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I have read that the big game starts at 9:23 pm tonight. Seriously? Can anyone explain that start time to me?

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Nishimura

I would rather go here than a Superbowl, and I love football.

Monday of Masters Week is never blue. As far as golf fans are concerned, the start of this week is one of the happiest times of the year. Especially the early morning, when the anticipation not only of the day but also the week ahead makes today feel a bit like Christmas morning – for players and patrons alike.

The expectancy is palpable, even in the dark chill of Augusta National before dawn, as people wait for the gates to open. The patrons are a quiet, respectful lot, talking eagerly yet quietly among themselves as they sip their coffees and clutch their collapsible chairs. A rustle rises from their ranks, to be sure. But their voices are soft enough that it is still possible to hear the warbles of songbirds from their perches in the pines and the whirr of mowers in the distance grooming fairways and greens for the day’s play. A couple hundred yards away, the practice facility is awash with light, like a baseball field before a night game, and if you listen carefully, you can hear the cricket-like clicks of urethane golf balls against club heads made of titanium and steel.

It’s the excitement of the day’s golf, of course, that stirs the crowd that waits to walk onto the Augusta National grounds, and the fact that Monday morning not only signifies the beginning of Masters Week but also the year’s first major. There is also the way that the Tournament stands as the official start of the golf season for many patrons, as viewers and also recreational players. It means winter is finally over and spring is here. It indicates that warm weather is soon to follow and summer is not too far away. It is the most prestigious field of the season to date and the first time that all the top players in the game are in one place. It truly is reason to be happy and joyful.

The players feel that, too. Augusta National is one of those places that can gladden even the hardest hearts, and those who trod on its turf seem to walk with a springier gait just because they are here. Then, there is the matter of the Tournament itself. Invariably, the Masters is the one the competitors want to win the most. It is the invitation they cherish more than any other. This is a place where golf history is relived with the presence of fellows like Palmer and Player, Nicklaus and Crenshaw. And by the time Masters Monday arrives, and the players are here themselves, they are filled with as much anticipation as the patrons.

By the time the sun is up and the gates are open, the grounds of Augusta National bustle like a small town. The tee of the practice facility is lined with competitors, and the short game areas and putting greens are busy, too. Patrons grab sandwiches and drinks from concession stands and line up to buy Masters shirts and flags from the merchandise shops. They also stake out positions at various locales around the golf course as the first groups of players go off the first tee.

It truly is the most wonderful time of the year.

Allen

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