Augusta has a look that's special
AUGUSTA, Ga.
Observing the Masters in person is a tradition like no other. For instance, you can come across Bill Murray hanging around by the practice green, as one exuberant fan did the other day. The fellow excitedly asked where Murray stays in South Carolina. The actor said, "I just sleep in my car."
Images from the past week: A deer trundling through the trees on No. 2 (how it got in and out of Augusta National is a mystery); club member Lynn Swan in green jacket, mingling with guests outside the clubhouse; an informal session following a long news conference about the 25th anniversary of Jack Nicklaus winning the Masters at a record 46 years old. Someone asked Nicklaus if he envisioned anyone older than he winning it. Nicklaus said, "Older than 71?"
All of that said, the reality is that what makes this tournament so special is the way it looks on TV. Augusta National is so spectacular that people who don't usually watch golf watch the Masters. With the azaleas, magnolias and that deep, deep green, Augusta is golf's home course.
That is mostly very good for golf, and a little bad.
The good starts with the knowledge that, sometime between Thursday and Sunday, some kid is going to be watching and will be inspired enough to someday win the green jacket (or some other big prize).
"I didn't like to watch golf, as an amateur even," said Louis Oosthuizen of South Africa, the British Open champion. "But the Masters was probably the one event I always watched."
His parents let him stay up to watch telecasts that began at 10 p.m. "It looked so beautiful on television. I don't know why it is. I can't really explain why. It's just one of those events that it's great, watching it on television."
Graeme McDowell of Northern Ireland, the U.S. Open champion, said, "I always remember waiting for the old Wednesday night preview program on BBC . . . Staying up late at night, getting a free pass from the folks to watch the Masters coverage on the Beeb was pretty fun stuff back in the day."
In the U.S., the Masters means the start of golf season. People make a point to watch when Tiger Woods is in contention, but even when he is not, they watch. And the pictures are so vivid that people crave a chance to see it all live, at least once. No wonder it is one of the toughest tickets in American sports.
Augusta National was meant to catch the eye and capture the imagination, long before TV was invented. The local ABC affiliate went to Stuart, Fla., and tracked down Ernie Ball, 100, the last surviving participant from the inaugural Masters in 1934. He told the station of his first impression: "How beautiful it was."
So what could be wrong with that? Plenty, if you ask the people who run golf courses across the country. People expect every private club, every municipal links to look at least a little like Augusta. When local courses don't measure up to that impossible standard, there are gripes. But golf isn't as healthy everywhere as it is off Magnolia Lane.
On balance, though, golf is better than it would be if there weren't such a thing as the Masters. Put the Vardon grip on the remote. It's a good show.
