Couple engaged at 1985 Masters still going strong

Proposals at the Masters Tournament might be growing in popularity, but they’ve also proven to stand the test of time.

Thirty-four years ago, Paul Tufts pulled a ring from his sock near Augusta National’s clubhouse, beginning his lifelong journey with Kathy Bready.

“When Paul dropped to a knee I just laughed,” she said recently. “I never even gave him an answer — I literally just laughed.”

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Two years after their 1985 engagement, Paul and Kathy married on St. Patrick’s Day at Holy Cross Abbey in Tipperary, Ireland, which was built in 1182 AD. They have three grown children and claim the keys to their happiness have been golf and laughter.

“Asking Kathy to marry me was the best decision I ever made,” said Tufts, a Notre Dame graduate who lives in Boynton Beach, Fla. “We love to travel for golf, but we also keep each other laughing.”

Added his wife: “We haven’t stopped laughing for 34 years.”

The couple has returned to the Masters multiple times since their engagement but none have matched the excitement of 1985. In the months leading up to April 1985, they planned a trip from their home in Miami to Augusta. It was their first trip to the Masters Tournament and Paul was determined to make it memorable.

Being from South Florida, he had grown accustomed to seeing planes circle Miami with banners in tow. He’d seen advertisements, as well as banners with personalized messages.

“In Miami those things are a dime a dozen,” Tufts said. “Unfortunately, it’s way harder to find a company like that around Augusta.”

Eventually, he connected with an aviation business from Thomson, and an agreement was made. Prior to Wednesday’s Par-3 Contest, a plane would enter Augusta National’s airspace with a banner that read: “KATHY WILL YOU MARRY ME PAUL”

“The pilot goes, ‘Send me a check for $75 and I’ll do it,’” said Tufts, who hid the ring in his sock at the tournament. “This whole idea was based on blind faith.”

The next step was fabricating a story that she would believe.

“Paul had it planned perfectly,” she said. “He told me we need to go to the clubhouse because defending champion Ben Crenshaw was about to speak to fans and reporters. I’m a huge Crenshaw fan so I had to be there.”

Crenshaw never showed. And as the flight time arrived, neither did the plane.

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Ten minutes passed — then 20. After 30 minutes, he found a courtesy phone at Augusta National.

“The only people who knew about the plan were my secretary (at BellSouth Company) and Thomson Aviation, and they had been in contact all day,” Paul said. “My secretary told me, ‘It’s still on!’”

Tufts raced toward the clubhouse and moments later the plane arrived.

Upon seeing the banner, she was unaware if it was meant for her. After all, she was still waiting on Crenshaw. It wasn’t until he reached into his sock that she knew.

The next morning, his banner proposal had made newspaper headlines across the southeast, and they raced to inform family members before they found out.

“When Paul dropped to a knee, everyone around us started clapping and cheering,” she said. “It was a special moment — just perfect.”