Masters Memories, Special Citations

They won't win the top prize (please vote here), but each of these memories struck a chord as well.

Most Creative '86 Viewing Effort - David

It was a typical April night in the UK, which meant cold and pouring with rain, so I had to shelter under my golf umbrella. I got some inquisitive glances from passersby, but being Brits they didn't say anything, assuming I was just another English eccentric. I was however accosted by a Police officer on patrol, who was somewhat suspicious of my behaviour until I explained was what going on - and he turned out to be a golf fan so we watched together for a while before he suddenly realised he was supposed to be working and moved on.

When Sevvy dunked his second on 15 I was so shocked I dropped my umbrella and got soaked. I couldn't bear to watch the rest, and praying that Norman would win, went home to wake up to disappointment next day.

Poignant And Bittersweet - F.X. Flinn

In the middle of the 1988 winter, her cancer returned and took her from us in two quick weeks. I kept playing that spring, because I like it and it only reminded me of her as vital as she could be. In April, at my annual Rotisserie League auction, my pal Doug, importantly aware of my fragile relationship with the game, handed me a gift -- a VHS of the 1986 Masters official film -- and told me to watch it before the Masters started the following weekend.

So on the Tues or Wednesday of Masters week in 1988 I popped in the tape and experienced the whole thing fresh, as if it were happening, not as a recollection of an event already experienced. It's not too much to say that my interest in the professional game was cemented that night, and my self-identification as 'golfer' was confirmed.

Bittersweet and Hilariously Honest - Mulligan

I met my ex that week in Hawaii. Downhill from there.

Everyone makes bad decisions in golf and life and I missed the final round broadcast. Reminded of that regret every time I see the replays.

If only I had seen Jack do it live...

Best Perspective By An Australian - Visman

So when Jack birdied 9, 10 and 11 I was beside myself. My father was watching with me and he said I could get to school late that day, he would drive me, so we could watch.

The eagle on 15, the powerful words of Weiskopf before the tee shot on 16, the "I guess the bear has come out of hibernation" from Nantz. On and on. Culminating in Jacks words in the Butler cabin "You know all I keep reading is you don’t win the Masters at age 46, and by gosh...I think they're wrong" Indeed they were.

Best Post, Mother-In-Law Division - The Other JPB

I was in the kitchen of my (future) first wife's parents' house. Her mother was a chain smoker who lived for all the big sporting events, but most of all Wimbledon and the Masters. She loved blondes, and at the time confessed to being openly "horny" for Bjorn Borg and Jack Nicklaus. She was whoopin' and hollerin all afternoon as Jack made his charge. I was only tangentially interested in golf at the time, but I was having so much fun watching this woman that I stayed for every shot.

Well At Least You Got To Hear The Final Round - Del the Funk

I was driving up the highway to a new town to start my first job out of college. Had a little radio that got TV reception. I would wedge it into the sunroof and tool along listening. Got to be crunch time and the reception started getting fuzzy. I found a good reception spot and pulled over and listened to the final hour on the side of I-95! No picture, just audio, it was thrilling!!

Best Image Of A Gathering Crowd, Barracks Division - Smitty

I was in my barracks room at Lackland AFB, Texas, and when I went at this time to go to the dayroom for a Coke, I realized that the entire barracks was watching the same thing I was. The scene was as unexpected as were my thoughts concerning Jack's chances at the beginning of the last 9 holes.

Best Revelation, Butler Cabin Perspective - cws

Moments later, a CBS technician, clipboard in hand and earphones around his neck, came bursting in the room pleading for quiet. You see, the living room we were in was in the Butler Cabin, on the floor above the room where Jack would soon slip on his sixth Green Jacket. My parents were the guests of friends who were staying in the Butler Cabin that weekend. Apparently, the lights were flickering downstairs and the ceiling was shaking as Jack walked to the tee at 16.

