Augusta National Golf Club hosts the biggest golf event of the year this week, and it all begins with the first drive off the tee on Thursday, April 11. To honor the deep of The Masters, the club invites former champions each year to kick things off with an honorary drive. This tradition began in 1963, and in 2024, the honorary starters are Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, and Tom Watson.
Watson won the Masters in 1977 and 1981, Nicklaus in 1963, 1965, 1966, 1972, 1975, and 1986 and Player in 1961, 1974, and 1978. Watson is 74 years old, Nicklaus is 84, and Player is 88.
The threesome will not play all the way through 18 holes on Thursday, as honorary starters did in earlier years of the tournament. Instead they take a single tee shot that marks the start of the event. Other former honorary starters include Arnold Palmer, Sam Snead, and Lee Elder. Watson’s first year as an honorary starter was 2022, while Nicklaus has been participating in the tradition since 2010 and Player since 2012.
Here’s what the ceremony looked like in 2023, and expect much of the same in 2024 with the introductions handled by Augusta National chairman Fred Ridley.