Nicklaus, Player, Watson recall past Masters glory as they begin 2022's tournament

AUGUSTA, Ga. — There’s a timelessness about Augusta National, a sense that if you visited the grounds in 1962 or 1982 or 2022 it would all feel familiar. You know the routing of the hills, you know the way the clubhouse oak looms, you know how each hole rises and falls. In that way, it’s like home.

Also like home, Augusta National watches those who visit it grow older with each passing year. Every year at Augusta is someone’s first, and every year is someone’s last, too. There’s a circularity to the Masters that’s both inspirational and melancholy, and nowhere is that more evident than in the short span of time between Wednesday afternoon and Thursday morning.

The par 3 contest returned on Wednesday, and even though rains halted the festivities early, players and patrons alike had enough time to enjoy what’s become one of the purest of Masters traditions: the children of players frolicking in miniature caddy outfits on the greens of the par 3 course. They’re the future of Augusta National, even if they’re too small to know it.

At the other end of the generational spectrum comes another tradition a few hours later: the traditional ceremonial tee shot to begin the Masters. Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player and newcomer Tom Watson took to a rainy, misty first tee shortly after 8:00 a.m. Thursday morning to once again offer up a nostalgic look back at a bygone era.

Nicklaus and Player are both moving much slower now even than when they began hitting these shots a decade ago. Back then, Arnold Palmer joined them, first matching them drive for drive, then slowly, inexorably slipping away. In 2016, the final year of his life, Palmer simply sat and watched his two fellow legends swing their clubs. The next year, Palmer’s green jacket was draped over a chair, a silent reminder that everything one day ends.

Lee Elder, the first Black man to play the Masters, received the honor of joining the starting contingent in 2021. Too ill to swing the club, he too could only sit and watch; a few months later, he too would pass away.

So now it’s Watson’s turn. Winner of two green jackets and eight majors overall, Watson is a decade younger than his fellow starters. His tee shot, unsurprisingly, is stronger than the others as well, ending Player’s decade-long reign as the honorary starter long-drive champion. In the post-shot news conference, his Texas twang was sharper and richer than either Nicklaus’ Ohio drawl or Player’s South African bite.

For golf fans of a certain age, those press conferences have become the equivalent of paging through a well-read family album. The men know their roles, and trot out their familiar lines — Player talking about the need for gratitude and the demands for “young people today” to show a bit more respect for themselves and the game; Nicklaus leaning back and brushing off all adulation with sardonic wit that belies just how precisely he dissected the world of golf back in the day. Every year, it’s like listening to your grandfathers tell stories of the the good old days; who really cares if they have to ask you to repeat a question, or if they start telling a tale you’ve heard a dozen times already? It’s a joy just to be in their presence one more time.

Using words like “humbled” and “honored,” Watson told the story of how Masters chairman Fred Ridley offered him the opportunity to join Nicklaus and Player, two of the only men whose achievements exceed Watson’s. All three men displayed an impressive knowledge of today’s current players, riffing on Cam Smith’s glorious mullet and the prospects of young players like Anirban Lahiri. Watson recounted how, at Tuesday night’s Champions’ Dinner, a room full of Masters winners sat in rapt attention listening to Nicklaus describe the second nine of his 1986 win.

“I was looking around the table, the guys at the table were just — ” he mimed someone open-mouthed in disbelief. “They wanted to hear, because everybody at that table had been in that position before, winning the tournament, and … they wanted to hear the inside, what Jack was thinking inside as he played the last nine holes.”

The only moment where the real world intruded on the collegial trip down memory lane came in the form of a question about Phil Mickelson, absent from Augusta National this week in the wake of his Saudi golf debacle. Player, as is his way, mounted a defense of Mickelson that focused less on what he said and more on the concept of forgiveness as a whole.

“We live in a time now when we are such a judgmental society, a litigious society, a critical society, where people get crucified,” he said. “And he makes a mistake, which every one of you in this room has made a damn mistake. We all have. And he said he’s sorry. But even the Lord God will forgive you of your inequities if you ask for forgiveness.”

Nicklaus said nothing at all. Watson, who had an ugly public fight with Mickelson after the 2014 Ryder Cup, simply smiled and mimed zipping his lips shut.

After about 45 minutes of genial chat, the news conference ended. The legends made their way out of the interview room and, soon enough, off the Augusta National property. Next year, they’ll hopefully be back, and Watson — who was extended a lifetime offer to play the ceremonial shot — will be among them, he hopes.

“The good Lord willing and the creek don’t rise,” Watson said with a smile. To which everyone who visits Augusta National can only reply, Amen.

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Jay Busbee is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Follow him on Twitter at @jaybusbee or contact him at jay.busbee@yahoo.com.