As you might imagine, that was not the only trip the CBS tech made upstairs to plead for some decorum. Only moments later after a near hole in one on 16 and again with the historic birdie on 17, he bounded upstairs, to less avail with each trip. The room was delirious and after Tom Kite and Greg Norman failed to catch Jack, everyone in the room rushed out the back door and lined the second floor porch and staircase to await Jack’s arrival for the Green Jacket ceremony. Moments later, escorted by a couple of Pinkertons, Jack rounded the corner, waived to the raucous crowd and slipped inside. Jack was finally able to do what the CBS tech had failed to do that afternoon….for the first in the last couple of hours, everyone in the room watched in silence as Jack slipped on the Green jacket one more time in the room below us.

Best Bonding Moment - Buffalo Mark

For the remainder of the afternoon my father and I were transfixed to the TV. We both let out a roar when Nicklaus almost holed his tee shot at 16. He said before Seve dunked his shot at 15 that this shot would decide Seve’s fate: on the green he would win, in the water he would lose. And he was right. When it was over we both had smiles on our faces that could not be removed even if my mom kept laughing at us for taking a golf tournament so seriously.

As I look back on the day now I remember the moments related to my dad more than anything else. In 1986 I was 18 and he was 43. Today I am 43 and he is 68. With the passage of time some things change, my dad and I are much closer today, and some stay the same, we still enjoy the same 9 hole course and share the memory of the day Jack beat the best and brought us a little bit closer together.

Most Courageous Admission, Owning A Response Putter - Spiegs

Just to add a final footnote to the story, in March of 1986, I needed a new putter and we often spent spring break with my Grandparents in Lake Havasu, Arizona. That particular year, we flew in and out of Las Vegas. On the way home, we stopped at Las Vegas Golf & Tennis and I came across the MacGregor Response putter and bought it. Needless to say, I got my share of grief until after Jack used the same to win.

Best Confident Early Departure - JR

I watched Nicklaus hit his tee shot and then I raced up the hill by Eisenhower tree to try to get a position on the 17th green. At this point, the gallery was 4 or 5 people deep. When Nicklaus got to the 17th green, I could hardly see him. My brother gave up and stood back from the crowd, but I wedged myself into the gallery and raised up to watched the most memorable putt in golf. At that moment, I was captured(2 heads above the guy in the red pants….black hair, no hat) in the gallery behind the Nicklaus's infamous "raising of the putter". I am reminded of that moment every time I visit a memorabilia shop or a club house grill. I left immediately after the 17th hole, because I had to catch a flight out of Atlanta to my home in Dallas. As far as I was concerned, Nicklaus had already won. Today, I make the journey to Augusta every April and I always make a point to visit the 17th green just for a moment to relive one of the greatest days in golf history! I was truly blessed by the golf gods on that special day!



Masters Memories Contest, Finalists...Vote Now!**

I wasn't sure what to expect with the 1986 Masters memories contest, but I can say I didn't expect to shed a tear and laugh so hard all in the same thread of comments. You all came through with such a great mix of poignant, funny and sweet remembrances. And there were plenty more posts that added color to reinforce the power of that day, not to mention the power of the Masters when it was at its finest.

While we get to the committee's choices for finalists today, I will post a few citations tomorrow to help ease some guilt about only narrowing down to six when there were so many great submissions.  But first, the finalists...it's a shame someone has to win, but I'll do my part to see that they all get a little something for taking the time to share their thoughts so eloquently.

• Dick Alexander

My wife and I decided to take a European vacation in April (April in Paris?), never thinking about the Masters. Being young, we stayed in guest houses, and traveled without reservations.  We stayed in places where no English was spoken, and no television was available until Sunday in Rotenberg, Germany.  Our host spoke good English, and even moderated a "conversation club" so he and his friends could speak English.  I asked him if he knew about the Masters.  He said yes, he knew about Bernard Langer, but mostly watched football. He said he would try to find out for me.

After dinner we went to bed...still jet lagged....until there came a knock on the door late at night.  It was our host, and the Masters was on TV. The US feed with German commentary.  He went to bed, and my wife and I sat around in our underwear watching the tournament on TV in his living/dining room.  When it looked like Jack was out of contention early in the back nine we decided to go back to bed, but we couldn't sleep, so a half hour or so later we went back and turned the set back on...just in time to see Jack's eagle on 15.

