The Greatest Golf Tournament Known to Man — The Masters

This past weekend was the 90th Masters on CBS. Almost a century of the greatest golf tournament in the world and little has changed. For one weekend a year it’s like we step back in time. Not to the 1930s or even the 60s, but to where we were when we discovered the luster and the glamour of the greenest place on earth.

When I hear that Masters music play it takes me back to my childhood when Tiger was so dominant. The first memory I have of golf is when Tiger won his first Masters tournament. This is something that he and his father had been training for literally his whole life. In 1997, Tiger was only 21 years old, playing in his third ever Masters and started out with the jitters. After his first nine holes, Woods was four over par and looked as if he would not make it to the weekend. On the back nine, Tiger went scorched earth making four birdies and an eagle while posting a 70 (Three shots back of the leader). From there the momentum carried and he set a Masters record when he won the tournament by twelve shots when he shot 18 under par. Right after making his final put, Tiger walked off the 18th green, went right to his father and shared an emotional moment that has been forever engraved in my head.

Watch this without crying:

Narating in that calm ever so smooth voice is Jim Nantz, who’s been broadcasting from the Master for 41 years. He started in 1986 and has been a constant ever since. The way Nantz minces his words it pure poetry. He would just paint a picture that set the stage and to me it always signaled spring was officially here. There have been so many timeless calls with Jim’s voice tour guiding ramifications. Nantz is also known for broadcasting NFL and March Madness games, but Augusta brings out a different type of Jim. He encapsulates what this tournament means with elegance and ease. Every year I not only look forward to the golf, but also the hype videos and the way Nantz blends sport with emotion.

This will send shivers down your spine:

Every year the Dan Patrick Show has a Jim Nantz sound alike competition. One year I was working for ESPN Radio as the traffic guy in the morning and on this particular day the submissions were due. Basically you had to send in a sound clip talking as if you’re Nantz narrating the Masters. So, instead of doing my job, I wrote a script, clipped some Masters music, added some chirping birds and narrated my best Nantz. Since I was working at a radio station, I had top of the line equipment at my disposal. I remember sending it to the DP Show every way I could. I emailed it from a couple different accounts, sent it on Twitter, Instagram and even sent a message on Facebook. I wanted so damn bad for my clip to make it to the show.

Fast forward a couple hours and his show was live on the air. This had been a particularly long day for me because after working at the radio station I also had a full day of classes at the University at Albany. I remember sitting in math class hoping that if they got the clip they would not play it while I was stuck behind a desk with no way of tuning in. The time dragged and then class finally let out. Right when I got into the hallway I turned on the DP Show app and almost as if it were a scene out of a movie the first thing I heard was, “Next up we’ve got John Longton.” Holy shit! I felt as if my whole life had build up to that moment. I started to gasp for air and I clenched my chest as my sound clip played live on a nationally syndicated show to millions of people. Up until then that might have been the greatest moment of my life. Now it’s getting married and the birth of my first child, but it’s definitly top five!

DP called me Johnny:

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The Masters is a great start to the warmer months. There is so much raw emotion tied in with it. And it sounds stupid because at the end of the day it’s just a stupid little golf tournament, but not to me. It’s a tradition unlike any other.