Players arrive early to watch honorary starters

A half-hour before the Big Three made their way to the No. 1 tee box, Fuzzy Zoeller was waiting beneath the clubhouse oak.

Zoeller, the 1979 Masters champion, was one of a number of players who rose early to see Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player serve as honorary starters. Also watching the 8:05 a.m. shots were Rickie Fowler, amateur Bryson DeChambeau and two-time Masters champion Ben Crenshaw.

“True respect – that’s the reason I’m here,” Zoeller said around 7:30 a.m. “It takes a lot to get me out of bed this early, but I wouldn’t miss this morning.”

Crenshaw has attended the ceremony since the days of Jock Hutchison and Fred McLeod, but 2016 marked the first time he was on the tee box. The Texan watched from 10 yards behind Palmer, Nicklaus and Player, and he lifted his hands in a show of amazement when the 80-year-old Player blasted his drive onto the fairway.

“I usually watch from the clubhouse, so seeing it up close this year was such an honor,” Crenshaw said. “Those three are our giants. Not only for Augusta National, but all around the world.”

Seeing current players in attendance did not go unnoticed by Crenshaw or Nicklaus. Last year, despite having a 1:59 p.m. tee time – the final grouping of the day – Fowler still attended the opening ceremonies. This Thursday, Fowler teed off at 9:26 a.m., while DeChambeau started at 9:48.

“That was great,” Crenshaw said of Fowler and DeChambeau. “(DeChambeau’s) very special – extremely interesting. I played with him on Sunday and he’s fascinating to watch. … He’s a physics major so we didn’t have much in common.”

Added Nicklaus: "Several players were on the tee and came up afterwards and said they enjoyed it. Rickie Fowler gave me a hard time, he said, 'Did you reach the bottom of the hill?' I said, 'Almost.'"