Maginnes: Breaking a promise never felt so good
As a boy, former PGA TOUR player John Maginnes vowed never to go to Augusta National unless he earned his way there with his clubs. Fate, though, kept him from realizing his dream. But next week he'll go to the Masters as a broadcaster for the PGA TOUR Radio Network. It's one vow he is happy to break.
By John Maginnes, PGATOUR.com Contributor
There is a place that motivated me from my youth well into my adult life. A place that inspired me to achieve beyond my abilities. A place where dreams are realized and legends are created. This is a very special place indeed, and I have never been.
When I was in high school, my father and a friend of mine talked about going to the practice rounds at the Masters. After great consideration, though, we decided not to go. I said that I would go to Augusta National when I was invited to play in The Masters. So much teenage bravado has kept me away for more than 20 years.
Years later I came within an inch of getting that invite. I just didn't know it at the time. It was a Friday afternoon in 1996 and I had a putt for the outright lead at the Buick Challenge at Callaway Gardens. The putt curled and caught a bit of the bottom lip but stayed above ground.
The weekend was completely rained out. Five of us played off for the title on Sunday afternoon with Michael Bradley winning with a birdie on the first extra hole. He was invited to play in The Masters the following April, not me.
That was my rookie year. I assumed that I would be in position many more times after that but fate had other ideas. Over the years I have done the unthinkable. I have respectfully and politely turned down invitations to play the course, always thinking that someday my time would come.
With my playing career behind me and my dreams of glory replaced by more practical matters, the time has finally come. As a broadcaster for the PGA TOUR Network on XM Satellite Radio I will be part of the team covering The Masters from the opening drive to the final putt.
The list of things that I am looking forward to seeing is probably very similar to yours. From Magnolia Lane to Amen Corner I will drink in the atmosphere and revel in the richness of history and lore.
I am even looking forward to pimento cheese sandwiches, and I have never looked forward to one of those in my life. I am looking forward to being there as history unfolds.
It has been said in many different ways that The Masters stands alone atop the golf world, and in just as many ways that is true. The other three majors are championships of their host organizations. The Masters, though, is a championship borne of the passion of one of the greatest statesman the golf world has ever known. Since Bobby Jones and Clifford Roberts invited the game's elite to the first Augusta National Invitational in 1934, the tournament has been on a different plane.
Horton Smith won the inaugural event, followed by Gene Sarazen the next year. An incredible number of the game's signature events have come to fruition there on the hills of eastern Georgia. Jack Nicklaus' victory in 1986 will stand as one of the greatest moments in our game. Tiger's heroics 11 years later awed the golf world and served notice that the torch had been passed.
Of course, torches have been passed throughout The Masters' 74-year history. Beginning with the Squire back in '35, the game's legends have all won at Augusta National; their legacy secured with a Green Jacket.
The anticipation is starting to get to me. I have been told by players and members of the media alike that television can't capture the beauty of Augusta National in the spring. They have said that it must be experienced to be believed.
So I am finally going to break the vow that I made so many years ago with glee. And if I am ever fortunate enough to receive another invitation to tee it up ... well, you know.