Crenshaw fans see him off on final Masters appearance

On the Monday after Ben Crenshaw’s 1995 Masters Tournament win, Craig Niederstadt spotted the two-time green jacket winner tying his shoes at a Texas golf course.

The two began a casual conversation that Niederstadt remembered as he waited for Crenshaw to hit his first tee shot Thursday. Crenshaw’s affable and humble nature was unforgettable.

“He acted like he knew me all his life,” said Niederstadt, of Austin, Texas.

Many patrons watching Crenshaw play in his final Masters said he was always quick to chat with golf fans and strangers. His fans tipped their hats and thanked Crenshaw for the memories before he walked down the first fairway.

“Thanks, Ben,” said Jon Mahovlic, of Cranbrook, British Columbia.

In 2010, Crenshaw was waiting to tee off at No. 3 when he started talking to Mahovlic in the gallery.

“He was just chatting with us for three or four minutes like we were old buddies,” he said. “He’s just a true gentleman of the game. We wanted to see him today.”

Tim Terry, a member of Crenshaw’s home course, Austin Golf Club, said the 1995 Masters win was a testament to the golfer’s trust in his game. Terry said Crenshaw managed a big win even though he was struggling with his game that year and his golf instructor and friend, Harvey Penick, died the Sunday before the tournament.

“It was just an unbelievable time,” Terry said. “It was like he had Harvey above reading the putts for him.”

“Team Crenshaw” fans from Austin gathered around the No. 1 tee box with lapel pins and tan hats that said “Thanks for the memories” on the back. Crenshaw’s goddaughter, Charisse Sayers, was among the group.

Sayers grew up down the street from Crenshaw and remembers seeing him practice putting in his backyard. On her second visit to the Masters in the early 2000s, Sayers said, she saw Crenshaw’s passion for the game in a new way.

“It was the second year I came that it really affected me,” she said. “He plays for the love of the game.”