We sat around, trying not to wake up the rest of the guests as Jack finished, Seve hit it in the water at 15, Norman failed to par 18, and then Kite missed his putt on 18. We were elated, but the German TV didn't show Butler Cabin, so we went back to bed.

• Hawkeye

I was ten years old and just recently bitten by the golf bug. That April, the lucky few who had acquired one of those new-fangled satellite dishes would be able to watch the Masters telecast on Sky Channel. It’s hard to describe what the PGA Tour, not to mention the magical, mythical Augusta National and The Masters, represented to us living in cold Scandinavia, but let’s just say that it was big news when a Swedish collegiate player named Jesper Parnevik made the cut in a Florida mini-tour event that winter.

Alas, my family hadn’t yet bought one of those bowl-shaped portals to the holy grail, but a friend of my dad’s had, and wouldn’t you know it, he had a VCR too! I spent the entire weekend glued to the TV, endlessly watching the tapes of the early rounds over and over again. I was totally mesmerized by the course, and I knew there and then that I was laying the foundation for a lifelong, although distant, love affair with it.

Getting acquainted with the players was equally thrilling. The characters were like they were lifted from some comic-book adventure drama, from the macho heroes (Norman, Seve) to the exotic assassins (Chen, Nakajima) and the plain-clothes agents (Langer, Kite, Watson, Price). Then, of course, there was Jack Nicklaus, of whom I already knew that he was the greatest who ever lived but was now old and past his prime. Of course, I rooted for him from day one. Besides, how could you not root for a guy with such a cool putter?

Of course, my dad was equally bitten, and he couldn’t help but start watching the tape of the final round before I got home from school that Monday. I was furious when I heard the cheers from the living room as I entered the front door, but the anger disappeared quickly when I laid eyes on the TV screen and saw Nicklaus walking towards the 17th green against a backdrop of thousands of screaming spectators. Dad just said: “That guy’s tied for the lead”, knowing that I would go bananas. The rest is, of course, history. Peter Alliss’ muffled “it’s there” (he had Seve in the BBC office pool) didn’t have quite the same resonance as Verne Lundquist’s “Yes, sir!”, but the memory of seeing it find the cup still gives me goosebumps.

My story does have one final spoiler twist, but I was too young to understand it. It turned out that my mom (not bitten) had heard the result on the radio on her way home, and when she came into the living room and saw us transfixed to the screen, she blurted out “that Nicklaus has won quite a lot before, hasn’t he?”. To his credit, dad didn’t scold her there and then, because then I probably would have understood what would happen before Norman’s 4-iron sailed into oblivion and turned my bug bite into a flesh wound!

• Jim Phillips

Back in 1986, each member of my foursome (Boom-Bah, Doctor B, Beavie and JJB) was a huge Nicklaus fan. We had spent Tuesday of Masters week in Augusta for a practice round (back when you could just drive up and buy practice-round tickets).

On Sunday, with a Seve/Shark duel looming and Jack seemingly out of it, we decided to stick a tape in the VCR and go play. It was a beautiful day in Greenville, SC (about 110 miles from Augusta), and golf fever was upon us.

Before leaving for our round, we called each of our friends and asked them to please honor our request not to call with the final results until we had looked at the tape on Sunday evening. So, at about 9 pm, a couple of hours after the tournament concluded, we sat down in front of the tube to see whether Norman, Ballesteros, or maybe Kite, would prevail.

The phone rang multiple times. Those were the days before caller ID, and we just let it ring, lest someone spoil our party.

Jack birdied 9 and our interest was piqued. Maybe another top 5 for the Bear? Then he birdied 10 and 11. We were getting excited until the bogey on 12. “That’s it, he’s toast,” said Doctor B. Let’s fast forward and get this over with. “Just one more hole,” said Boom-Bah. “If he doesn’t do anything on 13, we can wrap it up and all go home.” Jack birdied 13 and almost holed his chip on 14. Then came the incredible eagle on 15 and the nearly holed tee shot on 16. “Please, just fast forward and let’s see how this comes out,” Doctor B pleaded. But we persevered. We all jumped up and started yelling when the putt dropped on 17 and were hanging on the edges of our seats as the putt on 18 stopped just short. We all had a case of sudden-onset allergies – watery eyes, you know – when Jackie and Jack embraced and walked off the 18th green.

