Future honorary starters at Augusta: Gratuitous musings

What happens on Masters Thursday when Jack calls time and Gary’s batteries finally go flat?

When sports journalists can’t sleep, they call upon their own version of counting sheep. At least, I do.

So it was that I got to pondering the make-up of the honorary starter squad in future editions of the Masters.

My sheep, in this instance, were appropriately-aged golfers featuring on the Masters Roll of Honour. Given that Jack Nicklaus may not be in club-swinging health for much longer now that he’s 84 and isn’t 88-year-old fitness outlier Gary Player, Jack’s Masters victory in 1986 serves as something of a reference point for normal people.

So I started counting in the early eighties, just to add some leeway. Jack was getting on when he took that last win, after all. But who was I looking for? Not just any champions, surely.

There’s absolutely nothing written down in stone about who gets to take part in the honorary tee-offs. Like all things at Augusta, it’s a mix of discretion, tradition and invitation. But I figured there seemed to be a general preference for American multiple winners who are what the average member would consider a solid sportsman and gentleman. Bonus points if you’re a Republican. And with that in mind, I let my sheep get to jumping.

Tom Watson sealed his second win in 1981, but he’d already stepped up to complete the current trio.

Next multiple winner that fitted the above bill? Nicklaus in ’86. Moving on.

Ben Crenshaw, who memorably took his second miniature clubhouse trophy in 1995, was the first to really stand out. A (says Wikipedia) red-voting Texan with a squeaky-clean image. Definitely one for the shortlist, but he’s 72 so much would depend on his own health as well as that of the current incumbents.

Then things got tricky: the Tiger and Phil era. Both Californians, they tick the multiple wins box in no uncertain terms.

But when some brave journalist suggested ahead of this year’s Masters that Tiger’s thoughts might be turning to owning the earliest possible Thursday tee time sooner rather than later, Woods responded in prickly fashion. Maybe that was a case of a nerve being prodded, but you do wonder if it would ever really be Tiger’s thing. You also wonder, sadly, if he’ll even be able to take a swing in a few years. His body is all kinds of messed up, and that’s not going to get better with age.

Phil? Hardly an image fit, is he? The guy has made burning bridges his business in recent years. He still gets a Masters invitation – you’ve got to be Angel Cabrera-bad to miss out on one of those as a former champ – but I could imagine a few heads shaking around some committee table when his name comes up.

Then there was 2012 and 2014 winner Bubba Watson. Certainly a fan favourite and a man who will be associated with one of the finest recovery shots in Masters history. There was a nagging feeling that he may lack the clean-cut image, and becoming a LIV golfer – his relegation a few days back notwithstanding – won’t count in his favour.

But regardless of all that, Watson is only 45, so I was getting a little too far into the future. Serious time travellers may wish to note, though, that Scottie Scheffler has already checked off the American multiple winner box.

So where would this leave us in a post-Nicklaus, post-Player world? If Augusta National sticks to the broad selection pattern, my money would be on Crenshaw joining the 75-year-old Watson for a few years assuming both are fit and keen. But making up a three-ball would require a little adventure.

How important was the multiple-winner thing? Well, the late Lee Elder wasn’t a winner at all and he teed it up in 2021, but that was an exceptional case for all sorts of reasons. Nor, incidentally, were the first two men to take on the task in 1963: Fred McLeod and Jock Hutchinson. And winless Ken Venturi was invited to sub for Byron Nelson in 1983.

Gene Sarazen got the job with only that 1935 win on his CV, but had had hit a shot that was heard around the world. And had a bridge named after him.

Photo Source: masters.com/Masters Digital

With this in mind, I surely 1992 winner Fred Couples would complete the trio when both Player and Nicklaus have shuffled off the tee box for the last time? He’s universally adored and would surely be delighted to turn out for a Thursday morning drive down Tea Olive.

But then again, I wondered sleepily, how important was the American thing? Player is the only foreigner to be invited for an extended period. What about a like-for-like replacement when his time comes? If Augusta National considers that, then one European multiple winner certainly springs to mind: Jose Maria Olazabal.

Not only do the galleries love the 1994 & 1999 champion, but he’s only 58. A sentimental choice that would be a bit like inviting a part of Seve Ballesteros onto the tee, pairing him with the 64-year-old Couples would make good sense as long-term investments…

…but much depends on how long each of them wishes to continue playing the tournament itself…

(...mmnnn, who needs sheep?…)

…and you’d need a replacement for an ageing Crenshaw before too long…

…zzz…