AUGUSTA, Ga. – It is the golf equivalent of the Running of the Bulls or the yearly migration of the cliff swallows, but unlike Pamplona and San Juan Capistrano there is no rapid movement at Augusta National.
When the gates opened to the public at the venerable club at 8:06 a.m. (ET) on Monday there was plenty of fast walking – no running allowed – as the hundreds of fans poured through the main gate and onto the golf course which was drenched by overnight rains.
Many patrons gathered around the iconic leaderboard adjacent the first fairway for pictures while others fanned out down the first fairway to follow Bubba Watson, who teed off just before the opening.
GTC, however, has been here before and made its way to Amen Corner. This is, after all, as green as this course will be all week.
