What does magical Masters have in store?
This week’s Masters at Augusta National may be the 82nd edition of the Major that golfers most probably covet the most, yet it always finds a way to dish up some more magic.
As far as prestige and tradition goes, the Masters is right up there, with the drive up Magnolia Lane and the chance to play at one of the most exclusive golf clubs on almost all golfers’ bucket lists.
It is a tournament steeped in history, and this week was never going to let you down. So many new wonderful stories have already played out at the year’s first Major, and we haven’t even reached the weekend.
One of the highlights of the week is the par-three contest, which takes place in a single round on a nine-hole, par-27 course in the northeast corner of Augusta on the eve of the tournament. It was even more keenly anticipated this year after the 2017 event was cancelled due to rain.
The curse of the par-three contest looms large and still haunts golfers. No player has won the contest and the Masters in the same year, with American Raymond Floyd the closest in 1990, having won on the Wednesday but lost the Major in a sudden-death playoff. Four South Africans – Harold Henning (1970), Rory Sabbatini (2008), Tim Clark (2009) and Louis Oosthuizen (2010) have all won the Masters curtain-raiser.
Some players take the contest seriously, others rather use it as a chance to relax before the big event and interact with the large crowds. Wives, girlfriends, parents and children tend to caddie on a fun afternoon, with some
Trevor Stevens
playing shots.
So I couldn’t wait to tune into SuperSport to watch this year’s event on Wednesday evening. Coverage quickly crossed over to legends Jack Nicklaus, our own Gary Player, and Tom Watson in a three-ball. Between them they have won 11 Masters titles, and 35 Majors. Their collective age is 234 with Player the oldest at 82, having made his first appearance in 1957.
What unfolded over the next two hours was something to be- hold. Player hit eight of the nine greens to finish tied 10th on two-under, Nicklaus produced a wonderful exhibition of putting to finish tied fourth on four-under and Watson, the “youngster” in the group, aged 68, only putted nine times as he went on to become the oldest winner of the event with a bogey-free six-underpar. Not bad for “oldies”, hey?
Watson, who won the par-three contest for the first time in 1982, couldn’t go wrong on Wednesday. The eight-time Major winner, whose 43rd and final Masters appearance came in 2016, surpassed 62-year-old Sam Snead, who won it in 1974 to become the oldest winner of the contest.
There were also holes-in-one for South Africa’s Dylan Frittelli and Tony Finau, taking the overall total to 96 in the competition’s history. However, ecstasy soon turned to agony. In dancing down the fairway in celebration Finau dislocated his ankle and popped it back into place. Doubts if he would play on Thursday were erased as he shot an opening-round 68.
But perhaps the biggest cheer came when 15-year-old Gary Nicklaus, one of Jack Nicklaus’ 22 grandchildren, hit his first holein-one on the ninth. It’s tradition that caddies are allowed to try their hand on the last hole over the water, and “GT” brought his granddad to tears after popping it into the hole with a smooth swing.
Whether it’s defending champion Sergio Garcia’s 13 on the parfive 15th on Thursday, the return of Tiger Woods or Jordan Spieth’s control, the Masters has it all.
What fresh drama will unfold this weekend?