Jack Nicklaus Opens Masters 2026 With Ceremonial Tee Shot
Augusta, Ga., Thursday ET — jack nicklaus was part of the ceremonial opening at Augusta National as the Masters 2026 began, joining Gary Player and Tom Watson for the first shots of the week. The moment came under clear skies and immediately set the tone for the first round at the tournament’s opening hole.
Nicklaus, Player and Watson each played their traditional role as honorary starters, with Player sending his shot down the middle, Nicklaus cutting a wild hook to the left, and Watson following with a drive back down the fairway. The ceremony marked the start of the 90th edition of the Masters and drew another reminder of how central the opening ritual remains to the event’s identity.
Jack Nicklaus and the ceremonial start
The opening shots were struck on Thursday ET at Augusta National, where the honorary starter tradition has been part of the tournament since 1963. Nicklaus, who is 86, stepped to the tee after Player’s shot and offered a warning to the patrons before sending his drive left. Watson, 76, used the tee left in the ground by Nicklaus and hit his shot straight down the middle.
The scene was described as one of the familiar moments that signals the start of Masters week, with the trio continuing a role that has long carried special meaning at Augusta National. The ceremonial start remains one of the most recognizable parts of the tournament’s opening day.
What the opening round looks like
The first round also brought the first competitive shots of the week. John Keefer, a 25-year-old Masters debutant, split the fairway on the opening hole before missing a five-foot putt for par and making the first bogey of the tournament. Aldrich Potgieter then produced a messy start, going right, left, right on the first hole before making a six.
Selected tee times for the day included Tommy Fleetwood, Bryson DeChambeau, Matt Fitzpatrick, Xander Schauffele, Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm, Justin Rose, Scottie Scheffler and Robert MacIntyre. golf correspondent Iain Carter said McIlroy appeared comfortable after the weekend and seemed to have lifted the burden he had spoken about.
Jack Nicklaus and the Masters context
This year’s Masters is being played without Tiger Woods or Phil Mickelson in the field for the first time since 1994. The context matters because both players have been among the most visible figures in the event’s modern era, and their absence leaves the week with a different feel around the first tee.
Officials and patrons at Augusta National will now move from the ceremonial opening to the competitive chase for the Green Jacket, with attention quickly shifting to the leading names in the field and to how the early rounds unfold. For now, jack nicklaus has already helped launch the week in the way Augusta National has come to treasure, and the Masters will build from there.
