Masters begins on a postcard-perfect day

AUGUSTA, Ga. -- It's a Masters that tradition that never gets old. Thousands of fans line the opening fairway Thursday as Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus hit ceremonial tee shots to get the tournament under way.

Palmer, the 81-year-old with four green jackets, hit his shot to the base of the hill in the fairway. Then came Nicklaus, a six-time winner who turned 71 in January. He pounded his tee shot down the middle, some 30 yards past Palmer. Nicklaus saw the morning shadows and joked that it would be difficult to hit out of their shadows. That was no problem.

Palmer first played in 1955. Nicklaus played as an amateur in 1959. That means they have been at the Masters a combined 108 years.

Through the early going, Sean O'Hair and Jerry Kelly are tied at one-under par. Tiger Woods, the four-time Masters champion who is winless since late 2009, tees off 10:41. Defending champion Phil Mickelson goes off at 1:48.

-- *GolfDigest.com Staff