This couple has a unique history with Masters Tournament
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - One of the great things about Masters week in Augusta is the patrons, and how each one of them has a unique story.
We met a couple who has been coming here for years.
And they’ve got a personal connection to one of Augusta National’s most iconic legends.
Thousands of patrons walk through the gates at Augusta National every day during Masters week.
But few have a story like Tom and Mary Weadock.
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This is the 18th time Tom has been to the Masters.
The first was back in 1960.
“I was going to Wake Forest. And my roommate said, ‘Do you want to go to Augusta?’ We went and back then you just do it. And it was no big deal,” Tom Weadock said.
A 29-year-old Arnold Palmer won that Masters, his second of four green jackets.
And that wouldn’t be the last time the Weadocks crossed paths with Arnie.
Mary caddied for him one year at the Buick Open in Michigan.
“My husband was a caddie master at the Buick Open at the time, and Mr. Palmer came in and said, ‘Do you have somebody that can, you know, carry for me during the Pro-am? Because my pilot’s going to has to fly back to Latrobe.’ And he said, ‘Would you mind a lady?’ And he said no. So that’s what I did. … It was the most wonderful two days of my life.”
Mary’s first time at Augusta National was 2012.
Decades after she carried the bag for Palmer, she got to see him compete once again – this time in the Par 3 Contest.
“He was just such a genuine man, a wonderful person,” she said.
As for Tom, he’s seen a lot of legends in 18 tournaments over 60 years, from Hogan to Arnie to Jack to Tiger.
But his favorite moment didn’t come until 50 years after his first time on the grounds.
“This is going to sound corny, but the first year I brought her because her excitement being here was just very, very special,” he said.
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