Ben Crenshaw makes emotional walk up 18th hole at his final Masters

Ben Crenshaw took one final spin as a competitor amid the azaleas and dogwoods at Augusta National on Friday.

Playing in his 44th Masters, Crenshaw teed off his emotional week as a fill-in for the injured Arnold Palmer in the Par-3 Contest, playing with Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player. The winner of two green jackets, in 1984 and 1995, Crenshaw joked that he was not worthy of stepping into the shoes of The King, but the response from the patrons during his 36 holes indicated otherwise.

“There’s no tournament like it,” Crenshaw, who played a practice round with fellow Texan and record-setting 36-hole leader Jordan Spieth, said earlier in the week.

Crenshaw’s 1995 Masters victory had special meaning, coming as it did just days after his mentor, Harvey Penick, passed away. There were tears then, and Crenshaw expected a similar outpouring on his final walk up the 18th hole on Friday.

“Harvey was like a second father, and a wonderful teacher and a great person. To have played that well that week is beyond my comprehension,” Crenshaw said. “To have won my favorite tournament for his memory will always be my best moment.”

If Crenshaw had one regret, it was that Carl Jackson, his caddie at Augusta since 1976, was too ill to carry the bag for him one last time. They will go down as one of the tournament’s most famous player-caddie partnerships, and Carl’s brother, Bud, looped in his place this week. Carl waited, in his full caddy suit, at the 18th green and greeted Crenshaw.

“I tried to listen to him really hard over the years,” Crenshaw said. “We have made a really good team, and I made a lifelong friend a long time ago.”

Dan Jenkins filed his support for his fellow Texan as the next in line to become an honorary starter.