AUGUSTA, Ga. – Last year, 61-year-old Mark O’Meara played his final Masters. Ben Crenshaw made his final turn at Augusta National in 2015 at 63, while Tom Watson endured a few years longer before playing his last in 2016 at 66 years old.
There is no hard deadline for former champions at the year’s first major to step aside, with the club allowing players to leave on their own terms. But knowing when the time is right is not an exact science.
Consider Fred Couples, the 1992 champion, who is playing his 34th Masters this week but has remained impressively competitive at Augusta National well into his golden years.