Tom Watson told patrons he was 'truly humbled' as he joined Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player during the long-standing honorary starter tradition to mark the start of the 2022 Masters Tournament.
Watson, who won the 1977 and 1981 Masters Tournaments, followed Lee Elder as just the second player to join Nicklaus and Player as an honorary starter since the passing of Arnold Palmer in September 2016.
Gary Player got the threesome under way with a quip about a push-up to a heckler in the crowd, before Jack Nicklaus made his own joke celebrating his ability to put his tee in the ground without falling over.
Then came the turn of Watson, who was introduced by Augusta National Chairman Fred Ridley for the first time as an honorary starter.
Before teeing up, Watson asked if he was able to say something, and went on to tell patrons he was 'truly humbled'.
"I would like to say how honoured I am to be with Gary and Jack," said Watson.
"I've watched this ceremony many times in the past with Arnie, Gene Sarazen, Byron Nelson, and to be a part of this thing, I'm truly humbled."
With 15 top-10 Masters finishes and a legacy that will last a lifetime, Tom Watson joins the Honorary Starters. #theMasters pic.twitter.com/AXMu9McRop
— The Masters (@TheMasters) April 7, 2022
He then turned to Gary Player to ask how far he had hit his ball, to which Player replied "You could hear the ball land, not very far".
A brilliant drive followed before Watson went back over to both Nicklaus and Player for a hug, and Ridley announced that the 86th Masters Tournament was officially under way.
The tradition of Honorary Starters began at the Masters began in 1963 with Jock Hutchison (1963-1973) and Fred McLeod (1963-1976), and Watson now adds his name to a list which has also included Byron Nelson (1981-2001, non-consecutive), Gene Sarazen (1981-1999), Ken Venturi (1983), Sam Snead (1984-2002), Arnold Palmer (2007-2016), Nicklaus (2010-present), Player (2012-present) and Lee Elder (2021).
Watson's addition comes 45 years after he won the first of his two Green Jackets, and 52 years after he made his debut in the Masters as an amateur in 1970.
Throughout his Masters career, Watson made 42 consecutive starts from 1975-2016, which is the fifth-longest streak in Tournament history. His 58 subpar rounds are second all-time behind Nicklaus (71), and he holds the record for most consecutive years with at least one subpar round (21, 1975-1995). In addition to his victories, he finished as the runner-up three times in his 15 top-10 showings, and his 72.74 scoring average ranks fifth in Tournament history.
Speaking afterwards, Watson said reiterated that he felt very humbled by it all, and in particular the open invite to remain as part of the trio of honorary starters for as long as he would like.
"I didn't have to think about it, no," Watson replied when questioned if he had to think about it when asked.
"But I'm not making light of the fact that I was very humbled about it, and I didn't feel I was in the same category as these two. I've always said that.
"People had asked me, "When are you going to be the Honorary Starter at Augusta?" for the last several years, and I said, "Well, I don't belong there." Honestly.
"Chairman Ridley called me. He asked me fairly quickly in the conversation, he said, Tom, we really would appreciate it if you would accept our invitation to be an Honorary Starter with Jack and Gary, and I told him exactly how I just told him, I feel very humbled, I don't deserve to be there. And he said, No, we'd really like you to do this. I said, I'm more than happy to do it.
"Then he followed up very quickly and he said, Tom, you can do it for as long as you'd like, which I -- wow. That meant a great deal to me. The good Lord willing the creek don't rise."
