Reporting from Augusta, Ga. — The most emotional moment of this year’s Masters probably came just before the start of the tournament.
As is tradition, they have honorary starters hit the first tee shots. For the last few years, Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player and Arnold Palmer have been on hand. Palmer died in September.
The large crowd was adorned with buttons, which were given out upon entrance that said, “I am a member of ‘Arnie’s Army.’â€
“For the first time in many, many decades, someone is obviously missing from the first tee here at Augusta National at the Masters,†said Billy Payne, chairman of the golf club.
“The almost unbearable sadness we all feel at the passing of Arnold Palmer is surpassed only by the love and affection for him, which will forever reside in our hearts.â€
Palmer’s green jacket was hanging over one of the chairs. At the moment of silence, both Player and Nicklaus wiped away tears.
“[Palmer] would have dropped over if he had seen one [of the commemorative buttons] on Gary and me,†Nicklaus said with a laugh. “It was very nice.â€
Player remembered how Arnie’s Army was not always kind to opponents.
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Sergio Garcia of Spain celebrates after winning the Masters golf tournament in a playoff on Sunday at Augusta National Golf Club.
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Sergio Garcia is greeted by fiancee Angela Akins after winning the Masters in a playoff.
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Justin Rose, left, congratulates Sergio Garcia on the 18th green after Garcia won the Masters on the first playoff hole.
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Danny Willett, left, the 2016 Masters champion, congratulates Sergio Garciaduring the green jacket ceremony at Augusta National Golf Club.
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Sergio Garcia get help putting on the Masters champion’s green jacket by 2016 winner Danny Willett.
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Sergio Garcia admires the winner’s trophy during the awards ceremony following his victory at the Masters.
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Sergio Garcia reacts after making an eagle putt in front of Justin Rose at No. 15e during the final round of the Master.
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Justin Rose and Sergio Garcia walk over the Hogan Bridge at No. 12 with their caddies Mark Fulcher and Glen Murray during the final round of the Masters tournament.
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Justin Rose of England reacts to a putt for birdie on the sixth hole during the final round of the Masters.
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Rickie Fowler reacts after a drive on the fourth hole during the final round of the Masters tournament.
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Sergio Garcia of Spain hits a drive on the fourth hole during the final round of the Masters.
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Justin Rose of England plays his shot from the third tee during the final round of the Masters.
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Paul Casey of England plays his second shot on the first hole during the final round of the Masters tournament.
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Jordan Spieth plays his third shot from a bunker at No. 10 during the final round of the Masters tournament.
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Adam Scott of Australia hits his tee shot at No. 4 during the final round of the Masters.
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Jimmy Walker reacts to his missed birdie putt on the sixth hole during the final round of the Masters tournament.
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Sergio Garcia hits from a bunker alongside the seventh green during the final round of the Masters tournament.
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Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland lets go of his club on the follow through of his tee shot at No. 4 during the final round of the Masters tournament.
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Justin Rose hits his tee shot at No. 2 during the final round of the Masters at Augusta National Golf Club.
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Rickie Fowler lines up his putt with caddie Joseph Skovron at No. 8 during the third round of the Masters tournament on Saturday at Augusta National Golf Club.
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Sergio Garcia celebrates after making a birdie putt at No. 6 during the third round of the Masters tournament.
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Charley Hoffman hits his tee shot at No. 4 during the third round of the Masters tournament.
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Jon Rahm reacts after missing his birdie putt on the 17th hole during the third round of the Masters.
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Jordan Spieth hits his tee shot on the 12th hole during the third round of the Masters tournament.
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Justin Rose makes his club selection at the second tee box during the third round of the 2017 Masters
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Sergio Garcia reacts to a missed putt at No. 12 during the third round of the Masters tournament.
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Ryan Moore plays a shot from a greenside bunker at No. 10 during the third round of the Masters.
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Fred Couples olines up a putt on the 16th green during the third round of the Masters.
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Will McGirt watches his bunker shot roll toward the hole on the 17th green during the third round of the Masters.
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Sergio Garcia pitches a shot onto the 13th green during the third round of the Masters tournament.
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Jason Day on the second tee during the third round of the 2017 Masters tournament.
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Phil Mickelson plays his second shot from a bunker at the 12th hole during the third round of the Masters.
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Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland and Jon Rahm of Spain walk over the Hogan Bridge at No. 12 at Augusta National Golf Club during the second round.
