Watson to be honorary Masters starter with Nicklaus, Player

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Six years after Tom Watson played the Masters for the 43rd time, the two-time champion returns in April to hit the ceremonial tee shot alongside Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player.

Watson, who held off Nicklaus in his Masters victories in 1977 and 1981, becomes the 11th player to be an honorary starter dating to 1963.

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All but four of them were Masters champions, including Lee Elder, the first Black golfer to complete in the Masters in 1975. Elder was invited to be a one-time honorary starter last year, though his health kept him from swinging a club.

While the club was not specific, Watson is likely to be a regular on the first tee each Thursday morning, a simple act that draws thousands of fans around the tee and spilling down both sides of the fairway.

Jack Nicklaus, left, Gary Player, center, and Tom Watson play together during the par three competition at the Masters golf tournament Wednesday, April 4, 2018, in Augusta, Ga. The Masters said Tuesday, Jan. 11, 2022,  that Watson will join them on the tee this year as an honorary starter.  (AP Photo/David J. Phillip, File)

A generation behind the "Big Three" of Palmer, Nicklaus and Player, Watson was the next great one in golf. He won eight majors in his Hall of Fame career, all but the PGA Championship. His best moments were with Nicklaus, beating the Golden Bear twice for a green jacket, chipping in to beat him at Pebble Beach in the U.S. Open and and winning the fabled "Duel in the Sun" at Turnberry in the 1977 British Open.

He played his first Masters in 1970 as an amateur, and then returned in 1974 after winning the Western Open for the