Jack Nicklaus shed a tear and Gary Player delighted the gallery with jokes as two of golf's greatest players officially opened the first Masters without the legendary Arnold Palmer.
After an emotional moment of silence for legendary four-time Masters champion Palmer, who died aged 87 in September, it was South Africa's Player who hit the ceremonial first tee shot dressed in his trademark all-black attire.
While the 81-year-old and three-time Masters winner joked with fans on Thursday, Nicklaus' emotions got the better of him as he cried while teeing up the ball.
But as is always the composure of the 18-time major winner, 77-year-old Nicklaus belted his drive straight down the centre of the fairway after Player faded it to the right side of the short grass to wild applause from the fans.
Nicklaus paid tribute to Palmer, crediting him for the Masters' stature within world sport.
"Arnold came along and won it in '58, '60, '62 and '64. It was a time when television was getting started and the popularity of the game was really stimulated by Arnold," Nicklaus said.
"The Masters was just finding its feet. Arnold was the guy who took the Masters from just being a tournament to being one of the four (majors)."
Player won at Augusta in 1961, 1974 and 1978, while the 'Golden Bear' holds a record six Masters wins - in 1963, 1965, 1966, 1972 and 1975 before a vintage performance in 1986.
Overnight thunderstorms have softened the course with extreme winds expected to grip the field throughout the opening two rounds.
Adam Scott, the 2013 Masters winner, is the first of the Australians off in the first round at 11.30pm AEST Thursday night, while world No.3 Jason Day gets his Masters underway at 12.56am Friday AEST.
Veteran Rod Pampling is next off at 1.07am and is followed by amateur world No.1 Curtis Luck at 2.24am.
Marc Leishman is last off for the Australians, playing in the penultimate group at 3.52am.
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