New Press Building draws rave reviews

The Masters Tournament’s new Press Building opened to rave reviews Sunday.

Constructed in less than a year, the building offers state-of-the-art technology and space for the media covering this year’s tournament.

“It exceeds expectations by 10 times,” said Bob Harig, a golf writer for ESPN.com and a past president of the Golf Writers Association of America. “There was nothing wrong with the old press building, but this is really amazing.”

Located at the end of the Tournament Practice Range, the heart of the building is the arena that seats about 350, with large windows offering views of the range.

The hand-operated leaderboard that was in the old building is gone, but two giant video screens will keep the media informed of the latest developments. Each work station features two screens that offer scoring, statistics and video feeds.

The entrance has the feel of a luxury hotel with a sweeping staircase in the center and information and registration desks on the sides.

Upstairs, there are two dining options, including the Bartlett Lounge that pays tribute to the Quonset hut, the barracks-style building that housed the press from 1953 through 1989, with its curved roof.

The interview room seats 150 and has a hands-free microphone at each desk. Television screens can be used to show player highlights, and the room also features an LED backdrop.

There are separate areas for photo, television and radio. Other amenities include locker rooms for men and women, a sound booth for recording, and a telephone room.

The building is a far cry from the tournament’s early days when the press used the wraparound balcony at the clubhouse as its headquarters. That gave way to a tent with flaps in the 1940s, then the Quonset hut was erected in the 1950s.

In 1990, the Masters unveiled a Press Building that was quickly dubbed the “Taj Mahal” by the late sportswriter Edwin Pope. That building served the media for more than a quarter of a century.

The latest version fulfills the mission of tournament co-founder Clifford Roberts, who wanted everything to be first-class.

“We are pleased to open a new Press Building that aims to further the club’s tradition of providing the best working conditions possible for the media covering the tournament,” the tournament said in a news release.

Perhaps the most impressive thing about the new facility is how fast it was built. Ground was broken the day after the 2016 Masters ended, and construction crews worked 20-hour days for six months.

The old media center near the first fairway still stands, but it will be torn down after this year’s tournament to make way for an improved patron corridor.

Count Rory McIlroy among the players who are impressed. He received a tour when he came up to play practice rounds in early March.

“I kept saying, do you realize what you’ve done here?” McIlroy said. “These guys are not going to want to leave. You’re going to want to cover Harbour Town next week from there.”

The golfer also took note of all of the photos that grace the walls.

“It’s a bit of a museum as well, there’s so much cool memorabilia from the Masters and years gone by there,” McIlroy said. “If I wasn’t playing in the thing I know where I would want to be hanging out that week.”