Masters Memories

Here are my top 5 Masters in my lifetime:

1. 1986
2. 2001
3. 1997
4. 1998
5. 1996

Obviously this is an entirely subjective list (please feel free to disagree), but allow me to defend each choice.

1. 1986. What hasn't been said or written about Jack's comeback in 1986? It is, perhaps, one of the greatest sporting moments of the 20th Century. What it did for golf fans of my generation, more importantly, was expose us to Nicklaus's greatness in a tangible way. We got to SEE it live (even if we were quite young), and seeing an athlete in his element gives one a much higher appreciation of his or her abilities than if you simply HEAR about it years later. Seeing Nicklaus play great (and while he was not in his prime, it was certainly vintage Nicklaus) offered a new generation of fans an opportunity to truly appreciate Nicklaus's greatness, and therefore be able to make some firsthand comparisons with the greatness that was about to be unleashed on the golf world some ten years later.

On a more personal note, I remember watching the '86 Masters with my dad in our old house on Oriole Parkway in Toronto. To this day, I don't know that I've ever seen my dad so excited because of a sporting event, and we attended Game 6 of the '93 World Series (Joe Carter's home run)! It was a great bonding experience for me, and though we'll be in different places during this year's tournament, I can assure there will be frequent phone calls between us.

Some other thoughts on 1986: Jack's victory also led to two of the great comments in the history of golf broadcasting. First, a 26 year-old Jim Nantz tossing it to Tom Weiskopf by asking Jack's old rival what was going through Nicklaus's mind standing on 16 tee. Weiskopf responded that "if I knew that I would have won this golf tournament". A brilliant, witty comment that conveyed profound respect for Nicklaus, a slightly melancholic assessment of his own not-so-realised career, and a perfect understanding of the drama of the moment. Nicklaus, of course, didn't disappoint knocking his tee shot stiff for the penultimate birdie of the round.
The ultimate birdie would come a hole later, called beautifully by Verne Lundquist. Jack had about 18 feet, he and son/caddie Jackie disagreed about the line, Jack went with his gut, and the putt never left the hole. With about three feet to go Lundquist said simply: "Maybe" and as the ball dropped in the cup exclaimed "Yes Sir!". Awesome call.

Quick note on Verne. He's a great golf announcer (as proved through his work in HAPPY GILMORE), but it's awesome for CBS that in losing Gary McCord to his bikini-wax musings, CBS gains Verne. He's been on 16 the last few years and made a lovely call of Tiger's "show the swoosh" chip-in birdie in 2005.

I'll be back in a little while to defend 2001 as my second-favourite Masters Tournament of my lifetime.