Despite the tremendous urge to hit the FF button as first Kite and then Norman played 18, we watched every minute in “real-time.”  An added bonus was that our hometown boy, Jay Haas, posted a final-round 67 and finished 6th. The emotional high of the 1986 Masters stayed with us the rest of the season. I still have the tape, and occasionally put it in the only remaining VCR I have to relive what was, for me, the most incredible day in golf history.

• Matt
  

Having been drawn into the magic allure of the Masters at a young age, I not surprisingly chose to do my medicine residency in Augusta. As it turned out my first year there became the most memorable year of my life. I attended the Wednesday practice round, saw the course live for the first time, the Par 3 contest and greats such as Gene Sarazen. 3 days later I received an even greater thrill when the residency chief announced that he had 3 badges for Sunday's round from friends going home early. I was able to go, along with another resident as well as my fiancé. We arrived and found a place to sit near the 12th tee just as Nicklaus was making a birdie on 10.

For a moment I thought that just maybe, he could muster some old magic and have a chance. This hope was seemingly dashed after seeing him bogey 12, but a short time later a deafening roar told us that he had at least birdied, if not eagled, 13. In anticipation, we headed over to 17 before it would get too crowded and luckily found a spot right behind the green. Over the next half hour or so we could sense what was happening by the dramatic and almost eerie silence which marked every time Nicklaus was about to make a shot, followed by an even more dramatic roar of the patrons when a birdie or eagle followed. We also quickly were informed of the misfortune of the leader, Seve, by a loud collective groan (unfortunately followed by a few cheers which to this day still bothers me) when he hit in the water at 15. Very soon after another roar from a birdie on 16, we saw Nicklaus hit a low approach from somewhere to the left of the 17th fairway that came to rest on the green no more than 15 feet from where we were standing. Long before it ever became common and trite, I joyously yelled out "it's in" as the putt tracked to the hole.

We quickly ran to 18 hoping to see him finish it off but unfortunately from the low left side of the green could only sense by patron reaction that he almost made a birdie. We waited out the final charges of Kite and Norman to make sure that the seemingly improbable Nicklaus finish would earn a Green Jacket, one that I could have never imagined at that point in his career. My fiancé and I were married a few months later, forever linking 1986 as a year I will never forget. How could I? Everyday looking at the picture over my office desk of the famous Jack Nicklaus scene on the 17th green, raising his putter and taking a step forward from his crouched putting position in anticipation of what turned out to be the defining moment of the greatest Masters ever played, I see our then younger faces in the background and realize just how lucky I was.

• Daniel Utley

If you are reading all of these posts then God bless you as that proves you are as crazy as the rest of us! I will recap a small portion of that week for me as a 13 year old, otherwise 500 words isn't nearly enough.

My father was a lucky badge owner as his family had grown up in Augusta and were offered ownership of badges back in the 60's. I was a 13 year old boy who sparingly played golf but had really started to get into it the previous fall. The Masters was an annual trip for my father and any of the kids who were lucky enough to tag along to see other family members as it ultimately become the annual family reunion.

1986 was like every other year in that we planned the spring break trip to Augusta to see family and so dad could continue his Masters love affair. He told me stories for hours about the course, the history, the great champions, and everything he loved about that week. The difference this year was my father was cancer stricken. As a 13 year old boy I either chose to shelter those thoughts or just didn't realize the magnitude of what cancer was. My ah ha moment was on the road trip down from Kentucky we had a flat tire and my dad wasn't able to get out of the van and change the tire. I got my first experience of this with constant directions from my father. God knows he was scared to death I was going to hurt the van or worst make it tip over on the side of the highway!

