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Posted April 11, 2014, 7:56 pm
BY
Meg Mirshak
|
Staff Writer

For Georgia couple, the Masters never gets old

The Masters keeps its charm for Bill Branan even after 65 years attending the tournament.

Branan, of Decatur, Ga., has been to nearly every round since he was a child growing up in Augusta. His wife, Carolyn, has missed only the 1976 tournament in her 65 years at the Masters.

“It never gets old,” Bill Branan said. “People say these are my high holy days, and they are. This is the most wonderful sporting event in the world.”

Tickets were easy to come by when the couple first started coming to the tournament. Now, the Branans become popular people each April when friends and family want a chance to attend.

“Most of the years, we’ve been every day,” he said. “I’m not going to miss a day ’cause I’ll regret it if I do.”

For the Branans, Jack Nicklaus’ win in 1986 stands out as a favorite Masters moment. The couple roots for Phil Mickelson and Fred Couples now.

 

ALWAYS LEARNING. Paine College Golf Coach Herman Belton never loses the instinct to coach golfers, even when it’s the best players in the world at the Masters Tournament.

“I watch the details: the pre-shot routines, what they do to prepare themselves before hitting and how focused they have to be inside the ropes,” said Belton, of Augusta.

Belton, who has played golf for 23 years, also knows he is continually learning the game.

“Whenever I’m around the best, I’m trying to figure out what we can do differently to get better results,” he said. “Everyone takes different steps to get to one goal, which is being the champion at the end of the week.”

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