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Jack and Arnie Named Masters Starters

Jeff Greenwell — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 19:27:18 +0000

It took a little prodding from old friend Arnold Palmer, but Jack Nicklaus is finally making a return to Augusta National for the 2010 Masters tournament. Too bad for us it’ll only be for one shot. Nicklaus, who played in his final Masters in 2005, was initially reluctant to join Palmer as an honorary starter, lest he steal some of his old rival’s spotlight. But Palmer himself was key in changing Jack’s mind on this one.

Arnold Palmer (left) and Jack Nicklaus (Image: Zuma Press)

“I have always had great respect for Arnold and his legacy at the Masters, and I did not, in any way, want to infringe on the opportunity for Arnold to have and enjoy this Masters tradition for himself,” Nicklaus said in a statement released Monday by Augusta National Golf Club. “He is so deserving of this honor, and thus I felt it was his time, not mine. Recently, I was invited by both Augusta National and Arnold to join him on the first tee, and because he enthusiastically supported the invitation, it became an easy decision for me.”

Nicklaus’s history at Augusta National is a long and storied one. He won his first green jacket at the tender age of 23, then added victories in 1965, 1966, 1972 and 1975. The final of his 18 major wins came at the Masters in 1986, when he became the oldest winner in tournament history at 46 years of age.

Masters week is April 5-11, with Nicklaus and Palmer taking their honorary tee shots on April 8th, before the opening of the 2010 tourney.

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Jack and Arnie Named Masters Starters

World Golf HOF to Induct Eisenhower

Jeff Greenwell — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 19:29:54 +0000

While many of the U.S. presidents played golf, few exhibited as much passion for the game as former president Dwight D. Eisenhower, so it’s only fitting that he will become the first U.S. president elected to the World Golf Hall of Fame later this year. Eisenhower will be joining two-time Masters champ Jose Maria Olazabal, former PGA pro Lanny Wadkins and Ireland’s Christy O’ Connor. The induction ceremony is to take place November 2nd at the World Golf Village.

Former President Dwight Eisenhower (Image: Zuma Press)

It was Eisenhower’s love of the game that helped boost it’s popularity following World War II. According to a book on presidents who golfed, “First Off the Tee,” the number of people playing golf in the United States doubled from the time Eisenhower took office, to the time he left office after his second term as president.

Even today, Eisenhower’s presence can be felt each April at the Masters tournament at Augusta National. The tee shot on the 17th is particularly treacherous due to the “Eisenhower Tree,” a loblolly pine that sticks out on the left-hand side of the fairway, and there is a pond named for him on the Par 3 course, affectionately called “Ike’s Pond.” The former president was a member at Augusta, and a cabin was built after his election in 1952, complete with space for Special Service Agents.

Upon his induction, Eisenhower will become one of the few members of the Hall of Fame who never played the game professionally. However, his influence on golf’s rise in popularity would be hard to match by anyone in the history of this great game.

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World Golf HOF to Induct Eisenhower

A Quick Look at Augusta National

Sandy Mitchell — Sat, 04 Apr 2009 01:45:16 +0000

Next week is the Masters Tournament at the Augusta National Golf Course, a spring rite for golf fans. Get ready for the action by taking a quick tour of the course–hole by hole.

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A Quick Look at Augusta National

AT&T’s Masters Coverage

Sandy Mitchell — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 23:22:47 +0000

AT&T is again offering a variety of coverage for the 2009 Masters Tournament, which begins on April 6. From the first swing to the last putt, they are offering a variety of ways for golf fans to watch the 2009 Masters Tournament with three AT&T screens — the TV, the PC and the wireless device. AT&T today announced its complete three-screen coverage of the 2009 Masters Tournament, available on AT&T U-verse(SM) TV, the AT&T FanZone and exclusively on AT&T wireless devices, as well as special 2009 Masters interactive application for all U-verse TV customers.

Under an agreement with the Masters, AT&T will be providing golf fans with extensive live footage and on-demand content from Augusta National across the three screens that matter most to consumers.

Content will include:

– Par 3 Contest, which features a live feed from this popular contest on
Wednesday, April 8.

— Masters Extra, which gives AT&T viewers one hour of live play-by-play
action before cable and network broadcast coverage begins.

— Amen Corner Live, which features live coverage of the 11th, 12th and
13th holes.

— 15th/16th Live, which features live coverage of the 15th and 16th
holes.

(photo credit: Newscom)

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AT&T’s Masters Coverage