HALLOWED GROUNDS Below: Augusta National Clubhouse. Right: Jack Nicklaus watches Nick Faldo on the 18th, 1990
ou never forget your first glimpse of Augusta National. Mine came in 1994, when I was an intern at Sports Illustrated. Driving to the course, I couldn’t believe how tacky Washington Road was, and frankly, my first glimpse of the hallowed grounds was a bit underwhelming too. In those days, the press parking was a gravelly expanse just inside the hedges; now it’s the club’s fancy, new driving range. I crunched my way across the scraggly parking lot and then skirted around the side of the clubhouse, which is surprisingly small in person. There, suddenly, spread out before me was a golf course like no other. It stopped me dead in my tracks. Augusta National is known as the Cathedral in the Pines, but this former nursery is really a green Eden. These were the days before the course grew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x?&[H ?[Z[?Y?[ ]H]?H ?Y[? \?K??????S?VK??S?? ? L????S?? ? L?S?VB?????