Masters Thursday: Honorary starters set to begin Masters
Apr. 10—Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player and Tom Watson are scheduled to start the 88th Masters Tournament with ceremonial tee shots this morning.
The big question is when will they hit it. The Opening Ceremony is scheduled for 7:40 a.m., but weather might change that. Rain and wind gusts up to 40 mph are predicted for today.
The honorary starters have a combined 11 victories at Augusta National Golf Club.
The custom of having honorary starters began in 1963 with Jock Hutchison (1963-1973) and Fred McLeod (1963-1976) performing the duties. Byron Nelson (1981-2001, non-consecutive), Gene Sarazen (1981-1999), Ken Venturi (1983), Sam Snead (1984-2002), Arnold Palmer (2007-2016), Nicklaus (2010-present), Player (2012-present), Lee Elder (2021) and Watson (2022-present) have continued the tradition.
DID YOU KNOW?
There's a reason that only three golfers have successfully defended their title at the Masters.
Jon Rahm will attempt to join Jack Nicklaus (1965-1966), Nick Faldo (1989-1990) and Tiger Woods (2001-2002).
According to the Elias Sports Bureau, since Woods went back-to-back more than 20 years ago, only two players have finished among the top five in their defense of their Masters title: Tiger Woods finished T-3 in 2006 and Jordan Spieth finished T-2 in 2016.
—Wyndham Clark is among the first timers to compete in this year's Masters. Clark will be the first reigning U.S. Open champion to appear at Augusta National as a Masters debutant since Orville Moody in 1970, who won the 1969 U.S. Open to qualify.
BOOK REVIEW
Life on the Green
Author: Ann Liguori
Pages: 352
Price: $17.99
Synopsis: Liguori, a veteran in sports broadcasting and the first female to host a call-in show on WFAN, weaves together a collection of "insights and life lessons" from a who's who of elite golfers. Masters champions interviewed for the book include Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, Tom Watson, Bernhard Langer and Ben Crenshaw. These players tell about their "life on the green" and the lessons they have learned, both on and off the golf course.
— John Boyette, executive editor
