Augusta golf fan attends his 70th consecutive Masters Tournament

AUGUSTA, Ga. — There might be patrons who have a longer active streak of attending the Masters Tournament than Augusta’s Dan LaSure Sr., but he’s never heard of them.

Throwing out the COVID-19 Masters in 2020, when no outside fans were allowed, this is LaSure’s 70th consecutive Masters. He was even here in 2021 when attendance was limited because of the pandemic.

“I went over 50 years without missing a day (of tournament play),” LaSure said on Friday at Augusta National Golf Club. “Sometimes I’d come seven straight days. I just love the place. It’s like being in heaven.”

LaSure, who will be 89 in June, attended his first Masters in 1952, which was won by Sam Snead. Back then, a badge was $10 and included the practice rounds, tournament rounds, parking, and a program. A four-day tournament series badge is $375 this year.

To put it in historical context, when LaSure started attending the Masters, it was not televised, none of the three bridges (the Hogan on No. 12, the Nelson on No. 13, and the Sarazen on No. 15) had been dedicated, and the Par 3 Course did not exist.

In 1952, the same year of LaSure’s first Masters, the Champions Dinner started. The following year he watched Ben Hogan win his second Masters.

“It means quite a bit to me,” LaSure said. “It’s like the beginning of spring. If you play golf, you can’t wait to get here.”

On Friday, LaSure was at the course with his oldest son, Danny, who is 60 and lives in Asheville, North Carolina. The spry LaSure still walks the course.

“He’s hard to keep up with,” Danny said. “We love No. 13, 16, and especially Amen Corner. It’s fun to get to share this with him. I enjoy just being with him. I learn something from him every year.”

LaSure Sr. is already thinking about the 2024 Masters, when he will be 90.

“I’ll keep coming back as long as I can amble around here,” he said. “I will admit the hills have gotten higher.”

LaSure Sr. was 18 years old attending Richmond Academy and working at Cullums on Broad Street in Augusta when the clothing store opened a small booth at Augusta National for the Masters in 1952. He helped out in the booth, liked what he saw, and has come back every year since.

For 25 years, he worked the scoreboard adjacent to the 13th green, overlooking the 14th tee.

“It’s such a glorious hole,” LaSure said.

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He saw some of the greatest shots in tournament history, but it’s a dubious one that he remembers the best. He was the one who posted an update to the score of Tsuneyuki “Tommy” Nakajima when he made 13 on the hole in 1978. It still stands as the highest score on that hole.

He later worked the scoreboard to the left of the par-3 sixth hole.

The two greatest shots during LaSure’s time at the Masters, he says, were Tiger Woods’ chip-in on the 16th hole on the way to victory in 2005 and Bubba Watson’s escape from the right woods on No. 10 to win a playoff in 2012.

Like so many, LaSure is a Woods fan and has gained even more respect for the way he’s battled back from a car accident 14 months ago to play this week.

“His playing in the tournament this week is amazing to me. He’s the man. Everybody loves him,” LaSure said.

He picks the 1987 Masters as his favorite because it was the only one won by an Augusta native.

“I was real glad when Larry Mize won,” he said.

He regrets not saving all his scorer’s and series badges.

“I didn’t start saving them till real late,” he said, “because I didn’t think much about the fact that they would be something I should have saved.”