Patrons Savor the Start of Masters Week
By John Steinbreder | Monday, April 04, 2016
Monday is never a blue day for those golf fans lucky enough to get Practice Rounds tickets to the Masters. And those who strode through the Patron Corridor on their way to the emerald grounds of the Augusta National Golf Club at the start of Tournament week wore wide smiles.
George Pinnell, a PGA professional from Diamond Bar, Calif., has been to eight Masters prior to this year’s. The previous one was 30 years ago, when Jack Nicklaus won his improbable sixth Green Jacket. “I was sitting behind the tee on the 12th hole when Jack came through that Sunday afternoon,” Pinnell said. “I teach golf for a living, and I liked to watch what the players did at the top of their backswings from that spot. So that is where I always sat. I remember Jack coming through and the place being so electric.”
This year, Pinnell brought his wife, Michele, who said she looked forward to seeing the golf course for the first time. “In fact, I am looking forward to everything,” she said. “I just bought a Masters hat in the Golf Shop, and now I want to walk the course.”
“We are also going back to Amen Corner,” said her husband. “I want to see that again.”