Over the years, I have been to 14 practice rounds at the Masters and a small number of tournaments. Here I’ve gathered some of the pictures I have taken of the greats in the game.
I’ll start way back in time. Gene Sarazen won the U.S. Open and the PGA in 1922. It was a thrill to see him out on the course at age 80, quietly playing by himself with an orange ball. I saw Sam Snead on the driving range but not the course; a beautiful smooth swing! Byron Nelson was a great mentor to Tom Watson and a fine gentleman. He started the Byron Nelson Tournament in Dallas, which I got to attend one year. Nelson retired to a ranch in Roanoke, Texas. With Snead and Nelson, I’m only missing Hogan for the Big Three of the 1940’s and 1950’s.
The next Big Three took over in the 1960’s with Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, and Gary Player. Everybody loved Arnie, though he was not a legitimate contender when I first went to Augusta, The picture of Jack and son Jackie was 1986, when Nicklaus won at age 46, edging out Greg Norman, appropriately in the background here. Gary Player is still a presence at the Masters, mentoring many of the South Africans, including Trevor Immelman who win the 2008 Masters.
Jack Nicklaus holds the record with 18 majors. Perhaps more remarkably, he finished second 19 times! Among those who pushed Nicklaus and themselves to greatness are Tom Watson, Lee Trevino, and Johnny Miller. Watson surprised me by being friendly and down-to-earth with the fans. Trevino was a hometown (Dallas) hero who did not enjoy the southern plantation vibe of the Masters. I was thrilled to see him out (1989, I think) and he did well that year. Johnny Miller had unbelievable hot streaks, but may be best known for his long years in the announcing booth.
Greg Norman was ranked #1 for 331 weeks. His lack of success in the majors was a combination of bad luck and bad mistakes. I first saw him flying drives past Jack Nicklaus in 1981, which was unheard of. He lost playoffs in all four majors. Seve Ballesteros was known for imaginative plays getting out of trouble. He brought fire to the Ryder Cup that continues to grow. Payne Stewart was tragically killed in a plane accident just as he was getting it all together as a golfer. He’s well known for the knickers and cap.
Tiger Woods dominated the game like few ever have, holding down the #1 ranking for 683 weeks, winning 82 tournaments with 15 majors (plus 3 U.S. Amateurs). He won 22.8% of the tournaments he entered. Rory McIlroy was the heir apparent to Tiger, and has an excellent career. The only person who was able to legitimately be called a rival to Tiger is Phil Mickelson. I’ve got better pictures of Phil, but it seemed appropriate to show him hitting his signature flop shot.
Scottie Scheffler is the current dominant player in the game. These pictures are all from Quail Hollow, with Scottie and Jordan Spieth in President’s Cup practice outfits, and Bryson DeChambeau about to launch a drive at the 2025 PGA. Scottie and Jordan grew up in Dallas and Bryson played at SMU, so this grouping is for Dallas. Jordan, like Rory, won several tournaments at a very young age before battling a slump. Bryson, oddly enough, has won two US Opens with his long driving style. Some of his unique ideas may change the game.
These are very good but maybe not great players with very interesting swings. Scottie Scheffler shuffles his feet, Arnold Palmer had a crazy swing (see the picture above), and many of the older players had homemade swings. Here’s what I see in these pictures: look at the bend in Lanny Wadkins’ driver! Does anything look funny about Fred Couples’ swing? A full swing to horizontal, but look at his feet! How can a person get that much shoulder turn without moving the feet? And then there’s John Daly, a crazy-long hitter in his prime with the biggest swing ever.
Three more very good golfers, this time in poses I like. Tommy Fleetwood putts on the gorgeous 13th green at Augusta. Xander Schauffele has an unusually amused look as his caddie points – you want me to hit it where? That’s the Fleetwood bank of azaleas in the background. Sandy Lyle has a nice follow through on the lovely 16 hole. I used a polarizing filter and got it right as the ball is visible against the sky.
And here’s a focus on the beauty of golf courses. Two very different types of beauty. First we have the colorful azaleas, wisteria, and dogwoods of August.
And this is the spectacular beauty of the coastline at Pebble Beach. Looking up to the 6th green. Then down to the 7th green. Then backwards from the 8th green to golfers about to hit over the gorge.
