Masters 2020: Watch Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player strike ceremonial tee shots without clients for the first time

AUGUSTA, Georgia – The 84th Masters began in darkness Thursday morning. Because the start times were set for 7 a.m. ET with the sun rising just minutes away, Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player gathered on the first start with a bang, let alone in the light of day.

Nicklaus and Player have never argued in front of fewer individuals to start Masters. Attendees included members of Augusta National, a handful of guests, volunteers and media representatives who woke up early enough to attend the festivities.

A light drizzle fell and lit throughout the morning, and the darkness prompted the club to push back the start times 10 minutes before the first round was completely suspended due to adverse weather conditions that seemed to be able to wash all morning.

Nicklaus and Player were always very lively. The player told jokes, and Nicklaus asked those there to lie down in front of the tee, for fear of losing one to the right or left. That way, the ceremonial tee shots felt like every two years. They had a normalizing effect on those present even though the scene – rainy, dark and dreary – was iconic throughout this year.

While this year’s Masters are weird, there are still some moments that will feel quite normal and rhythmic. Maybe not a ton of them, but it was definitely one.

The watching group dispersed seconds after Nicklaus hit his drive, and the golf course engulfed that crowd, a fraction of the size it normally is at this time of the week. As we all walked to where we were going next, it was nice to hear Augusta National President Fred Ridley pronounce – after 19 long months of waiting – that the Masters 2020 is underway.