As usual, the Tiger-consumed media has relegated this year’s Masters to a one-person story. Anyone who has ever been to Augusta National and the Masters knows the real story is always the mesmerizing captivity of the impeccable grounds and the ever-building, gripping crescendo that is the back nine on Sunday.

My dad did the best job of anyone capturing this magical aura in his ‘Ode to the Masters,’ penned in 1988. To keep it current, I've added some lines over the years. So here it is again with my verses preceded by an asterisk.

Ode to the Masters

Take the ghost of Jones

And Arnie’s smile

Take the golfing clones

And Britain’s Sandy Lyle.

Take Amen’s corner

A design uncanny

Where a golfer becomes a mourner

Ask Patton, Strange and even Lanny.

Take Hogan’s class

And Seve’s stride

Take the old bent grass

Watson, Nicklaus, side by side

*Take Tiger’s fist pump

And Faldo’s steely eyes

Take Phil’s major jump

And a leaping Larry Mize

Take Snead’s lore

And Payne Stewart’s knickers

Take Fuzzy’s roar

And Stadler’s snickers

Take the trophy room

And the Shark’s bite

The magnolias in bloom

And terrific Tommy Kite

*Take Scott Hoch who was so near

Or Kenny Perry who needed one more par

Take Zach Johnson and Mike Weir

Who didn’t hit it very far.

Take Byron and Larry

And a jacket that’s green

Take a Vardon named

Harry And Georgia’s Andy Bean

Take Augusta’s hex

On the golfing elite

Take the Merry Mex

And Calvin Peete

*Take a brash Bubba or a gentle Ben

A cool Cabrera or a sweet-swinging Scott

Take the back nine roars again and again

Or a distraught DiVicenzo who simply forgot

*Take feisty Patrick Reed

And Kentucky’s Gay Brewer

Take greens at lightning speed

That couldn’t be truer

Take the cautious, the bold

The trampled down rough

The young and the old

Who after two days had enough

*Take Couples cool

And Woosie’s wobble

Take Hootie’s rule

And Jose Maria Olazabal

*Take a dominant DJ

Or Popeye Craig Parry

Take a shadowy Vijay

And the shots that didn’t carry

Take those who falter

Or the prize that is won

Take a Hagen named Walter

Strolling in the April sun

*Take Norman and Rory

Whose nerves were lost and never found

But many have a sad story

On golf’s most tantalizing ground.

Take Hale Irwin easily annoyed

Or Langer or Hubie or Raymond Floyd

Take Terrible Tommy who never won

Demeret, Player, Sarazen and Weiskopf

Who hit it a ton

*Take Hideki Matsuyama

And the back-nine drama

*Take Len Mattiace and Ed Sneed

Chris DiMarco and Dan Pohl

They all relinquished the lead

As a place in history took its toll

*Take Danny Willet and Sergio

Or the resilient Jordan Speith

Take a Patton called Billy Jo

And others who gritted their teeth

Take Mr. Roberts, a legend down here

And a golf tournament that is very dear

To the hearts of us duffers who stand in ovation

To the Masters

To Augusta

God’s very own creation.

David Cohen April 1988 • Augusta, Georgia

Ken Cohen brings 30 years of publishing experience, many covering sports and working for sports companies. A National Newspaper Assn. first place sports column writer, “Further Review” appears periodically in our newspaper.