The Honorary Starters have become another tradition fans look forward to during Masters week.
Honorary Starters first made an appearance at the Masters in 1963. Since then, 11 golfers, each with extensive history at Augusta National Golf Club, have helped kick off the Masters with the ceremonial first tee shots.
Having someone hit the first shot at the Masters dates to 1941, when amateur Francis Ouimet played the first round before withdrawing. While the role of Honorary Starter wasn’t official quite yet, Ouimet’s appearance at the urging of Tournament co-Founder Bobby Jones was enough to plant the seed of an idea that would eventually start the tradition, per the Masters website.
Early on, the Honorary Starters would go on to play nine or more holes of golf. Now, they just hit the first tee shots, and there have always been two golfers to hit the opening tee shots.
Listed below are the golfers who have served as Honorary Starters and the year(s) they started the Masters:
- Jock Hutchison: 1963 – 1973
- Fred McLeod: 1963 – 1976
- Byron Nelson: 1981 – 2001 (non-consecutive)
- Gene Sarazen: 1981 – 1999
- Ken Venturi: 1983
- Sam Snead: 1984 – 2002
- Arnold Palmer: 2007 – 2016
- Jack Nicklaus: 2010 – present
- Gary Player: 2012 – present
- Lee Elder: 2021
- Tom Watson: 2022 – present
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: History of Masters Honorary Starters at Augusta National Golf Club
