Skip to main content
Wednesday, November 11, 2026Nov 11
Subscribe
All Sections
Search
More

Wiedmer: What if COVID-19 postponed your first trip to the Masters?

AP photo by Matt Slocum / Fans arrive for a practice round ahead of the Masters on April 9, 2019, at Augusta National Golf Club in Georgia.
AP photo by Matt Slocum / Fans arrive for a practice round ahead of the Masters on April 9, 2019, at Augusta National Golf Club in Georgia. AP photo by Matt Slocum / Fans arrive for a practice round ahead of the Masters on April 9, 2019, at Augusta National Golf Club in Georgia.

By Mark Wiedmer 5 min read

Bucket list.

The Masters.

For sports fans the world over, those two entities go together like dogwoods and azaleas, Amen Corner and Rae’s Creek, Butler Cabin and the green jacket.

And if you’re lucky enough to have attended the Masters even once, you’ve probably checked off the most coveted item on your bucket list.

Which is just what longtime local high school baseball coach and current mortgage lender Greg Payne thought he was about to do on Feb. 25, when he received a pair of Masters badges through a friend for this year’s Monday, April 6, practice round.