The three amigos had more in common than acting out their roles as honorary starters to the 89th Masters in hitting ceremonial tee shots off the first tee ... Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player and Tom Watson – to a man – added their wish lists that this would be Rory McIlroy’s year in finally getting a green jacket!
Indeed, Nicklaus – who holds the all-time career record in the Majors with 18 titles – revealed he’d met McIlroy last week at The Bears club in Florida and literally had the Northern Irishman go through every single shot to be played around Augusta National.
“I think it’s about time that Rory won,” said the Golden Bear, adding: “I sat down with Rory last week and we had lunch, and we were talking, and I said, ‘Rory, I know you prepared for Augusta; tell me how you’re going to play the golf course’.
“We went through it shot for shot. And he got done with the round, and I didn’t open my mouth. And I said,’ well, I wouldn’t change a thing. That’s exactly the way I would try to play the golf course’. The discipline to do that is what Rory has lacked in my opinion. He’s got all the shots. He’s got all the game. He certainly is as talented as anybody in the game.”
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Fans snap up famous photographer’s autograph
It’s not often that you see a photographer getting requests for autographs, but that is exactly what has been happening to former baseball Hall of Famer Ken Griffey Jr, who is credentialed – for masters.com – to be a snapper at Augusta National.
Griffey Jr had a hugely successful baseball career that included spells with the Seattle Mariners and the Chicago White Sox. He took up photography after his retirement from the sport and the man known as The Kid has worked since 2015 as a sports photographer covering baseball, soccer, American football and Indy Car motor racing.
This is Griffey’s first time among the photographic pool at the Masters where – after taking shots of the honorary starters Tom Watson, Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player – he was approached by a number of young fans for his autograph, to which he duly obliged!
Højgaard’s head in a spin after rollercoaster round
Denmark’s Nicolai Højgaard endured one of the wildest rollercoaster rides of anyone in his opening round 76, which featured an eagle and five birdies to go with three double-bogeys and five bogeys.
No wonder he sought to find a degree of equilibrium post-round in his efforts to work out exactly what had happened.
Joey Carbery, Munster and Ireland - where did it all go wrong?
“It’s tough when you’re always like on the edge of good things, then you back down and crawl back up. It’s a grind, but that’s part of it. You’re going to have spells where it’s going to feel like that.
I just got to accept my situation and how I’m playing at the moment and I know there is a lot of good stuff in there. Obviously I’ve got to manage the mistakes a little bit better,” said Højgaard, who has now gone back-to-back 76s having finished last year’s tournament (when he was tied-16th) on a similar, if less rocky, score.
Augusta’s bridges recognise legendary Masters feats
There are three bridges dedicated to past champions for their winning feats.
The Hogan Bridge at the 12th green was constructed in 1958 and dedicated to Ben Hogan to honour his then record low score of 274 achieved in 1953, which stood for 12 years.
Beside the 13th tee, the Nelson Bridge was also dedicated in 1958 to symbolise Byron Nelson’s spectacular birdie-eagle on the 12th and 13th holes to pick up six strokes on Ralph Guldahl to win the 1937 tournament.
And, finally, the Sarazen Bridge at number 15 green was dedicated in 1955 commemorating the 20th anniversary of Gene Sarazen’s albatross during the 1935 Masters to tie Craig Wood. Sarazen, aka The Squire, would later win in a playoff for his only green jacket success which completed the career Grand Slam.
Number of the day: 488
No surprise that Bryson DeChambeau hit more practice shots on the range ahead of the Masters tournament: DeChambeau hit 488 balls up to and including Wednesday’s final practice day. More of a surprise came with the revelation that José María Olazábal, with 422, hit the second most.
Quote of the day
“I want to live to 100 because I love people. I love golf. I just love life. I’ve got a young girlfriend. I’ve changed my life. How about that, at 90, finding a girlfriend?” – Gary Player, who lost his wife Vivienne to pancreatic cancer in 2021, on finding love again.
