Honorary starters Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus and Tom Watson struck the ceremonial opening tee-shots to mark the start of the 89th edition of the Masters Tournament.
In front of a strong gathering of patrons around the first tee, Player, 89, Nicklaus, 85, and Watson, 75, hit their drives down Tea Olive, at around 7:30am local time.
A day after making three birdies in a row in the Par 3 Contest, three-time Masters winner Player did his customary high kick after being the first to christen this year’s tournament.
Record six-time champion Nicklaus joked about the challenge of bending down to put his tee in the ground, before holding his arms aloft after his effort, while Watson was as effortless as ever with his swing.
When you stripe one down the first 🙌#TheMasters pic.twitter.com/Tz4tUUIDfc
— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) April 10, 2025
The Honorary Starters tradition began in 1963, with Fred McLeod and Jock Hutchison, and has seen greats of the game fulfil the role, with Watson the most recent to be given the privilege in 2022.
American duo Davis Riley and Patton Kizzire, playing in the opening group of the day, got the tournament proper under way at 7:40am local time.
World Number One Scottie Scheffler is the defending champion, and he is bidding to win his third Green Jacket in the last four years.
