Thirty years ago this week, on the 18th green of the Augusta National Golf Club, a caddie comforted his weeping player, hugging him tight and supporting him. It was their second Masters victory together — 11 years after the first one. The player’s tears were of joy, but also of relief after a week where emotion off the course had been running through the tournament.
Ben Crenshaw, the 19-time PGA Tour champion, and Carl Jackson, among the most famous Augusta National caddies, were that pair. Jackson had been on Crenshaw’s bag at the Masters since 1976, and the pair had been in contention several times since their first victory in 1984.
But that week was different. The tournament started just days after Crenshaw’s mentor and teacher, Harvey Penick, had died, adding an emotional weight to what Crenshaw called his favorite tournament.
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