Remembering dad at Amen Corner: Masters patrons share their favorite memories

In 2024, I spent a day at the Masters with my dad and my sister. I wrote about what the experience meant to me, and received lots of messages from other patrons who had similar fond memories from their time at Augusta National. This year, I wanted to help share those stories.

Over the last few weeks, my email has been flooded with deeply personal Masters memories. We’ve been publishing these stories throughout Masters week.

To everyone who wrote in and shared their favorite memories from attending the Masters: thank you so, so much! You brought this project to life.

A patron’s tiramisu to the rescue

My dream of attending the Masters had finally come true. It was Sunday and Rory McIlroy was in contention to win his first Masters and complete the career Grand Slam. I woke to my 4:30 a.m. alarm with a pit in my stomach — a mix of nerves, excitement, a couple too many glasses of wine at the Partridge Inn the night before and a genuine concern for how McIlroy would perform that day.

We gave ourselves 15 minutes to get out the door. No water. I popped an Advil, got dressed, and headed out the door. Augusta National was waiting. All four of us crammed into the rental car and within minutes, we found ourselves parked. Pitch black. Waves of people joined the queue in an orderly, polite fashion. There was a buzz in the air. It was fun picking up snippets of conversation along the way:

“I can’t believe I’m here.”

“Best day ever.”

“Oh shoot, my leftover tiramisu from last night is still in my backpack.”

I chuckled at that last one and glanced over. She caught my eye and smiled. We started chatting to pass the time. Spirits were high. An hour passed. We all watched the sun rise over the vine-covered walls of the patron entrance, warmth beginning to embrace us. Birds chirping joyfully. Thirty minutes to go.

We were maybe 15 rows from the front when a commotion broke out a few rows ahead. Someone had fainted.

“He needs sugar,” she said as he began to rise from the hallowed ground, a look of bewilderment on his face. He hadn’t yet clued in to what had happened. Bewilderment turned to embarrassment once he realized he’d fainted. It was tiramisu girl to the rescue. She asked his friends if he’d like some tiramisu to help bring him back to life. By then, the paramedics had arrived. Everyone was okay.

My mind began to spin. I haven’t had a drop of water today, let alone a morsel of food, I thought. Excitement aside, I’m not feeling so great. I’m not entirely comfortable in tightly packed crowds. Maybe I’m next. Maybe I won’t even make it in.

Then, sure enough, my vision began to narrow and my body started to feel weak. I’d fainted once before, many years ago, but this was different. Everything was at stake this time.

“I think I’m going to pass out,” I blurted to my friend beside me.

He chuckled awkwardly.

“No, I’m serious — I think I’m going to pass out.”

This time it landed.

“Want me to ask her for the tiramisu?” he asked, half-joking.

“Yes,” I said.

He returned a moment later with a takeaway container of the heavenly ‘pick-me-up’ (apparently a direct translation from Italian — couldn’t be more fitting). I began shoveling the sweet, creamy concoction into my mouth. Within seconds, a wave of relief. I was back.

“Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Masters Tournament.”

We were in.

I called my dad from one of the free phones on site and was truly lost for words. I had to call back once I could actually speak to tell him where I was and how unbelievable the entire scene was. Wishing he could be there with me. It was very emotional.

Ultimately it showed me how moments bring us together, regardless of what they are. The Masters has always had a special place in my heart, since I was a young aspiring professional golfer watching on TV every year with my dad, without fail. The four of us friends experiencing that Sunday together has cemented a bond that will never break.

What followed was a tradition unlike any other and truly the best day ever. – Mark Quinlan

At Amen Corner, I think of dad

I grew up in Augusta, and have gone to the Masters for most of my life. I would go to the tournament and practice rounds sporadically with my mom and dad. In 2001, my dad got four tickets to the tournament. I had to work that week, but he left me an extra ticket if I could get off early and meet them. I was never able to do that. My mom, dad and uncle sat on Amen Corner that day and watched everyone come in. My dad passed that summer from a stroke at 45 years old. We were on the waiting list for series badges and in 2010 my mom began receiving two annual tickets to the tournament.

Ever since then, my mom and I sit at Amen Corner in memory of him. Every time I go I think of him and how much he loved this tournament. He is actually buried in a cemetery about a driver away from Amen Corner. Every time I go, it’s almost like I’m watching it with him.

