Augusta National controls everything. Every camera angle, every detail, every moment that reaches the public. But for years, one thing slipped through untouched.

Golf Digest has been sending artists and cartoonists to Augusta during Masters week. Not to report on the golf, but to capture what stood out. Their work later appeared in the magazine’s preview issue the following year.

Nobody planned it. It became a tradition.

Golf Digest editor Jerry Tarde wrote about it in April 2018. In the late 1970s, the magazine was based in Fairfield County, Connecticut, surrounded by comic artists who often dropped by the office. Over time, that presence became part of the culture.

The connection grew. Dik Browne created a Hägar the Horrible cartoon for the magazine. Jack Nicklaus worked with Jim McQueen on illustrated lessons. In 2004, Andrew Finlayson drew Tiger Woods’ tips in a manga style.

So bringing artists to Augusta was the next step.

What Artists Saw That the Cameras Missed

R. Kikuo Johnson visited for the April 2018 issue. Raised in Hawaii around golf, he didn’t take his first walk through Augusta National lightly. The course stopped him.

"The beauty of the course," Johnson said, was the thing he kept coming back to after the week was done.

Augusta threw him a curveball, and it had nothing to do with the golf.

"How cheap the food was," he said. "I wouldn't say a pimento-cheese sandwich is worth more than $1.50, but the modest picnic aesthetic was charming in contrast to the grandiose vibe."

Pat Oliphant’s visit took a different turn. The political cartoonist came to Augusta around 1998 and spent three days sketching. Then he disappeared. No warning, no explanation. One sketch was left behind. Golf Digest kept it for nearly 20 years before publishing it in April 2018.

None of this was officially sanctioned. No invitation, no special access, nothing on the broadcast. Golf Digest kept bringing artists each April because it wanted to.

The Masters is the most tightly managed event in American sports. This was never part of the plan.

Read more at Daily Club Golf!

Written by

Sneha Abraham

Edited by

Pulkit Prabhav