The 2025 Masters tournament is officially underway after Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus and Tom Watson all struck ceremonial tee shots down the first fairway at Augusta National on Thursday morning.
Three-time champion, Player went first in front of an impressive crowd at 7:30am local time and remarked that "that fairway gets a little more narrow every year" before crunching a driver and subsequently unleashing his trademark high kick - an outstanding achievement for an 89-year-old.
Six-time Masters champion, Nicklaus followed - 50 years on from his fifth Green Jacket - and quipped that he would try not to fall down putting his tee in the ground. After managing to do so successfully, the 85-year-old said: "I won!" and proceeded to strike his drive cleanly down the fairway. As he walked back towards his wife, Barbara, Nicklaus joked that he was pleased to see his ball leave the ground for a moment.
Two-time Masters winner and eight-time Major champion, Watson was the last to go, also commenting on how difficult it was for him to put a tee peg in the ground. Watson's swing was as smooth as ever, though, as the 75-year-old thumped his ball down the first to rapturous applause.
Immediately after, Augusta National Golf Club and The Masters chairman, Fred Ridley, declared that the 2025 Masters tournament was officially open.
Honorary Starters Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player and Tom Watson begin the 2025 Masters Tournament. #themasters pic.twitter.com/LstSDUkltbApril 10, 2025
The first competitors to play away on Tea Olive were PGA Tour winners, Davis Riley and Patton Kizzire. Riley fired left into the trees but still managed to make par on the opening hole, however, Kizzire's wild inaccuracy off the tee to the right was punished via a bogey.
The weather forecast at The Masters for the rest of Thursday looks beautiful with hardly any wind and plenty of sunny skies, ideal scoring conditions for the 95 players in the field.
That sun and docile breeze is expected to make way for much more blustery conditions on Friday, though, with possible thunderstorms in the morning and evening potentially causing disruption for those looking to put themselves in the picture at the weekend.
Scottie Scheffler - the defending champion - begins his quest for consecutive titles and a third overall at 10:15am EDT (3:15pm BST) alongside Justin Thomas and ASU amateur, Jose Luis Ballester.
