Hideki Matsuyama

There were frequent references to the international influence which has been brought about by golf and also the Masters.

Seeing Verne Lundquist, now the dean of Masters announcers, on the grounds is always a time for laughter and storytelling. The other had to do with defending champion Hideki Matsuyama who doesn’t speak much English but had prepared himself to speak without notes and from the heart. In 1997, the year of Tiger’s first Masters victory, he reached the hole known as Firethorn with driver and a nine iron. After he was invited to join the club, Nicklaus became an active member and eventually began using the member tees. “You could tell the guys (former champions) wanted to hear the inside (from Jack)." If he reached for his three-wood, a roar, tantamount to that of making of a 25-foot birdie putt to win the tournament on Sunday, would resonate throughout the premises.