Nicklaus, Palmer, and Player are the Honorary Starters at Augusta National this year and in his opinion, they are “The Big 3” and he doubts that there will ever be another trio like them. The shot is unlike anything in sports because it is stressful with a lot of people around the tee and it is just one of those special Masters moments.
Rolfing doubts that we will ever get to see a dominance of the Major Championships that you had with Nicklaus, Palmer, and Player because there are so many more great players now and he also doubts that we will ever get to know players the way we got to know The Big 3 because of the scrutiny by the media of players that did not exist in the 50’s, 60’s, and 70’s.
He thinks that Rory McIlroy will eventually dominate golf by winning multiple Majors and while a player like Luke Donald could also win Majors and dominate somewhat, Rolfing does not see a player coming along and winning more than 3 or 4 Majors for their career the way that players like Nicklaus, Palmer, Player, Watson, and Woods have.
When he arrived in Augusta, he was looking at the long hitters like Alvaro Quiros for contenders but he is now looking at the great wedge players as favorites. He includes Zach Johnson, Luke Donald, and Steve Stricker in that group of players who he thinks will be in contention to win based on the weather conditions.
His favorite Masters traditions involve watching the final round of The Masters on television and going down to Amen Corner when he is a patron at Augusta National. He feels that The Masters translates to television better than not only any other golf tournament but also any other sporting event in the world.