The Masters, held annually at Augusta National Golf Club in early April, is professional golf’s first grand slam of the year and is steeped in tradition. That tradition was on display this year in a poignant tribute to one of its champions, Arnold Palmer. Palmer’s victories at Augusta National in the late 1950s and early 1960s coincided with the first televising of major golf events. Palmer and the Masters were joined together as part of golf history. In recent years, the Masters began with Palmer (a four-time Masters winner), Jack Nicklaus (a five-time winner) and Gary Player (the first non-American golfer to win the event) each hitting opening tee shots at the first hole. Sadly, this year there was only an empty chair for Palmer draped with his green Masters jacket. A television camera showed Nicklaus and Player as they mourned their departed friend.
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