Jack Nicklaus opened the Masters with a hook, a laugh, and hesitation. The six-time champion pulled his tee shot left off the first, laughing it off as Tom Watson joked about the lack of a practice swing. At 86, though, the Golden Bear deserves significant leeway. Yet, he himself might be his biggest doubter, as the moment brought a bigger concern he’s been quietly dealing with.

“Well, I don’t know. I think that I was a little worried I had — I had carpal tunnel surgery about five, six weeks ago, and I was worried about being able to hold onto the golf club and hurt somebody. That was my issue today,” Jack Nicklaus said in a press conference after his honorary starter shot to get the 2026 Masters going.

“I’m fortunate that I got it over somebody’s head. I didn’t hit it very well, but I got it over their heads and didn’t hurt anybody. As long as I can still hit the golf ball. I played once this year, I played in February. I played once last year. I don’t really play golf anymore. But it’s such a nice ceremony, and it’s a real honor to be invited. I hope to be able to do it as long as I can not kill anybody.”

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Well, Nicklaus was so worried about the mishaps and falling over, he asked his son to place his ball on the tee. And as he geared up to swing, he couldn’t help but issue a serious warning to the patrons lining the tee box before hitting a low hook right at them.

“Oh, boy, watch out,” Nicklaus said, “and I don’t mean that facetiously.”

“I said, ‘Spread out on both sides because I don’t want to kill anybody,’” he added afterward. “If it’d been a little closer I might have.”

Every year, Augusta National Golf Club invites some golf legends who hit ceremonial tee shots on the first hole to officially open the tournament each Thursday morning. It is another of the Masters’ traditions, which began in 1963. Jock Hutchison, Fred McLeod, Byron Nelson, and Sam Snead are some of the names who have been part of this tradition.

Some of them chose to continue to fulfill that role for a long time, while others chose not to. Sam Snead, for instance, continued to do so from 1984 to 2002, while Nelson opted not to. He said it was too hard to get ready for that one shot every year and chose to retire from the role.

But Jack Nicklaus, clearly, wants to do what Snead did as long as he avoids that big ‘IF’. The 86-year-old joined this tradition in 2010, after competitively retiring in 2005. Since then, he has had 17 appearances.

This year, the 18x major champion was accompanied by Gary Player (90) and Tom Watson (76). The legendary trio, with 11-combined Masters victories, walked to the tee with applause from the patrons, as chairman Fred Ridley introduced them. Player took the first shot, followed by Nicklaus, and then Watson.

Well, as the Honorary Starters completed their shots, Ridley announced, “The 2026 Masters is now underway, enjoy the tournament.” Yet, while Jack Nicklaus is done with his Honorary Starter role, his job at the 2026 Masters is not done yet.

Jack Nicklaus embraces a new broadcasting partnership

After Nicklaus’ shot, the patrons responded to the 6-time Masters winner with laughter and warm applause. This chemistry between him and the patrons at the Masters 2026 and the golf fans worldwide is exactly the reason why he is now embracing a broadcasting role, too.

The 1986 Masters winner will be part of Amazon’s inaugural Masters coverage. This year, Amazon Prime Video is debuting with a new 1:00-3:00 p.m. ET window. Fans were not happy with the coverage spanning across four different platforms. However, Nicklaus’ involvement is something to cheer about.

Hosted by Terry Gannon, the show will feature rotating guests rather than a fixed analyst, with Nicklaus as the headliner, providing insights. Additional streams include “Inside Amen Corner” led by Geoff Ogilvy, Smylie Kaufman, John Wood, Justin Kutcher, and Michael Breed.

As Jack Nicklaus steps into a fresh role with Amazon’s Masters coverage, his connection to Augusta continues to evolve even as his time on the course becomes limited. That same balance is reflected in his outlook as an Honorary Starter, helping him remain part of the Masters tradition.