 4-iron on the front of the green and rolled it into the hole from 253 yards out. The shot vaulted Oosthuizen from third place into the lead, from 7 under to 10 under.

After Oosthuizen reached into the hole to retrieve his ball, he flicked it into the area where Mitchell had been sitting most of the morning.

“I’ve sat there before,” Mitchell said. “It’s a great place to watch because you can see a lot of golf coming in there.”

“I’m not a souvenir chaser.

For me, it was just one of those moments. The ball came at me and I put my hand out. ... I came here anonymous today and I don’t feel as though I’m anonymous anymore,” he added.

Those guys

Satirical sports website sportspickle.com quipped last week about some of the various personalities among recreational golfers:

“The Rules Official: He has read the USGA rules book two dozen times and has a copy of it in his golf bag that he will display at a moment’s notice. ... Fun Fact: The Rules Official received a severe beating in 8th grade after reminding his math teacher that she had forgotten to assign homework.”

“The Mulligan Man: He is the complete opposite of The Rules Official. To him, it’s always winter rules ... wherever his ball lands, he just finds the nearest and best lie without any sort of obstruction between him and the hole. ... Fun Fact: Despite losing 14 balls during the round, Mulligan Man still managed to shoot 78. Amazing!”

“The PGA Pro Look-Alike: This guy looks like he stepped out of a Sunday afternoon CBS golf broadcast. His shoes are pristine. His golf glove is fresh and white. He’s got brand name golf pants and shirt. Taylor Made hat. Titleist golf balls that are $4 each. And then you get to his golf bag: there are more expensive, space age metals in there than the new NASA shuttles. And his bag is covered with clips and towels and buttons from all of the elite courses he’s played across the country. Wow. This guy must be awesome! ... Fun Fact: He’s terrible.” They said it

Joseph Tout, a New York Post reader: “We conquered polio, defeated the Nazis, put a man on the moon. My question is this: Why can’t we stop the ‘Get in the hole!!!’ guy at golf tournaments?”

Tweet from CBS writer Eric Stangel on the former New Orleans Saints defensive coordinator at the center of the bounty scandal: “When Gregg Williams eats a chocolate Easter bunny, he goes for the head first, then the outside ACL.”Quote of the day

“I would say that this announcement is a strong declaration of the

Sun Belt’s commitment to getting better.” Sun Belt commissioner Karl Benson on adding Georgia State

Sports, Pages 16 on 04/10/2012