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As the Masters officially gets underway, I began my day (that it was mid-morning was not a deterrent) with a pimento cheese sandwich and a Diet Coke.

Then I beat it over to the manor clubhouse for a respite underneath the Big Oak by the first tee with a smattering of friends and acquaintances.  For years I spent time there because it has been and remains the place to be.  If you have read anything about the Masters through the years, you know about the legend of this tree, perhaps, the most famous tree in golf.

You never know whom you will see at the Big Oak.  Golfers, player wives, agents, media personalities, Augusta National members, caddies, and PGA Tour officials.

Knowing that Verne Lundquist would not be in Augusta this year, for the first time for the most part, since 1982, I decided to call him.  We enjoyed a lot of banter under the tree over the years, and it is sad that he is not on the premises this week.

He lamented that when he retired from CBS in 2024 that of all the events he covered in his remarkable career that it would be the Masters that he would miss the most.  A friend of his, Bill Griffin, hosted him and his wife Nancy and friends last year on Tuesday night of Masters week, which led to a parade of champions stopping by his table to congratulate him and say goodbye.

The smiles on their faces confirmed that Verne was not only beloved by countless broadcast and Masters fans, but he also is beloved by the players.  Everybody from Jack Nicklaus to Ben Crenshaw to Scottie Scheffler to Jon Rahm stopped by to thank him for his contributions to the Masters.

Verne is one of the most passionate of Masters aficionados.  His link with Augusta National immortality is forever secure.  It was here in 1986 when he made his brilliant call that resonates to this day throughout the golf world.

Jack Nicklaus is about to score a 30 on the back nine to win his sixth Masters title in one of the most memorable performances in the history of the sport—certainly a signature memory for the countless Masters fans who were enraptured by the Golden Bear winning his sixth Masters at age 46 with his son Jackie on his bag.   Every mother and grandmother in Richmond County and millions more via television were swooning to this all-time great moment.

When Jack stroked his putt, you heard Verne Lundquist say, “….maybe!” as the ball made its way toward the cup. Then as it slammed safely in the hole, Verne punctuated the broadcast with a thundering, “YESSIR.”  That has been rated the No. 1 call in golf history.

Jack and Jackie huddled beforehand with Jackie reading the putt differently from his father.  The son/caddie saw a slight break to the right, but Jack said, “I have had this putt before and I think it breaks to the left, toward Rae’s Creek.”

He was right, his memory telling what his eyes could not see—another vignette in the great champion’s life that is a reminder of why he was a great champion.

With a compact frame that was just right for the game of golf, Nicklaus manipulated and managed his swing to become the most dominant player in his sport.

However, it was the mental part of his makeup that set him apart.  He had a steel trap mind with an ability to shut out all external distractions and execute with uncommon adroitness which is why he was almost always in the hunt when a major took place.  It is astounding that he not only won 18 major titles, but he also finished runner-up 19 times.

When there was drama in sports, Verne Lundquist always seemed to be there:  Christian Laettner’s miracle shot to defeat Kentucky in the NCAA Elite Eight, 104-103, at the Spectrum in 1992 with no time left on the clock.  “Yessir” on Nicklaus’ putt at Augusta in 1986 and his second greatest golf call when Tiger Woods chipped in from off the green in the 2005 Masters which propelled him to victory.

Woods had hooked his eight-iron over the 16th green to the left.  He would be lucky to get the ball close and save par.  What did he do?  He did what great champions do, he chipped in for a birdie which brought about Verne’s classic description: “In your life have you ever seen anything like that?”

If great players in sport render great performance, then you conclude that when great performance takes place, great broadcasters rise to the occasion.  

Thanks Verne for the memories.