For the first time since 1945, the Masters won’t be played in April.
Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the tournament will be held in November, and two-time champion Tom Watson talked about the later start during a question-and-answer session with Brett Lasky that was shared on Twitter by the PGA Tour Champions.
Watson was asked if he has played Augusta National in the fall and if so, what are the similarities and differences between the fall and spring?
“The golf course, they keep it in very good condition,” Watson said. “Once the overseed of the rye grass takes hold, they get the speeds of the greens the way they want to from the summer. They probably let the grass grow a little bit longer in the summer, the bentgrass, because it’s so hot, and they get the greens cut down a little bit more. The fairways get tighter. It’s pretty much the same in November as it is in April.
“The only difference is we’re going to have less light. Even with 96 players, if that’s the number of players in Augusta — I’m not sure — they might have to go off the first and 10th tees to get the tournament in.”
Daylight’s Savings Time will have ended on Nov. 1, so the sun will set earlier than it would this weekend. That would be an interesting change.
Watson was asked his favorite Masters tradition. It’s the Champions Dinner, which is held the Tuesday of Masters week.
“That has always been just a great celebration of players from the past and the young players of today. I remember my first Masters Dinners in 1978. Ben Hogan presided, he was master of ceremonies,” Watson said.
“Of course, back then it was Byron Nelson, Ben Hogan, Sam Snead, Gene Sarazen, Henry Picard, Claude Harmon, the old guys … they had us eating out of their hands with all the stories they had to tell us about how it used to be. And now I’m one of those old guys when I go to the Champions Dinner.”
Watson also recounted his first trip to the Masters in 1970 and traveling down Magnolia Lane.
“You had to bring your own practice balls in those days, they didn’t provide them,” Watson recalled. “There were some wonderful memories there. I missed the cut by 3 shots and the one hole that was the crux of me missing it was No. 13.”
An errant shot with his 6-iron was to blame.
Watson also talked about battling Jack Nicklaus at previous editions of the Masters (“Jack was the man”), his favorite victory that led to playing with golf legends as a teen, practicing at home during the stay-at-home order and more.
———
©2020 The Kansas City Star (Kansas City, Mo.)
Visit The Kansas City Star (Kansas City, Mo.) at www.kansascity.com
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.