Arnie's Army

It was a tough scene at the ceremonial first tee on Thursday. Jack and Gary wept. Billy Payne appeared visibly shaken. The moment was marked. The green jacket on the empty chair. A Masters without Arnie.
The overwhelming angst that was the absence of Arnold Palmer was eased by the Arnie's Army buttons distributed on Thursday. There was a certain dread to not seeing him there. But he was there. We felt him throughout the week. Those buttons represented our unspoken love, admiration, loyalty and grief. The buttons made us smile. We wore them as proudly as green jackets. We drank Ketel One and Arnold Palmers in tribute. And we acknowledged that Arnold Palmer will always be a part of The Masters Golf Tournament.

But the win belonged to Sergio Garcia. The best golfer to never win a major erased that unwanted title. Dustin Johnson had a freak accident and had to withdraw. Charley Hoffman made a run. Jordan Spieth made a run. Rickie Fowler made a run. Justin Rose made a run and wound up in a playoff with Sergio. But the Spaniard prevailed. Sergio became the first Spaniard to win the Masters since the 1999 green jacket was awarded to Jose Maria Olazabal. And he won on the birthday of beloved golfer Seve Ballesteros , six years after the Spanish golfer's death. Seve won the Masters in 1980 and 1983.

The 37 year old , Garcia, finally won a major tournament after 73 previous attempts. He first debuted at the Masters in 1999 as an amateur. Born in Castellon, Spain, he resides in Crans-Montana, Switzerland and he has added a coveted green jacket to his wardrobe. The playoff was a dramatic ending to a dramatic week. 

An early freeze prevented the usual display of thousands of brilliant azaleas on the grounds but no one seemed to miss the flowers. The traditional pimento cheese sandwiches were seen in abundance. No freeze can stop those tasty treasures. The winds whipped through the flags on the main scoreboard. The greens were impeccable. The bunkers were as always, legendary. 

New friends were made in whispered conversations in the mass of folded green chairs. Visitors from many different countries asked questions of fellow patrons and compared favorite golfers. The Masters is a sort of United Nations of sports--certainly of golf. 

The staff of paid employees and volunteers are energetic and friendly throughout the long days of the tournament. This is true from the front gate,security, restroom attendants, concessions staff , merchandise staff and volunteeers at the ropes and each golf hole. And they too wore Arnie's Army buttons. We were united in both our grief and solidarity. 

The Augusta National Golf Club is one of those places that live up to all the hype. It is gorgeous. And The Masters Golf Tournament is understandably a bucket list ticket for many people. You have experienced a little bit of Heaven after visiting. Not just Amen Corner. There were angels among us. 

Bobby Jones. Payne Stewart. Ben Hogan. Byron Nelson. Sam Snead. Bruce Edwards. Arnold Palmer. 

There was a wind advisory Thursday with gusts up to 40mph for the opening day of the 81st Masters Golf Tournament. Several times during the day sandwich wrappers and caps flew around the course. Late in the afternoon, you could sense a light calming breeze. It seemed like a weightless fly-over. It felt like Arnie.

Sergio got the jacket. But the week belonged to Arnie.