The Masters is always a special time for my family. Most locals rent out their homes and leave for spring break during the tournament. My dad was an accountant and I played sports (and loved golf) so we were always in town, and I loved going to the tournament. I attached a picture from my wedding of the grooms cake from my wedding and a picture of my mom and dad. – Nick Coia, Augusta, Ga.

An emotional day at Augusta National

My Dad was a teaching pro and in the 90s and early ’00s owned an indoor simulator facility. It was one of the few in our area at the time and he often got booked by big companies to take a simulator unit down to different tournaments to set up at hospitality houses. He did this for several years at Augusta and unfortunately I never made it down with him.

He got sick in 2017 and passed away in 2019, shortly before Tiger won his fifth Masters. Fast forward a few years and I was lucky enough to be invited to attend the Tuesday practice round with some friends.

I felt a wide range of emotions throughout the day. Finally experiencing something I wish I had gotten to do with my Dad was a bit overwhelming, but the most meaningful experience was getting to the phones and calling my Mom to say hi and spend a few minutes talking about my dad. It’s something I’ll never ever forget.

The entire place is so magical and you feel like you’re floating as you walk around. It evokes so many different emotions and because golf is often such a special game for families. It’s hard not to get romantic about what Augusta National means to those who pass the game from generation to generation.

For a lot of my childhood, I resented golf and especially the Masters for taking my dad away from me. His job meant he was busy a lot, so I associated golf with missing him.

But the older I got, the more I fell in love with the sport and the Masters. And I began to understand why my dad loved it so much. And eventually it became our shared passion. We became closer, became golf buddies and best friends. – Shaun Bisson, Petrolia, Ontario

The Masters Sunday that lives in a notebook

I attended the final round of the 2025 Masters with my dad. We ran into Scott Van Pelt by the first tee on Sunday morning. As a fellow broadcaster working in sports media, it was special to get the chance to meet him in person for the first time. He was familiar with my career background thanks to a few quick Zoom interactions over the years on the Pardon My Take podcast, but getting to speak to him for 10 minutes at Augusta National made it that much more special. The chance to get career advice from one of the best to ever do it in our business and him telling me to keep pushing in order to get to where I want to go was an incredible feeling, and having my dad there listening to it firsthand was awesome.

Going to the Masters with my dad last year was by far the most special sporting event that I’ve ever been to. I am incredibly fortunate to have been to the Final Four, World Series and so many other events with him, but this one stood above the rest. I think a big reason why this is this case is because of how unique the whole Masters experience is. We won the lottery… for SUNDAY! The no phone rule created a lot more anticipation for the both of us, since we didn’t fully know what we were in for. The property, the cheap concessions, the fact that celebrities roam around and blend in with the rest of the patrons, just all of it was different. All of that makes the experience at the Masters unlike anything else you will enjoy at a sporting event.

Oh yeah, that Sunday finish was pretty special, too.

Since the no-phone rule at Augusta is a real thing, I brought a mini notebook to Augusta National to document every little detail throughout this once-in-a-lifetime day. Before getting to the course, I filled it with tips from prior patrons, a gift shop wish list from friends and family and other notes. Once we were on the grounds, I wrote down every event of note throughout the day. We only have one picture to show for it, but having all the details in that notebook will forever be part of the experience as well. – Jake Marsh, Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

A work award and a trip to Augusta National

I was lucky enough to get to attend the Friday round of the 2023 Masters and it was a day I’ll never forget. Probably even harder to believe how it came to be. I’m from Milwaukee, Wisconsin and had won an award through my work, which typically was rewarded with an all expenses paid weekend trip with coworkers to a nice warm location, including events, dinners and excursions. “Unfortunately” for me, I won the award during Covid so the trip was canceled and I was given a large quantity of “rewards points” to use on an employee recognition/reward site. 

I had always seen big trips and experiences on there, but never knew how anyone would actually accumulate enough points to cash that in. After a lot of waiting and searching daily, the one day Masters ticket finally came back to the platform, so I cashed in almost all my points for this opportunity, knowing I could use it anytime in the next several years. My girlfriend and I planned the trip for over a year. We spent a few days in Augusta, both before and after my tournament day, just taking in the environment and everything the city had to offer. I’ll always remember grabbing a coffee and walking the second nine before the crowds filled in, just taking in the course and the views, then making my way to the first tee just in time to see Phill Mickelson tee off. I’m just glad I took advice and got my merch taken care of early and shipped out before the trees and rain cut the day short. Now I’m just dreaming of the day I can go back. – Jim Knutson, Milwaukee, Wis.

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