First, Arnold Palmer's, then Gary Player's and, finally, Jack Nicklaus's, each landing in the middle of the first fairway, dotting the hillside and serving as the ceremonial start to another Masters.
There were cheers and smiles before breakfast. Palmer walks slower now, bent a few degrees forward at the hips now and Nicklaus's swing has surrendered its power to the years. And then there was Player, eternally energetic, winning the long-drive contest in his first time as a ceremonial starter.
It's not about how they play now. It's about how they played for all those years and how they pulled us along with them. The numbers are staggering. Among them, they played 147 Masters, winning 13 of them. In one seven-year stretch in the '60s, they won every Masters played.
No wonder they were called the Big Three.
And no wonder Phil Mickelson was on the first tee this morning to watch them together again.
When someone asked if they remembered the first time they saw ceremonial starters at Augusta, Player mentioned seeing Jock Hutchinson and Nicklaus joked that he remembers seeing Arnie as the starter before that.
Palmer, now 82, told of hearing both Nicklaus and Player tell him they planned to retire at age 35. Palmer's response at the time -- and again this morning -- was, well, something you might find on the ground at a cattle ranch.
His recent blood pressure scare resolved, Palmer said his health is good and "I'd still be (playing the Masters) if I could."
When asked if they might play nine holes rather than just hit an opening tee shot as honorary starters used to do, Nicklaus said that's not the deal anymore.
"Look at our tee shots," he said. "We'd all have to hit 3-wood (second shots) and we'd still have a little left (to the green) after that. You see why we aren't (playing nine)."
No one cares how they play now. It's how they played before and what they've meant across the ages.
They made a pretty morning beautiful.
Photo: Jeff Siner, The Charlotte Observer
3 comments:
Three living legends! I'd love to have seen them!
Excellent article. Good job (for once in your life)
What a perfect way to start each Masters....with the three men who literally gave us modern golf. Thank you gentlemen. It is quite an honor to see each of you hit a shot and I thank Billy Payne and Augusta National for giving us the honor of seeing you each year on Thursday morning!
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