Golfers inspire their fans do some meaningful things

Golfers inspire their fans do some meaningful things

"I wrote them both letters and, since they're honorary starters, I just thought it was very nice and generous of Mr. Palmer to ask Mr. Nicklaus to join him," Bowman said. "Typically, there's one starter at a time. Mr.Nicklaus was so accommodating. I just said I enjoyed working at the Masters, and I was wondering if they would be so kind to Masters May Need To Beware Flying Balls sign my 10-year anniversary pin flag."And just before the par-3 tournament on Wednesday, Bowman got that meeting, and autograph, with Nicklaus - who was even more than Bowman had envisioned."Mr. Nicklaus said it was rare he receives letters of this caliber, and he said he really wanted to accommodate me," Bowman said. "We spoke about his career and the Masters and what it meant to him and other personal things. It was a nice chat. You can imagine that when Mr. Nicklaus comes out of the clubhouse, quite a few people approached him. He was gracious."Like all volunteers, Bowman pays his own expenses, but he has a friend, Dan Rich, whom allows Bowman and his family to stay at his house. Bowman takes everyone out for dinner each night. But last Tuesday, the power went out and didn't return until Thursday. They ate by candlelight.

Being a volunteer entitles Bowman to play Augusta every year. He's played nine times and his best score at Augusta National is a 95."There's one word for that course - humbling," Bowman said.His favorite part of the week was watching the mechanical leaderboard changes, and there were many, on the back nine Sunday.