Masters patron attends 60 straight

With a view of Lake Oconee in his backyard, Jack Warren appeared from his living room and began spreading photos across the kitchen table.

“This one’s my favorite,” said Warren, 85, who lives in Greensboro, Ga. “This was my tee shot on No. 16.”

The photo was taken March 8, 1991, and remains the only time Warren has played at Augusta National Golf Club.

For Warren, however, his memories at the course go far beyond that drizzly day in 1991. This year marks his 60th straight appearance at the Masters Tournament.

“In 1957, I was at the University of Georgia and my wife’s brother asked if I wanted to go to Augusta for a golf tournament,” Warren recalled. “I asked, ‘What golf tournament?’”

The rest is history.

As Doug Ford edged Sam Snead by three strokes, Warren was etching his personal story with the famed course. Over the ensuing six decades, Warren has moved to a number of cities, including Athens, Atlanta and Long Beach, Miss., before retiring in Greensboro in 1996.

Still, during the first week of April, Warren and his family migrate to Augusta for what his wife Nancy calls “the save-our-marriage week.”

“Each time I would get a new job, they’d mention paid vacation,” said Nancy, who’s originally from Augusta. “I’d say, ‘I don’t care about that, as long as I get the Masters off.’”

Warren’s first years as a Masters patron involved paper tickets and sparse crowds. Then Arnold Palmer rose to stardom.

Throughout the 1960s, Jack and Nancy joined Arnie’s Army, and tirelessly walked the course all four days. They chased The King up hills and through pine straw, calculating which parts of Augusta National offered the best views.

“I’d be six months pregnant,” Nancy said before pausing. “We’d still be running all over the course. Those were some of the greatest days of our lives.”

As the years went on, Jack and Nancy found a spot by No. 12 tee box before eventually moving to the stands near No. 13.

Now, both in their 80s, they only come Thursday and remain near No. 6 tee. Their three children get the badges for the rest of the week.

“For years, we became close with the Pinkerton security guard at No. 13,” Nancy said. “I’d bring him a piece of cake and he’d save us seats on the front row.”

Jack’s streak nearly came to an end in the 1990s when his check for four badges never made it to the club. As the tournament approached, the Warrens called Augusta National to see if it had received their payment.

“They never got my check,” Jack said. “To this day, the check hasn’t been cashed.”

Because the tournament was so close, the Warrens could not get a replacement for their allotted badges.

However, a friend called after Friday’s round and offered Jack a badge for Saturday, preserving the streak.

“I made sure my check arrived that next year,” said Jack, laughing.

Despite having leg issues, his streak has no end in sight.

Sure, generations of players have come and gone. The crowds are larger now and the trek to Amen Corner is too long for the Warrens to make.

But as the morning sun rises over Augusta National, Jack will gaze from No. 6 toward the No. 16 tee box and remember his photograph from March 8, 1991.

“Shortly before playing Augusta National, Jack was president of the Society of Association Executives and got invited to Washington to see President (George H.W.) Bush,” Nancy recalled. “Well, he was so calm about that – totally unaffected by meeting our president. But when he got that call to play Augusta National? I’ve never seen him so nervous in my life. I still think he’s shaking.”

Reach Doug Stutsman at (706) 823-3341 or doug.stutsman@augustachronicle.com