By: Brian Albertson

TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services

For all of us golf enthusiasts, the Masters is and always will be the official start to the golf season.

We look forward to the blooming azaleas and the lush green fairways from Augusta National Golf Club.

This year‘s Masters is set for April 10-13. I for one always eagerly await to watch the honorary starters tee off on Thursday mornings. This year will have Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player and Tom Watson again doing the honors on the first tee.

The Masters has traditionally been a melting pot of the best golfers in the world coming together at the same wonderful venue every spring.

This year’s Masters will not disappoint, as players from all over the world, every tour, professionals and amateurs will be competing again for the coveted Green Jacket.

This year‘s betting favorite is world #1 and defending champion Scotty Scheffler, followed closely by world #2 Rory McIlroy.

Several other top contenders are not as highly ranked because they have not received world golf ranking points while playing the LIV tour. Some of the top LIV players competing this year are John Rahm(2023), Brooks Koepka, Cam Smith, Joaquin Newman along with several former Masters champions, including Phil Mickelson (2004,2006,2010), Patrick Reed(2018), Charl Swartzel(2011), Sergio Garcia(2017), and Bubba Watson(2012,2014). 5-time champion Tiger Woods will unfortunately be unable to compete this year due to a recent Achilles tendon tear.

The mystique of Augusta National Golf Club and the golf course are a huge part of the anticipation of the Masters.

Last fall, hurricane Helene ripped through Florida and Georgia on its way to devastating North Carolina. The Hurricane did extensive damage to the Augusta area with winds near 100 mph. Augusta National Golf Course lost many trees and some fell across greens.

Masters Chairman Fred Ridley has assured us all that the golf course will be in the usual pristine condition the Masters is accustomed to, just missing a few trees this year. I am hearing they have already replaced several key trees.

As a spectator, I have been attending the Masters every year since 1984 with the exception of the two Covid years (2020, 2021). I remember my mother taking me as a teen.

She was perfectly happy to sit in her Masters stool on 18 green waiting to see Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, and Seve Ballesteros finish.

I wonder how many pimento cheese and barbecue sandwiches I have eaten on those grounds over the years. I know many of you will go with the legendary egg salad sandwich.

The names change and the trees get taller, but it is by far the greatest golf tournament and sporting event in the world. I look forward to returning again cheering on several former UGA Bulldogs, and many of my fellow St Simons Island residents.

Cheers to happy spring golfing and have a fabulous Masters week!