Honorary Starters at the Masters

By Joel Beall

March 15, 2016

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Photo By: Augusta National/Getty Images

Photo By: Getty Images

Photo By: Augusta National/Getty Images

Photo By: Getty Images

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Jock Hutchison and Fred McLeod

Though neither owned a Masters title, Hutchison and McLeod both won the Senior PGA Championship when it was held at Augusta National. From 1954 to 1962, the duo would play a ceremonial nine or 18 holes, then "withdraw" from the tournament. The term "honorary starter" was implemented in 1963. Hutchison held this role through 1973 before health sidelined him, McLeod until his death in 1976.

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Jock Hutchison

Honorary Starter: 1963-1973Two-time major winner: 1920 PGA Championship, 1921 British Open

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Fred McLeod

Honorary Starter: 1963-'761908 U.S. Open champion

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Byron Nelson, Gene Sarazen and Sam Snead

After McLeod's passing, the ceremonial tee shot went on hiatus. The tradition returned in 1981, with Byron Nelson and Gene Sarazen named Honorary Starters. Nelson, a two-time winner of the green jacket, would often be paired with the tournament's 54-hole leader in his retirement, while Sarazen's "shot heard 'round the world" -- a double eagle at the par-5 15th that spurred him to the 1935 Masters title -- entrenched the Squire as a legend at Augusta National. The two were joined by Snead, a three-time Masters champion, in 1984.

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Gene Sarazen

Honorary Starter: 1981-'991935 Masters champion

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Byron Nelson

Honorary Starter: 1981-20011937, 1942 Masters champion

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Sam Snead

Honorary Starter: 1984-20021949, 1952, 1952 Masters champion

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Ken Venturi

Want to win a bet with your friends? Ask them to name the only substitute Honorary Starter in Masters history. The answer is Venturi, the 1964 U.S. Open champ. In 1983, Nelson missed the tournament, staying at home to be with his ailing wife. Chairman Hord Hardin approached Venturi to fill in for Nelson. “Here I am, an Open champion, I’ve played in 14 Masters, and on that morning, I couldn’t catch my breath,” Venturi said to the The Augusta Chronicle in 2000. “I said to myself, ’You stupid, why did you say yes to this.’ All I could tell myself was don’t whiff it.”

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Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player

Following Sam Snead's death in 2002, the Honorary Starter tradition was suspended. For the 2007 tournament, Chairman Billy Payne asked Arnold Palmer to help revive the ceremony. Three years later, Palmer's adversary Jack Nicklaus joined the King, with Gary Player rounding out golf's Big Three in 2012. The 2016 festivities will be without Palmer, as he is dealing with a lingering shoulder injury.

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Arnold Palmer

Honorary Starter: 2007-'151958, 1960, 1962, 1964 Masters champion

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Jack Nicklaus

Honorary Starter: 2010-Present1963, 1965, 1966, 1972, 1975, 1986 Masters champion

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Gary Player

Honorary Starter: 2012-Present1961, 1974, 1978 Masters champion

RBC Heritage

Honorary Starters at the Masters

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Jock Hutchison and Fred McLeod

Jock Hutchison

Fred McLeod

Byron Nelson, Gene Sarazen and Sam Snead

Gene Sarazen

Byron Nelson

Sam Snead

Ken Venturi

Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player

Arnold Palmer

Jack Nicklaus

Gary Player

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