When we got to Augusta, my father had become too weak to attend any of the days. More than anything I know this pissed him off more than missing a three footer! Which he did often. Of course my uncles and other family members used the badges for the first couple of days until my yfather had to be admitted into an area hospital. I knew he was sick but again the magnitude of the situation hadn't set in to me. I just knew I was going to Sunday at The Masters!

I got to The National as soon as I could get a ride that Sunday and couldn't wait to see all of the places and players my dad had always told me about. Even in 1986 the marshalls told patrons not to run. I was warned all day long. I didn't care. Dad had always taught me to watch golf was just like playing, you have to warm up first. So I went to the practice grounds to watch the greats. They were all Champions inn my eyes. However, I remember when Jack came out to warm up the aura was so much different. Even as a 13 year novice it was easy to recognize royalty and the greatest. I think people were just thrilled that he was playing well again and The National just seemed as comfortable as an old quilt to him. I finished watching The Golden Bear prepare for his round and scampered over to the first tee to wath him tee off. As a small 13 year old (who didn't care what people said to him) I was able to walk in between people until I got to the ropes where I could see. Jack teed off and I decided to go and see the rest of the course. Dad always talked about the risk reward greatness of #13 so I went down the hill and found a front row seat down by the green on the right. I hung out there all day long watching guys risk it all with little reward. The buzz had begun as guys started falling off the leaderboard and Jack had gotten into position for a back nine run. I wanted to get up and leave but a nice old man told me I would never get another seatt this good and that I should stay. Wise old man! So I watched as Jack and the roar that followed every shot started his march through the back nine.

I didn't really kknow what scores he was making, I just kept seeing his name get further and further up the old traditional Masters scoreboards. I wasn't listening to the old man now, I was going to follow The Golden Bear! So off I went knudging my way between anyone that was in front of me until I got a birds eye view of every shot he hit. I saw every shot from 13 in during that historic round. The best coming at 16 when I was perched to the right of the green by the walkway to the 17th tee. I bet I still have pine marks on my body as I was practically climbing a tree to see. He makes that putt on 16 and all I could think was get to the walkway, so I did. I was so excited as Jack walked by and gave me a high five as I said bring it home Jack! Ignorance is bliss, what can I say! So I finished the round with Jack up 18 and until he got to put on his green jacket.

My father passed away that next week but not before we could sit together and let me ramble on about everything he had taught me that I was able to experience. That experience led me to a life as a player, teacher, coach, and golf professional and most importantly a passion for this game and all that it can teach us. It is and always will be the greatest gift I will ever receive. Except my children of course!

Sorry I went over 500 words....

• Mark

I was a freshman in college in April 1986. I was a pledge at a fraternity and that weekend was our biggest Spring weekend with a huge party on Saturday night...bands, beer truck out front, etc. Being a pledge, that meant my entire Sunday the day after the party was spent cleaning up the blowout from the night before.

During the party Saturday night, a girl from my dorm who I had asked out before (and got turned down) came to the party and I asked her again and she agreed to study and have dinner on Sunday. Mid-afternoon after finishing the house cleanup, I headed back to the dorm for a quick nap and shower before the date.

Fast forward, we are sitting outside the student union talking/studying and I hear a few loud yells coming from inside. A guy comes walking past us and I ask him what is going on and he said Jack Nicklaus just birded 16 to tie for the lead. I told my date that I had to go and I sprinted back to the fraternity house to watch the end. I think I might have said "sorry" or "I will call you later". Now if I told you that that date turned out to be my wife, I would win the contest for sure but she did not. That was our one and only date and I can say without a doubt, that I absolutely did the right thing. 

Time to vote...I've allowed for multiple answers in case you (understandably) can't narrow it to one. Voting goes through the weekend and our winner is revealed Monday. Thanks again to everyone for posting!

**Voting Closed!

Final Day For Contest Entries

Keep 'em coming, the 86 Masters reads have been great! We'll narrow it down and let the voting begin Thursday.

Why Are People Still Betting Tiger At 8-1?

I saw that the Las Vegas hotels did not change Tiger's odds after another mediocre performance at Bay Hill, which means people are still putting money on him at 7-1 or 8-1. Are they seeing something I'm not?

