The practice-round tradition

Golf Digest, April, 2001

Practice rounds are one of the great traditions at Augusta National. Whether it's Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer showing a young Tiger Woods the ropes, or Phil Mickelson and John Huston winning several thousand off John Daly and Tim Herron, the thrill of seeing famous players battling each other before scores count for good continues today.

In the early Masters, the primary star was, of course, tournament co-founder Bobby Jones. He played his best golf in practice, never once bettering par in the actual tournament. The expectations placed on Jones were so great that writers covered his practice rounds as fervently as his tournament play. In 1940, for instance, The New York Times' headline on Tuesday's practice read: "Jones Cards a 66 in Augusta Tune-up; Onlookers Cheer as Atlantan Flashes Old-time Skill for Six-under-par Score."

Then there was this all-star power foursome during a Wednesday practice round in 1941: Jones-Tommy Armour versus Walter Hagen-Gene Sarazen. All four players were past their time as challengers, and it was estimated none of them shot better than par. But the match, which ended in a tie, gave the gallery and media exactly what they wanted at the end of practice play: a buzz in anticipation of Thursday's first round. They expect the same today.