A special start for Hoffman

AUGUSTA, Ga. — At daybreak Thursday on the Augusta National practice range, Charley Hoffman couldn’t help but acknowledge the moment.

As he prepared for his 7:45 a.m. tee time at the Masters, he found himself flanked by a notable trio: Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer

and Gary Player, loosening up for their ceremonial first tee shots.

So Hoffman made his boldest approach — a request to Nicklaus and Palmer for autographs and an exchange that put him at ease.

“My mind wasn’t really on golf,” he said.

That wasn’t the 38-year-old’s only pinch-me moment Thursday. He followed the exchange with Nicklaus and Palmer with a 5under 67 that established him as the early leader until Jordan

Spieth caught fire in the after

noon.

Hoffman played the final four holes in 4 under and will start Round 2 in a four-way tie for second.

The autographs he procured, he said, will be auctioned off at an event for his foundation.

As for whether Hoffman, playing in his second Masters after finishing tied for 27th four years ago, will be able to overcome a lack of Augusta seasoning to remain in contention, he offered a shrug.

“I’m an experienced TV watcher of the Masters,” he said.

Another solid effort Friday and Hoffman will have a preferred vantage point for the weekend.

The streak: Kevin Streelman is

having a fun week.

His alma mater, Duke, cut down the nets after college basketball’s national championship game Monday.

At a Tuesday dinner to celebrate his victory at last year’s Travelers Championship, com- pany executive Andy Bessette joked of Streelman’s seven consecutive final-round birdies in that event: “That’s more than I’ve made in my life.”

On Wednesday, Streelman won the Masters par-3 contest with 13-year-old Ethan Couch on the bag. Streelman connected with Couch, who has an inoperable benign brain tumor, via the MakeA-Wish Foundation.

And in the first round of the Masters, a beaming Streelman shot what he called a “stress-free” 2-under 70.

“I played awesome,” he said. “Don’t think I had a par putt over 3 or 4 feet.”

Tap-ins: Ben Crenshaw, playing in his 44th and final Masters, will play his last competitive round at Augusta on Friday. Crenshaw’s opening 91 was the day’s worst score by six shots. ... Tom Watson, playing in his 42nd Masters, fared better with a 71. “I played within myself today,” he said.