The folks at Today's Golfer report that a travel outfit is quite confident of Woods not winning next week.

No stranger to innovative promotions, one of Europe’s largest golf travel operators is promising to refund all holidays booked before The Masters, should Woods leave Augusta National on Sunday 10 April with a nap-hand of green jackets.

And if Tiger returns to form in Augusta, Your Golf Travel.com estimates it will be refunding holidays to the tune of £1.5 million.

The offer applies to anyone quoting ‘Tiger Masters’ for bookings made from Monday, March 28, until Wednesday, April 6, and golf travellers can choose from more than 2,000 Your Golf Travel.com venues and courses in the UK, Europe and worldwide.

Q&A With John Boyette

Augusta Chronicle sports editor John Boyette is the only media member to have walked all 18 holes with Jack Nicklaus during the final round of the 1986 Masters.

On the eve of next week's event, you can listen to John talk to Rod Morri about his new book, The 1986 Masters. The book is not only a wonderful recap of the event but a beautiful production featuring excellent reproductions of 150 or so Chronicle images from the week.

Boyette answered a few of my questions via email about the book and what we can look for from the Augusta Chronicle next week.

Q: So you were an apprenticing journalist for the Aiken Standard with no assignment, no press badge and just a patron badge. And you decide to follow Jack Nicklaus around for the final round in 1986? Really?

JB: Yes. I know it sounds a little crazy, but it’s true! I was a Nicklaus fan from early on and I thought I would follow him around that day. Believe me, he didn’t have that big of a following after he bogeyed No. 4 and missed a short birdie putt at No. 6. By the time he made the turn, it was hard to get a good spot to see. I had been to the tournament plenty before 1986, but that was actually the first year I wrote articles that were published.
 
Q: When did you decide to create a book about the day and what did you do to flesh out  story that has been pretty well told?

JB: I guess I would think about it on significant milestones or anniversaries. When we got to the 20th anniversary, that’s when I started becoming a little more serious about tracking down some guys and interviewing them. But the bulk of the work was done in the last year. I had incredible cooperation from the Nicklaus family and several others associated with that day. My goal was to put all of the stories about that year – the article taped on the refrigerator, the oversized putter, why he wore the yellow shirt – in one volume. I hope diehard fans who know a lot about 1986 will learn something new, and I hope those who don’t much about it will enjoy it as the story unfolds.

I think the 1986 Masters is great for a number of reasons. Nicklaus winning at age 46 is the main story, but there are so many good subplots going on around it. Nick Price shooting 63. Seve Ballesteros feuding with Deane Beman. The rise of Europe. A lot of future major winners in the hunt that day. To top that will really take something special.

Q: The endsheets of the book features Nicklaus's scorecard. Where is that and other '86 memorabilia displayed these days?

JB: I really don’t have a clue. I know Augusta National keeps the scorecards. I would expect to see them do a display on 1986 in their exhibition area. The Response ZT putter, I’m told, is missing.
 
Q: There were so many goose-bump moments from that day, was there any particular point in the day that stood out for you?

JB: Everything from 15 in was pretty good, but I think my favorite moment was at No. 16. I used to work on the scoreboard at the sixth green that overlooks 16 green, and I had positioned myself behind the green. When Jack’s shot nearly went in the hole, the ground shook and the gallery went crazy. And, of course, the photo of him raising his putter on the 17th green is one of the all-time great shots.
 
Q: You write about the scene in the press center when Nicklaus came in and looked for Tom McCollister to have a laugh about the infamous column that motivated Nicklaus. It's rather remarkable imagining one of today's players taking getting such motivation from one column!

JB: Yes, I wish I had access back then to the old Quonset hut that served as the media center. What a press conference that must have been. I don’t think Jack gave the article much thought at the time, really, but it’s one of those things that has gotten bigger through the years. I can’t see any of the current players giving credit to something like that.
 
Q: What will the Chronicle be doing to celebrate the 25th anniversary and has there ever been any thought of reprinting the 1986 sports page as a commemorative keepsake?

