The 2024 Masters will forever be linked to a total solar eclipse. In fact, Monday’s play was eclipsed by the eclipse.
Monday marked the first day of the famed golf tournament in Augusta, Georgia, but as 3 p.m. rolled around the first practice round came to a halt as golfers, caddies and onlookers grabbed their Masters eclipse glasses and looked up, CNN reported.
There was no need to order eclipse glasses from Amazon or get them from a local library.
Everyone was provided with green Masters-branded solar viewing glasses. The glasses quickly became one of the best parts of Monday. Tiger Who?
“I will be keeping those for absolutely the rest of my life,” American golfer Will Zalatoris, runner-up in 2021, told reporters. “Those will be some collectables that will be in my office forever.”
“With both patrons and players set to be on the course at the time of eclipse, Augusta National went above and beyond, handing out eclipse sunglasses to attendees as they arrived at the grounds on Monday morning. And like all things Augusta National, the Internet gobbled them right up …,” per Golf Digest.
Maximum obscurity came at 3:08 p.m. when an estimated 76% of the sun was covered by the moon, CNN reported.
Ironically, as people looked toward the heavens, organizers said Amen Corner had the best view of the eclipse. Amen Corner is a feared and infamous three-hole stretch on the back-nine, per the outlet.
This time also provided special moments between the audience and golfers.
Amateur golfer Stewart Hagestad was watching with Scottie Scheffler, the No. 1 ranked golfer when they were approached by a young fan who was not seeking autographs, but offered them her eclipse glasses.
“I personally think those little moments are part of what makes the week so special,” Hagestad, 32, said. “There’s so many things that go into this week outside of the golf that you’ll remember.
“To have the little girl come over with the glasses and to basically be like, ‘Hey, check out the eclipse.’ Like that’s neat, right?
“I certainly didn’t make her day, but hopefully Scottie did. That stuff is really cool.”
For Peter Malnati, a first-time Masters player, this practice round was special for a couple of reasons.
“I don’t think I’ll ever forget the ’24 eclipse happened on Monday at my first Masters – the two memories will be connected,” Malnati said.
Canadian golfer Corey Conners played his entire practice round with the glasses. He did not notice any impact on his game, per CNN.
“I took them off for a moment and it did seem a little darker,” Conners added. “Had a little look at the eclipse, and it was cool.”
