Realizing what's possible on the path to Augusta

You already know every inch of the property from television, video games and the countless other pieces of content devoted to golf’s most hallowed grounds. But setting foot on it yourself is something that can’t be simulated.

Playing in the Masters offers an opportunity to win one of golf’s most coveted prizes, the green jacket, but it’s also the rare tournament where just arriving on the property is an achievement in itself. That is true for everyone in attendance, but especially the players.

Seeing Magnolia Lane on a screen is one thing. Actually making the famed drive is another. Even for PGA TOUR players, it is a moment that can’t be matched. It is a rare moment in their career that leaves them breathless.

“You talk about how we all want to live in the present,” two-time major winner Collin Morikawa said. “We all want to know where we are at that second of the day. The first time driving down Magnolia Lane, that’s all you care about. You’re just there, taking in a dream, essentially something you’ve only ever watched before.”

An invitation to the Masters Tournament is exactly that – a memento of success rewarded. It is a memorable milestone in a player’s career, and it brings with it an opportunity for reflection. To look back at all the hard work it took to reach this moment, to think of all the sacrifices made by yourself and your loved ones, the bricks that laid this foundation.

“If I cast my mind back to 18-year-old Rory and I'm driving down Magnolia Lane for the first time, how would I feel and I think?” said Rory McIlroy. “It's just always trying to go back to being grateful and feeling incredibly lucky that you can be a part of this tournament and you get to compete in it every year.”

Sam Burns, a five-time PGA TOUR winner, made his debut at the 2022 Masters. As a kid, he said, you hear about Magnolia Lane, and you hear about the Masters and you don’t miss “appointment television.” But when he took his first drive down Magnolia Lane, he wasn’t thinking about himself. If anything, golf taught him to appreciate those around him.

“You’re thinking about all the people that helped you get to that point,” Burns said. “It’s pretty cool. You think about all those times as a kid, practicing, having this putt to win the Masters or walking up the 18th hole to see the patrons.

“It’s just a special place.”

Jack Nicklaus first played in the Masters as a teenage amateur. More than 60 years later, the six-time champion has returned each year as an honorary starter. His feelings when he arrives haven’t changed since that debut nearly seven decades ago. For a man with the most accomplished resume in golf, this is a testament to the weightiness of Magnolia Lane and its significance.

“The Masters was always something special to me as a kid. I remember the first time I drove in here, 19 years old and drove down Magnolia Lane,” he said. “I get the same thrill of driving in every time.”

The memories are so thick while driving down Magnolia Lane that – to borrow one of the most famous lines from “Field of Dreams” – you’ll need to brush them from your face.

Augusta National is the field of dreams. And for so many each year, the possibility to tee it up at the first major of the season turns into the achievement of doing that exact thing – having dreams come true.

“As a pro golfer, when you’ve never been there, it’s always the place that you want to go and play – in your first Masters,” said 2019 Open champion Shane Lowry. “The drive down Magnolia Lane for the first time is one of the greatest feelings in the world.”

Lowry posted a video on social media of him making the drive with his father, Brendan. He is not the only Masters participant to share the moment with someone who has meant so much to their journey. Golf teaches so many inimitable lessons, and the Masters is one of those rewards for the perseverance, the dedication and the hard work.

The Masters marks a specific point in time for so many, whether you’re an on-site patron whose springtime tradition is two pimento cheese sandwiches on Amen Corner, or a cold-weather golfer thawing out from winter when the azaleas first bloom on your television.

“First of all – playing here at Augusta National is a dream come true,” said Ludvig Åberg, who finished second in his Masters debut last year. “Just to be in this situation and feel the nerves and feel the pressure walking down the last couple holes is what you dream of. This is what I have been wanting to do for such a long time, and it's quite surreal to actually have the opportunity to experience it.”

The Masters has become such a special moment on the golf calendar because of that experience. It becomes a possibility in life because of great golf, but it’s also something that fans of the sport know and appreciate year after year. Senses elevate. Nostalgia kicks in. The Masters makes the impossible feel possible – whether it’s shaking off a long wintertime that has finally turned into spring for those watching on television, or the long drive down the most iconic road in the game.

“There’s a lot of emotions driving down Magnolia Lane, knowing that I’m going to compete in the Masters,” said Tony Finau. “I mean, it was a dream come true, no question.

“There were so many great emotions, and I think gratitude was definitely one of them – just for how far you’ve come. You’re playing the pinnacle event of the sport. Everybody is trying to be there. Just knowing you’re one of the guys that are competing is just an incredible feeling.”

Sights, sounds, smells and dreams realized. There’s nothing like that first drive down Magnolia Lane.