2026 Masters honorary starters have total of 11 green jackets between them

For the fourth straight year, golf legends Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player and Tom Watson will hit ceremonial tee shots down the first fairway at Augusta National to officially open the Masters as the honorary starters. It's one of the most time-honored traditions in the sport, and one of the most exclusive as just 11 golfers total have served in the role. Nicklaus — with a record six green jackets to his name — has served since 2010, the longest out of the three active honorary starters.

Player, with three titles, joined Nicklaus two years later and Watson entered the fold in 2022. The practice was originated in an unofficial sense in 1941, when amateur Francis Ouimet played the first round before withdrawing at the urging of tournament co-founder Bobby Jones. According to the Masters website , this sparked the idea for a tradition that would be formalized 22 years later.

Jock Hutchison and Fred McLeod became the first official honorary starters when they took the first shots of the 1963 Masters. Eleven golfers have gone on to fill the role since then, each with a storied past at Augusta National. Honorary starters at the Masters Those 11 golfers who've been honorary starters at the Masters, along with the years they filled the role: Jock Hutchison: 1963-1973 Fred McLeod: 1963-1976 Byron Nelson: 1981-2001 (non-consecutive) Gene Sarazen: 1981-1999 Ken Venturi: 1983 Sam Snead: 1984-2002 Arnold Palmer: 2007-2016 Jack Nicklaus: 2010-present Gary Player: 2012-present Lee Elder: 2021 Tom Watson: 2022-present This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Masters honorary starters: Three legends carry on beloved tradition