Player, Nicklaus and ‘Arnie’s Army’ gather at Augusta to remember the legend with the blacksmith’s arms who put the Masters on the mapThe sun came up at 7.10 in Augusta but it was another 30 minutes before it reached the first tee. By the time it rose above the clubhouse roof there were already several thousand fans gathered all around, packed so thick there was no way to weave through, and latecomers had to turn back and find a spot to watch from somewhere down the fairway.This year they had not just come to see the old champions taking part in the honorary start but to mark the one who was missing, Arnold Palmer, who died last September. In his...
From the nearly man who gave golf lessons to Dwight Eisenhower to a player whose clothing would have made Payne Stewart look like Johnny Cash Related: The 94-year-old Masters champion, who shares Tiger’s locker, on why he won’t go back Related: Masters 2017: Contenders and outsiders to watch, from Johnson to Luck Nicklaus warmly congratulated his victor, who was quick to offer an apology for misinterpreting eventsThe beginning of the Tiger era – and one of those rare events that can genuinely be described as epochal Related: The forgotten story of … the 1966 Masters | Scott Murray Continue reading...
Jordan Spieth is hoping to make amends after blowing a five-stroke lead by dropping six strokes in three back-nine holes during the final round of last year’s MastersIf afforded an each-way Masters bet to save your life, there would be no cause for deliberation. Jordan Spieth finished tied second on his Augusta National debut in 2014, returned to win the opening major of 2015 and, despite an epic, painful collapse last year, showed enough resolve to play the closing six holes in one under par to be joint runner-up.Leading sportspeople insist career lows resonate far more than the ultimate highs. If that is the case, Spieth’s stumble from a seemingly unassailable position of five shots in front of the 2016...
Watching Tiger Woods now is a struggle but the 20th anniversary of his first Augusta triumph stirs memories of a first-day tee shot that signalled his greatnessThe morning at Augusta National had been spent following Lee Westwood, an early starter in the first round of the 1997 Masters. At 23, the Englishman was making his Masters debut. Just to remind him of where he was, his drive off the first tee flew into an enormous sand trap, setting up a double bogey.Four hours later, as a chastened Westwood was signing for a five‑over‑par 77, news was coming in from the front nine about a worse catastrophe that appeared to be about to engulf an even younger player. Making his much...