Fog delays start of Masters
MASTERS NOTES
Arnold Palmer takes the ceremonial first shot, 50 years after his first Masters.
AUGUSTA, Ga. - In his second year as the honorary starter, Arnold Palmer hit his driver about three times on the practice range, then strolled over to the first tee and swung hard.
"As a matter of fact, it went out of sight," Palmer said. "I hit it out of sight."
He really did. Actually, it didn't really go that far, but nobody at the tee could see it because it was lost in the fog.
First-round play today was delayed almost an hour today because of low-hanging clouds at Augusta National Golf Club.
Palmer's duties as the honorary starter follow in the tradition begun in 1963 when Jock Hutchison had the honors and became firmly established when the legendary trio of Byron Nelson, Sam Snead and Gene Sarazen were together as starters for 18 years.
For Palmer, 78, his tee shot today was especially noteworthy, since it represented the 50th anniversary of his first Masters victory and his first major win.
He said it's easy to compare that first tee shot in the 1958 Masters.
"Well, 50 years ago, it went a lot further. But the tee was a lot further up, too.
"It's a great tradition and there's a lot of enthusiasm here this morning. You can feel it and you can see it and of course it's something that Augusta's been known for, and this championship is going to be one of the best they've ever had."
thomas.bonk@latimes.com