JB: Of course, we’re selling the book on our Web site and at augusta.com. We’ve also got a story by me looking back at 1986 in kind of an alternative format. I try to point out how rare that charge was (no one’s shot that low on the final nine and gone on to win since Jack) and we also have some other goodies. Our special section will publish April 3. We have talked in the past about reprinting some pages, but we’ll see. For the last few years, we have offered a plaque of the front page featuring the Monday cover of our special section to celebrate the new champion.
 
Q: Augusta.com is a production of the Augusta Chronicle and is always a great place to view the tournament from afar, what can we expect this year?

JB: Thanks, we have a lot of great folks here who make our print and online products shine that week. Look for us to do more blogging with more of our writers and updates from the tournament each day. Also, we have launched apps for the Android and Apple iPhone, iPad and iTouch mobile devices. This should allow folks on the go to keep up with the tournament most anywhere.

Poulter, McDowell, Stenson Turn Into Wang On Their Augusta Day Trip**

I wonder what the club thinks of the reigning U.S. Open champion, the reigning tour diva and the former Players Champion turning into auteurs for their drive up Magnolia Lane, the arrival in the locker room and their first glimpse of the course this year.

Naturally, all I could notice was how much the ninth hole fairway continues to be widened out.

Here's Poulter's Tweeted video. And McDowell going up Magnolia Lane and his balcony view, noticeably less Soderberghian in his camera gestures than Poulter.

Update on 2011-03-29 15:26 by Geoff

**Oops...Steve Elling tweets...

Contest: The 1986 Masters, Where Were You?**

**I'm moving the contest thread up to the top again just in case...

This one's simple: pen a post about your memories of watching the 1986 Masters on that epic event's 25th anniversary. It seems just about anyone in the game over the age of 32 remembers where they were when they watched or heard about Jack Nicklaus' sixth Masters win.

A few of the rigorous guidelines:

- Try to keep the posts under 500 words

- No fighting, gambling, bare feet and especially no swearing.

- Your words remain your property

- If you are a member of the media, please post your memories of that day, but you can't win a prize.

- Please post your email in the box a provided under your screen name. Aliases are fine, but you can't win if I can't email you your prize.

Ah, the prizes. A panel of esteemed three experts will select their favorite three entries Thursday and then you will get the chance to vote on your favorites Thursday through Sunday. The winner will be announced Monday, April 4, as the Masters kicks off.

First Prize: A copy of John Boyette's 1986 Masters, a DVD that any fan of the '86 Masters will love and, even though I know all of this website's readers already have one, a one-year subscription to Golf World.

Second and Third Prize: All of the above except Boyette's beautiful book, which they'll have to buy. (Boyette will be the subject of a Q&A later this week.)

So there you have it. Write away, don't be ashamed. This is about celebrating the greatest Masters ever and one of the iconic moments in the game that so often has people asking and certainly never forgetting where they were when Nicklaus won his sixth Masters.

"I'm just not going to hit 3-woods off the tee and play that course strategically the week before Augusta."

Dave Shedloski files an interesting item about Phil Mickelson and Houston next week that should be noted for you Masters pool players who look at the previous weeks play.

"Houston is not going to set up well for me," Mickelson said Saturday after a 3-under-par 69 at Bay Hill Club. "The way the course is set up, you can't hit it more than 285-290 off a lot of the tees. It's not going to be a course where I'm going to play the most strategic and expect to really score well."

The Tournament Course at Redstone is a big ballpark, 7,457 yards, par 72. It would seem a good venue for Mickelson's high-ball power game - if the wind doesn't blow. But many fairways aren't as open as he'd like at the 300-yard mark. Mickelson finished T-35 there a year ago.

"The problem for me there is there is so much water that pinches off the tee, and I'm just not going to hit 3-woods off the tee and play that course strategically the week before Augusta," Mickelson said. "And then when it gets windy and I'm trying to hit high balls for Augusta and it requires a low knock-down shot, it's not going to work.

Having not seen the course, I'm not sure this is more of a statement about the set-up or the design. Knowing Phil's love of Rees Jones' oeuvre, I'm guessing the latter.