AUGUSTA, Ga. — The trees at Augusta National Golf Club are an integral part of the Masters tournament ambiance and the course’s unparalleled beauty. They’re even prominently featured in the chorus of Dave Loggins’ song “Augusta,” the instrumental version of which you hear during every Masters telecast.
“Augusta,” Loggins sang, “your dogwoods and pines. They play on my mind, like a song.”
What will be on everyone’s mind who attends or watches the Masters for a long time will be what happened with some of Augusta National’s tall pines Friday afternoon.
Three of them fell in a frightening choreography during high winds about 3:18 p.m. CDT, smashing to the ground in front of the tee box on the par-4 17th hole.
Several patrons were in the area, as the horns to suspend play for the afternoon’s second weather delay had just sounded. The second round was not resumed Friday but is scheduled to restart at 7 a.m. CDT Saturday. It is, frankly, an optimistic schedule as more rain, wind and temperatures not expected to climb out of the low 50s are expected.
The pine trees here at Augusta National are everywhere, and they are massive. According to the Augusta Chronicle, some of them are over 150 years old, dating from when Augusta National’s property was an indigo plantation. I figure there are hundreds that are more than 50 feet tall, including the ones that fell Friday.
I was not out at 17 at the time, though I was close by earlier Friday watching the ageless Fred Couples hit his drive on No. 7, which parallels 17 to the left. When the trees were coming down I’d ventured out briefly to the first hole and chatted with former LSU baseball player Michael Hollander who is a gallery marshal there. Then I ambled next door over to No. 9 hoping to catch a brief bit of action, but the ticking of the deadline clock and the raindrops that were already starting to fall changed my mind.
By the time I returned to the press building about five minutes later, word was already starting to spread. A tournament volunteer hustled into an elevator with me and asked, “Did you hear three trees just fell on the course?” I hadn’t, but as soon as I got to my seat I found the now viral video showing the scary scene of the trees smashing to the ground across the 17th fairway.
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