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Jason Day of Australia plays a shot from a greenside bunker at the 16th hole during the second round of the Masters.
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Matt Kuchar and caddie John Wood head toward the second green, where the flagstick is bowed by the wind, during the second round of the Masters.
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Fans get a close-up view of Charley Hoffman hitting an approach shot during the second round of the Masters tournament.
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Spain’s Rafa Cabrera Bello looks at his ball in the pine straw at the 14th hole during the second round of the Masters tournament.
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Si Woo Kim of South Korea plays his third shot at No. 15 during the second round of the Masters tournament at Augusta National Golf Club.
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Fred Couples reacts to his birdie putt on the 13th hole during the second round of the Masters.
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Rickie Fowler plays his tee shot at No. 12 during the second round of the Masters tournament.
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Charley Hoffman hits a drive on the 18th hole during the first round for the Masters golf tournament.
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Will McGirt hits a drive on the eighth hole during the second round of the Masters golf tournament.
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Charley Hoffman looks at his approach on the 15th hole during the first round for the Masters golf tournament .
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Justin Rose of England plays his second shot on the 17th hole during the second round of the Masters tournament.
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Charley Hoffman hits a tee shot on the 15th hole during the first round of the Masters tournament on Thursday at Augusta National Golf Club. Hoffman shot a 65 to take a four-shot lead.
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Pat Perez reacts after missing a putt at No. 16 during the first round of the Masters golf tournament on Thursday.
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Augusta National Golf Club Chairman Billy Payne, right, leads a moment of silence for Arnold Palmer at the start of the Masters Tournament on Thursday.
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Jason Day plays his shot from the third tee during the first round of the 2017 Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club.
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Dustin Johnson walks off after announcing his withdrawal during the first round of the 2017 Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club.
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Thomas Pieters of Belgium hits a shot through the trees at the 17th hole during the first round of the Masters golf tournament at Augusta National Golf Club.
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Caddie Jamie Lane lines up a putt on the second green during the first round of the 2017 Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club.
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Brendan Steele walks up the second fairway during the first round of the Masters golf tournament on Thursday.
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American Dustin Johnson walks out of the Augusta National clubhouse after withdrawing from the Masters golf tournament because of a back injury before his afternoon tee time Thursday.
(Tannen Maury / EPA) “It was not easy playing with him when he had the Army and they were screaming and rushing off the green before you finished,†Player said. “But one had to be accustomed to that. That was his Army, it really was his Army.â€
Good day for Mickelson
For a few moments, three-time winner Phil Mickelson found himself atop the leaderboard. An eagle at No. 2and a birdie at No. 4, had him at three under during the morning.
“To make a [40-foot] putt on two for eagle and get the round started like that was exciting,†Mickleson said. “But I knew there were still a lot of tough holes left out there and just trying to make pars was kind of the goal.â€
Mickelson is in good position after a one-under 71, six off the lead. He finished his round with one eagle, three birdies and four bogeys.
“I thought anything at par or better was going to be a great score and it is,†Mickelson said. “Because the greens are receptive, you can make birdies and stop the balls on the greens and make easy pars on a lot of holes.
“The problem is there’s a lot of holes out here that you can have a big number and you just have to be careful of that.â€
Bad day for Spieth
The galleries around No. 12 treated Jordan Spieth as if he were a son who needed encouragement to get back on his bicycle.
The patrons roared as he approached the tee at the par-three hole, mindful that this was where he essentially lost the 2016 Masters by donating two balls to Rae’s Creek.
Spieth said it was “hard to tell†whether the cheers for him were stronger than for other players, but he definitely noticed an enhanced reaction to his tee shot.
“I was a bit surprised at how loud the cheer was when my ball landed about 35 feet away from the hole,†he said. “But I was relieved to see it down and on the green.â€
Spieth made a par there but then wrecked his round by recording a quadruple-bogey nine at No. 15. His third-shot approach from 100 yards spun back into the pond, his fifth sailed over the green and he missed a five-footer for eight.
“I got stuck in the 15‑is‑a‑birdie‑hole mentality, and it kind of bit me,†he said. “I struck [my third shot] very solid, but I used a club that would spin instead of one that would maybe take the spin off.â€
Spieth finished with a three-over 75, his worst score in 13 Masters rounds.
“I’m going to probably need to play something under par tomorrow, which puts a little bit extra pressure,†he said. “At three over, I need to snag something (low) — but do it through patience and taking advantage of the par‑fives.â€
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