AUGUSTA, Ga. — The crowds at Augusta National are as knowledgable as anywhere when it comes to golf, but there’s always one Masters tradition that leaves many patrons scratching their heads. And it happened again on Saturday morning.
Tom Kim teed off in the third round’s first pairing, and then was followed on the first tee by a lanky middle-aged guy wearing multiple Augusta National logos.
“Who is this guy?” one patron wondered.
“He’s not on my sheet,” another stated.
“He’s a member here,” a man wearing a green jacket authoritatively answered.
So, yeah, he’s legit. And his name is Michael McDermott. And while he’s a financial planner by day, this weekend he’s living the dream by playing in the Masters again as a marker. The club traditionally sends out one of its members in the first group on the weekend when an odd number of players make the cut so none of the competitors have to play as a single.
RELATED: More on the new Masters marker at Augusta National
McDermott, a 50-year-old Pennsylvania native who hits 300-yard bombs and is also a Pine Valley member, took over this coveted role from Jeff Knox in 2023. Knox, who holds the course record from the members tees with a 61 gained a cult following from golf fans through the years for beating the likes of Rory McIlroy and Sergio Garcia.
Of course, none of the markers’ scores are official. In fact, they sometimes scoop up putts to move things along, which was the case with McDermott on at least the first four holes on Saturday. “Wait, he can do that?!” one confused man said.
But that didn’t keep others watching from keeping score.
“All square through one!” someone shouted after Kim missed a par putt at the first.
It’s understandable that McDermott, a decorated amateur golfer, would be a bit nervous playing in front of so many people. (And it should be noted that many in attendance knew who he was, or, at least, why he was there.) But Kim was probably feeling added pressure as well at the thought of potentially getting outplayed by a 50-year-old CFP.
“So, he can’t win the tournament?” a patron asked.
No. But ask any golf fan, and they’ll tell you that Michael McDermott is already a big winner this week.
RELATED: I walked 18 holes with Jeff Knox, the best Masters player you’ve probably never heard of
