Fresh off a late season US Open and coming into a rescheduled Fall Masters, it is definitely major season. We were talking recently about some of the best memories from the grandest events and specifically “Your First Major Memory?”.
Looking back on your life, what is the first major memory you have that still sits with you today as you are watching the events unfold?

We were moving back to MN from VA and stopped at my stepdads parents house. His dad had it on his 60” rear projection tv and we watched the back 9 with him. I wasn’t allowed to talk but it was awesome
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My family moved from Utah to Aiken, South Carolina in the fall of 1973. Aiken is 18 miles from Augusta, so, even though I played no golf, we were watching the Masters on tv that next Spring, 1974. I was 13 years old. It is my first memory of tv announcers referring to Jack as the “Golden Bear.” I remember them talking the Golden Bear “lurking.” He tied for fourth.
Gary Player won that year and took home $35,000.
Wasn’t the US Open an early season US Open this year? Since the new 2020-2021 season just started and it was one of the first few events, I think it has to be considered an early season US Open.
My first major memory would likely be Tiger destroying everyone in 2000.
First Tour related "golf" memory would be Payne’s jet crashing. I was a 100% newbie at the time, but I could tell how important he was to the game from the way people talked about him and how the event was portrayed.
The ’97 US Open wasn’t at Pinehurst. Payne won it at Pinehurst in ’99.
Els won at Congressional in ’97.
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I also remember very well Seve winning the Master’s at age 23 in 1980.
I just happened to catch this tournament on the weekend and while I knew next to nothing about golf (my only prior experience with golf was when a golf ball hit the windshield of my dad’s car at the course next to Michigan State University) I was really captivated by some of the characters. Trevino being one. Chi Chi Rodriguez being another though he didn’t play in that year’s U.S. Open. Plus even on a black and white TV, you could tell these guys had a rather unique style of attire. (Yes, back then it was only doctors, dentists and attorneys that had color TVs and even then most of the programming was in black and white.
This was Trevino’s first major win, and of course, he had a great back story. Jack Nicklaus was the runner up.
I remember the Summer of Jack in ‘80.
I wasn’t into golf then, but I had fun watching and seeing everyone in the pub cheering Watson like he was one of theirs.
Sure there were other ones, but this is the earliest one that always sticks out
But come ’92, I was all-in and was fully immersed in Freddy’s Masters victory. Been totally hooked ever since 1992.
-Standing shoulder to shoulder with Jason Dufner as he lines up a blind approach shot. He hit it to 3 feet and comes back over to us and we tell him great shot. His response “I never saw it”
-Charlie Hoffman drives the green on a par 4 and I yell out “nice drive Charlie” to which he gives me a tip of the cap.
-I see a ball roll into some ****. There are no marshals around so I go over and find the ball. Then when the player (David Howell) approaches I signal too him I found your ball. He picked up his provisional and came over and thanked me.
-I am walking down the gravel cart path when I look up and see a ball 10 yards in front of me. I was really surprised and confused for a second. The ball was a Titleist marked with an orange dot, Rickie Fowler. It was pretty cool seeing him stripe his next shot right off the path.
-Finally a huge storm rolled in and blew down the scoreboard as we were sprinting through the Parking lot.
My first tournament and first major was pretty memorable.
Trevino throwing a rubber snake at Jack before a playoff also stands out.
And I didn’t watch it on purpose, I was flipping channels as stop on the Masters because I heard the crowd noise.
I remember calling my Mom (GRHS) over to watch the back 9.