Late Billy Casper on the minds of many at Champions Dinner

A pair of Masters Tournament champions were absent from Tuesday’s Champions Dinner – Jack Burke Jr. and Ian Woosnam.

Sandy Lyle said Woosnam was suffering from a stomach bug, while Ben Crenshaw said it was “just too tough” for 92-year-old Burke to make the trip to Augusta.

“I talked to Jackie about two months ago and he’s in good shape,” Crenshaw said. “He said it’s just too tough, but he’s doing fine.”

Crenshaw touched on the highlights of Tuesday’s dinner, including players sharing memories about the late Billy Casper, who won in 1970.

This was the first Champions Dinner since he died Feb. 7.

“I really enjoyed hearing everyone’s comments about Billy,” Crenshaw said. “It was absolutely wonderful. I said last night, the best line I ever heard about Billy Casper came from Dave Marr. Billy won 51 times on tour and Marr said, ‘You know Billy’s a really nice man but when he was close to the lead, he got mean.’

“It was the perfect comment.”

Lyle echoed Crenshaw’s thoughts on Casper.

“Billy was a great man, a generous man,” Lyle said. “He used to bring flags to the dinner and have everyone sign them for his charities. This year, we all signed six flags for Billy’s family.”

While 2014 Masters Tourna­ment champion Bubba Watson served the same menu from 2013, which included chicken and macaroni and cheese, the atmosphere surrounding the dinner was different to those who attended.

“(In the past) there was a tradition of conversation, and that tradition was kind of lost until last night, when people got up and spoke, and it was a special night,” said two-time champion Tom Watson, who spoke on Golf Central’s Live From the Masters on Wednesday. “I think it was wonderful for the younger players to see that and to hear the stories from the older players. That’s the way you pass down history and lore, by word of mouth.”

After the dinner, Crenshaw said he personally congratulated Arnold Palmer on the three-part television special about him aired by the Golf Channel and praised Jack Nicklaus for being awarded the Congressional Gold Medal.