It’s a November Masters, no fans are on site, and players are going off on split tees on a Thursday morning. That’s all different. But we did receive a sense of normalcy when Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player stepped to the par-4 1st tee on Thursday morning for their customary ceremonial opening tee shots.
It was eery without fans (for the first time ever), but Nicklaus, 80, and Player, 85 — nine green jackets between them — still had a strong turnout despite the rain streaming down on the property. Players, volunteers, members, media and more turned out to watch the official beginning of the 84th Masters.
During the shots, Nicklaus wore two limited-edition items, a Play Yellow hat and a yellow glove with his famous 1986 putter raise stitched on it. The glove is a GOLF.com collaboration with Asher Golf where 10 percent of sales are going to Children’s Miracle Network Hospital, and 15 percent of net sales from the hat will also be donated to Children’s Miracle Network Hospital. For more on the glove and hat, click here. Both items will be auctioned off for charity.
The first round of the Masters started shortly after Nicklaus and Player teed off, although action was only live for 25 minutes due to a weather delay.
