Playing well ahead of Green and the other contenders that included a guy named Watson. Player trailed Hubert Green by seven shots headed into the final round, but he birdied seven of his final 10 holes and matched the then-course record with an 8-under 64. Watson obviously needed a better finish, and the one Player provided in 1978 would have been one to emulate. Nicklaus acknowledged with a bow, and Watson said afterward, “I’ve tried that putt at least 100 times in practice rounds and that’s the first time I’ve made it.”Īlas, Watson would go to the final hole on Sunday tied for the lead - and made double-bogey. Then, Watson countered with the ultimate in one-upsmanship, topping Nicklaus’ putt with a monster of his own. Nicklaus bowed in return and looked skyward in an offering of thanks. Nicklaus rolled a 35-foot putt into the hole for his fourth straight birdie after his 12th-hole nightmare, and Watson bowed to salute his opponent. But the moment - the real moment - unfolded on the devilish 16th green. Watson took the tourney’s 36-hole lead with a 4-under-par 68 in the second round, and Nicklaus posted a 72 despite a quadruple-bogey 7 on No. By then, Nicklaus, at 51, and Watson, 41, no longer commanded the pre-tournament spotlight and went out together in a late pairing Friday.īy the time they had reached the 16th green, the large galleries had dwindled significantly, and those who left early missed what the headlines called a duel of the old masters. Some of their moments did not result in victory, but they still took a place in the tournament’s hall of memories.įor one, return to April of 1991, the year Nick Faldo sought his third-straight Augusta win. Nicklaus owns six titles, ranging 1963 to 1986 and including his record-breaking show in 1965, perhaps the greatest Masters in 1975 and his “Olden Bear” conquest in ’86. Watson prevailed in 1977 and ’81, both times warding off a guy named Jack. Player won in 1961, ’74 and ’78, the latter thanks to a scintillating Sunday. Their histories over the venerable Augusta course are intertwined and worth one more look in connection with the 87th Masters. Somehow, the tournament just would not be the same had Tommy Jacobs or Gay Brewer edged the Golden Bear in a 1966 playoff, or had Dave Stockton and not Player prevailed in 1974. Think about the Masters, and their contributions are everywhere. But that won’t make their shots less noteworthy or less memorable. Nicklaus and Player are in their 80s, and Watson, 73, is recovering from shoulder surgery. Nicklaus and Player would follow before Lee Elder joined in and now Watson. Sam Snead joined the team, Ken Venturi subbed one year and then Arnold Palmer took the stage. The on-and-off tradition that began in 1963 with Jock Hutchinson and Fred McLeod leading off the year’s first major and, after an interlude, gained traction with Gene Sarazen and Byron Nelson on the tee in 1981.

Monster crown starters