My Trip to the Masters Was Almost as Magical as Winning a Super Bowl

NFL wide receiver Golden Tate attended last week’s Masters, and shares his story from the special experience.

I’ve been blessed to experience a couple of once-in-a-lifetime sports events. First, I played in and won a Super Bowl with the Seattle Seahawks in 2014. My Super Bowl ring is one of my most cherished possessions. The memories from that game, and that season, stay with me forever. That’s a pretty strong item on a sports bucket list.

Last week I checked off another one: Attend a Masters Tournament.

I always try to maximize my time wherever I am by staying on the go. I started my journey by landing in Atlanta and going straight to play at The Golf Club of Georgia. After birdieing the first hole, I had enormous expectations of dominating the course record, but unfortunately, shortly after the birdie I made a few doubles.

Eager to start our trip to Augusta, Mercedes-Benz met me at my hotel the following morning to provide a demonstration for its first luxury SUV from Mercedes-EQ, the all-electric EQS SUV. The detail put into the EQS SUV was astonishing, and Mercedes literally thought of everything when designing that beast. Without a doubt, there's no car, let alone an electric car, that can compete with the EQS SUV. Finally, after obsessing over the EQS SUV and its design, it was time to hit the road. Unfortunately, it was about 8:30 a.m. on a Wednesday, which meant heavy traffic. Like most people, I absolutely hate sitting in traffic, especially when I’m excited to be somewhere like the Masters. But Mercedes had us covered, and, at that moment, I believed the EQS SUV and I were meant for each other. It had a meditation feature, and although we were in traffic, we were able to fully immerse ourselves in this green forest with birds chirping throughout the car. Due to the screen being the width of the car, I felt like I was in the middle of the forest with birds on my shoulders. It was like we were never in traffic.

We arrived, and I was locked in and ready to take mental pictures like Bob Ross, because no phones are allowed on-site. I was thrilled to go to the Par 3 Contest, which was lighthearted and full of cuteness, as WAGs (wives and girlfriends) and their kids caddied in white caddie suits. The dynamic was incredible, and I saw Tony Finau’s gang of kiddos running tee-to-green and not popping their ankles out of place. At one point, Jordan Spieth was carrying his bag because his wife, Annie, carried their youngster, Sammy, who is roughly 18 months old. Suddenly, Sammy wanted his father, and Jordan was now carrying his bag, Sammy, and a sippy cup in 85° weather with pants on. #dadoftheyear. While walking the Par 3 Contest, Justin Thomas yelled to me, “I’m a big fan, GT.” He tends to yell it in populated settings. I’m starting to believe he’s messing with me. I didn’t get a chance to see any hole in ones, but I sure did hear them. The roars that rumbled throughout the course gave me chills, and it reminded me of the 12th man when I played for the Seahawks. It was electrifying, especially when the Irishman Séamus Power made back-to-back hole in ones.

Wednesday night, I was able to chat with Jon Rahm, a Mercedes-Benz ambassador who in five days would win the green jacket. I believe Jon’s perspective has been a huge part of his success. We chatted about how it can be challenging to “turn it off” after a huge win or a tough loss because there’s always something we can improve on in our sports. Our children have a very innocent way of humbling and reminding us of what truly matters. He stressed that it doesn’t matter how he played on any given day, but when he gets home to his kids, nothing else even matters. They simply see us as Dad!

Rahm also spoke about consistency. In the football world, we don’t like “flash” players. These are guys that make a play here and there, and it feels like luck is the biggest factor. The people we all respect are those that do it week in and week out, year after year. The conversations I had with Jon and also Bernhard Langer had little to do with the actual game of golf or the Masters and more to do with the mental aspect of the game. We all feel pressure, whether it’s in sports or everyday life. What I find interesting is how people react to pressure. One thing I’ve prided myself on is being “clutch,” making the play when a play is needed to be made. Jon has shown especially this year he has that “dog” in him. Obviously, he has all the physical tools, but more important, the mental part that keeps showing up in big moments. None were bigger than last Sunday’s final round.

Thursday was like a dream. It began at the Mercedes-Benz hospitality suite that was on the property and literally about 100 steps from the 10th fairway. They had a putting green outside the suite, so my agent Alex Guererro and I found about 30 different putters and an entire bag of Masters logo balls to take a few strokes for little $20 match plays. We were told the greens were manicured the exact same as No. 18. Looking back now, I can completely understand how Rahmbo four-putted to start the day. I felt like I was putting on glass.

We got out to the course and found our group. Before the round, I remember Jon talking about spending more time with his wedges, which was a big reason for his success earlier this year. It certainly showed, with a wedge in his hand he was money! It was magical to watch, to say the least. That day it seemed Rahmbo hit every fairway and every green. That’s impressive control at Augusta, where I watched guys land pin-high and spin all the way off greens several times.

The worst thing that happened to me personally at Augusta was sweating through my G/Fore T-shirt that said, “Golf Is The S---.” While many patrons agreed with that statement and thought the shirt was awesome, Mike Thomas, Justin’s dad, laughed and asked, “You haven’t caught any slack for wearing that shirt?” I looked at him, wondering why would I, and then, like a bag of bricks landing on me, I realized I’m at Augusta National. Probably the one place I shouldn’t wear that shirt. Paranoid I would be escorted off the premises, I hustled back to the hospitality suite to throw on outfit No. 2, which was a very loud pink golf shirt with azaleas. You weren’t going to miss me out on the course. I caught up to the group near the end of Amen Corner where Justin’s wife, Jill, sarcastically said, “Nice shirt.”

Hitting the concessions wasn’t as necessary since we had the Mercedes suite at our fingertips, but I couldn’t pass up on the infamous pimento cheese sandwich, pulled pork sandwich, a cold adult beverage and, most importantly, the to-die-for peach and sugar cookie ice cream sandwich. The line looked daunting, but took only about 10 minutes to get through. We got to the register with about 20 items, and the total was about $33. Unbelievable, right? It was like inflation just skipped right over the concessions … and landed directly in the pro shop where I spent $1,000 very quickly. Getting Masters gear is achievable only if you or someone you know is at the Masters to purchase the gear. I snagged about 10 hats, six shirts and several trinkets to take back home. I would imagine the pro shop alone rakes in somewhere north of $2 million per day.

One fun question that kept popping up between groups of patrons was, “Do you think you would break 100 playing from where the pros play from?” My quick, immediate, unthoughtful answer was absolutely. Then I realized I’d completely lost my mind—some of the best pros in the world were being brought to their knees on this course. Tipped out, no mulligans, no max-net double bogeys and nerves at an all-time high at the Augusta National. Occasionally I can drive the ball within 10–15 yards of the pros and I have a 5.3 index trending up, but I can honestly say I don’t believe many of us weekend golfers would break 100.

Overall, Augusta National was magical in every aspect and totally worth the visit, at any price. I truly believe golf fans should find a way to experience this iconic place someday. Thank you, Mercedes-Benz and Sports Illustrated, for giving me the opportunity to experience the Super Bowl of Golf.

Golden Tate at the Masters / Courtesy of Golden Tate