AUGUSTA, Ga. — Other than perhaps the annual Tuesday night Champions Dinner, the moment at this first Masters since 1954 without Arnold Palmer that his absence was most deeply felt took place sho🌟rtly after dawn on Thursday at the ceremonial opening tee shots.
While Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player took the annual shots on the first hole, an empt🍃y chair for Palmer, who died last year, sat on the first tee with his Green Jacket draped over the ba💙ck of it.
Before Nicklaus and Player hit their shots, Augusta National chairman Billy Payne walked Palmer’s wife, Kit, out onto the tee and deliver🐓ed some emotional words about The King.
“The almost unbearable sadness we feel at the passing of Arnold is surpassed only by the love and affection for him that will always reside in our heart,” Payne said, beforeಌ a𒅌sking the thousands of fans crammed around the tee to participate in a moment of silence.
Both Nicklaus and Player wiped away tears.
It was a powerful moment, with several of the players in the field present at the tee, including Rickieﷺ Fowler and William McGirt.
“There was never any question that I was not going to be thereജ,’’ McGirt said. “I didn’t care if I was two groups, three groups, four groups off after that. I was going to go watch it. It’s something I’ve always wanted to do. I’ve never been here to watch it in person. And with this being the first year without Mr. Palmer being here, I was not going to miss it.’’
Nicklaus said, “I thought the ceremony was ve🌱ry nice. I know Billy, he said, ‘How did I do? I was really nervous.’ He did a nice joꦛb, brought Kit out in Arnold’s jacket. It was done very nicely and in good taste.’’
Said Player: “I thought [Payne’s] talk was extremel♉y eloquent, very touching. And also to have his wife come out, 𝐆there was a lot of thought put into that, and to have the jacket over the chair.
“Arnold was a great stickler for manners, and I’ll never f🥂orget, which really reminded me on the first tee this morning, when he sat on the chair last year and they called his name,🔯’’ Player went on. “Arnold could hardly walk to the first tee and he put his arms like this, and he stood up [lifting himself a few inches up from the chair using arms), because he had been taught to stand up. And he gave a little wave. That was very touching to me, and I could see him doing it in that chair [Thursday]. It’s funny how things come back to your mind.’’
Stewart Hages🌸tad, the 25-ye🔯ar-old Manhattan financial analyst who got into the Masters as the Mid-Amateur champion, shot a 2-over 73.
Though Hagestad would not admit it Wednesday, calling the Masters “just another tournament,’’ his parents said otherwise. 🃏They stood nervously at the back of the first tee, his mother saying that her son was petrified of the first tee shot because of nerves. Hagestad tugged the opening te🎀e shot into the left pine straw, but rallied to play a solid round.
“Super tough day,’’ Hagestad said. “I told the guys that we’re staying with [Wednesday] night that if I shot 75 that was probably going to be a pretty good number. I’m really pleased with 74. You’re never comfortable out there, standing over any shot, whether it’s on the greens or fairways, not that I hit too many of those. “The🌜 first two or three holes there were some nerves that were there for sure. And as I kind of got into the rhythm of the round and started playing, [I] started kind of focusing on the things I could control.”
Phil Mickelson knew the treacherous, 𒉰gusty conditions that were in s𒆙tore for the opening round on Thursday and he embraced them.
“Man, I love it,’’ said Mickelson🤡, who shot a 1-under-par 71. “I thought anything at par or better was going to be a great score and it is.’’
The highlight o♕f Mickelson’s round came early — in the form of an eagle on No. 2, where he drained a long bomb of a putt.
“Oh, that was cool,’’ he said. “To make a putt on [No. 2] for eagle and get the round started like that was exciting, but I knew that there were still a lot of tough holes left out there and just trying to make pars was kind ofꦜ the goal.’’
South Carolina men’s basketball coach Frank Martin, fresh off bringing the school to its first Final♊ Four last week, walked t🍃he course for about five hours, attending his first Masters.
He was greeted everywhere by fans from not only South Carolina but other schools, including state rival 💎Clemson, and was congratulated for the inspiring run he took his team on. Many thanked Martin for coming to South Carolina.