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Apr. 10—AUGUSTA — Jack Nicklaus is the most successful player in the history of the Masters Tournament.
He arrived at Augusta National Golf Club early April 10 to hit the ceremonial tee shots alongside Gary Player and Tom Watson to begin the 89th Masters.
But it didn't mean he was exempt from the first tee jitters that most golfers experience.
"The tee is yours," said Fred Ridley, chairman of the Masters and Augusta National Golf Club.
"Maybe," the 85-year-old Nicklaus quipped.
After succeeding to get low enough to tee his ball up, Nicklaus said, "I won." Then he added, "watch out."
There was no need to worry as the six-time Masters winner hit his ball up the left side of Augusta National's first hole.
That prompted him to raise his arms in celebration.
Player, 89, was first to go off and remarked that the chute to hit the tee shot, with thousands of patrons lining both sides of the tee box, "gets more narrow every year."
He also hit it down the left side of the fairway, then kicked his leg in the air.
Watson was the youngest of the group at 75. He, too, said it was difficult to bend over to put his tee in the ground.
"Want me to help you?" Nicklaus asked.
There was no need as Watson fired his tee shot up the right center of the fairway.
With a combined 11 Masters victories and a cumulative 140 appearances, the trio has thrilled Augusta National galleries for more than six decades.
Later, in their news conference after the ceremony, all three acknowledged the difficulties of hitting the pressure-packed shot.
"You might want to start with when I walk up, make sure I don't trip," Nicklaus said. "Second one is make sure I get the tee in the ground without falling over, and the third one is just don't kill anybody. Don't laugh too much about that; that's actually the thoughts that I have.
"As a matter of fact, from that point on, I just stand up and try to make as short a swing as I can make, and I didn't have to work on that, and just make sure I make contact and hit it somewhere I won't hurt somebody."
Watson concurred.
"Well, very similar, get it airborne, bottom line," he said. "Just get it in the air, just make a swing at it."
Player said he was happy to be on the tee alongside two other ambassadors for the game.
"The enthusiasm walking through that first tee experience is something that you — I think the word that come that comes to my mind, I'm standing here for the 67th time, and I think the word is gratitude, just being here," he said. "It's an honor to be at this — as the Scottish people say, the holy ground."
Among those who turned out early for the Opening Ceremony was Ken Griffey Jr., who is a member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
He finished his Major League Baseball career with 630 home runs, but in recent years has taken up a new hobby: photography.
Griffey is credentialed as a photographer for Masters.com this week, and it's his first time on the property.
He said it was "pretty cool" and was struck by the fact that patrons don't run at the Masters.
Griffey enjoys shooting a variety of sports, primarily baseball and football, but said he doesn't shoot basketball.
"This left knee doesn't move like it used to," he said, noting that basketball photographers are usually in a fixed position along the baseline.
He took photos of the patrons as they came in before training his lens on Player, Nicklaus and Watson.
"That's a whole lot of history right there," he said.
After the ceremony, a friend approached Griffey and asked him how long he was going to be in Augusta.
Griffey shrugged, smiled and said, "You know it's baseball season."
Continue reading...
He arrived at Augusta National Golf Club early April 10 to hit the ceremonial tee shots alongside Gary Player and Tom Watson to begin the 89th Masters.
But it didn't mean he was exempt from the first tee jitters that most golfers experience.
"The tee is yours," said Fred Ridley, chairman of the Masters and Augusta National Golf Club.
"Maybe," the 85-year-old Nicklaus quipped.
After succeeding to get low enough to tee his ball up, Nicklaus said, "I won." Then he added, "watch out."
There was no need to worry as the six-time Masters winner hit his ball up the left side of Augusta National's first hole.
That prompted him to raise his arms in celebration.
Player, 89, was first to go off and remarked that the chute to hit the tee shot, with thousands of patrons lining both sides of the tee box, "gets more narrow every year."
He also hit it down the left side of the fairway, then kicked his leg in the air.
Watson was the youngest of the group at 75. He, too, said it was difficult to bend over to put his tee in the ground.
"Want me to help you?" Nicklaus asked.
There was no need as Watson fired his tee shot up the right center of the fairway.
With a combined 11 Masters victories and a cumulative 140 appearances, the trio has thrilled Augusta National galleries for more than six decades.
Later, in their news conference after the ceremony, all three acknowledged the difficulties of hitting the pressure-packed shot.
"You might want to start with when I walk up, make sure I don't trip," Nicklaus said. "Second one is make sure I get the tee in the ground without falling over, and the third one is just don't kill anybody. Don't laugh too much about that; that's actually the thoughts that I have.
"As a matter of fact, from that point on, I just stand up and try to make as short a swing as I can make, and I didn't have to work on that, and just make sure I make contact and hit it somewhere I won't hurt somebody."
Watson concurred.
"Well, very similar, get it airborne, bottom line," he said. "Just get it in the air, just make a swing at it."
Player said he was happy to be on the tee alongside two other ambassadors for the game.
"The enthusiasm walking through that first tee experience is something that you — I think the word that come that comes to my mind, I'm standing here for the 67th time, and I think the word is gratitude, just being here," he said. "It's an honor to be at this — as the Scottish people say, the holy ground."
Among those who turned out early for the Opening Ceremony was Ken Griffey Jr., who is a member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
He finished his Major League Baseball career with 630 home runs, but in recent years has taken up a new hobby: photography.
Griffey is credentialed as a photographer for Masters.com this week, and it's his first time on the property.
He said it was "pretty cool" and was struck by the fact that patrons don't run at the Masters.
Griffey enjoys shooting a variety of sports, primarily baseball and football, but said he doesn't shoot basketball.
"This left knee doesn't move like it used to," he said, noting that basketball photographers are usually in a fixed position along the baseline.
He took photos of the patrons as they came in before training his lens on Player, Nicklaus and Watson.
"That's a whole lot of history right there," he said.
After the ceremony, a friend approached Griffey and asked him how long he was going to be in Augusta.
Griffey shrugged, smiled and said, "You know it's baseball season."
Continue reading...
