Masters Countdown: Winners only

The famed spring fling known as the Masters, annually the most popular televised event in golf, begins April 10. Yet to absorb the complete spectacle of the place, nothing replaces wandering the grounds and soaking up the atmosphere. As an appetizer for those who have never crashed the Augusta National gates, we offer a few crumbs to nibble on until the opening round begins.

Over the nine days leading up to the event, we'll be providing inside snapshots detailing what makes the event so special for those who have played in, won or attended the storied little invitational at the private club on Washington Road. Included are intimate places where access is extremely limited, as viewed by the players and past champions themselves.

It's the court of kings.

Of all the vestiges that make the Masters special, none is more exclusive than the small room located upstairs in the Augusta National clubhouse.

It's like a theme-park tide with a height restriction. Except that none of us mortals will ever be big enough to enter.

The shiny brass plaque on the door says it succinctly: Masters Club Room -- Private. The smallish locker area is off-limits to everybody but those who have won the Masters title, and thusly it serves as a sanctuary for some of the biggest names in the history of the game.

It's probably not what you are envisioning.

"They do things so well there, so tastefully, at Augusta," two-time winner Ben Crenshaw said. "All the places indoors are not audacious, but very well-appointed and comfortable, elegant.

"The Champions room, they have a wonderful trophy case, and there is some great legacy up on the walls, not only of old members like Cliff Roberts and Bobby Jones, but Dr. Mackenzie as well."

Alistair Mackenzie designed the storied course at Augusta National, which is a work of art in itself. Yet for past champions, their exclusive locker area is for the old and new alike. The Champions locker room, established in 1978, once was dotted with a half-dozen card tables, but that number has dropped to three, just as the list of champions who populate the place has diminished, sadly.

"When I first was there, I was surprised how small it was," Sandy Lyle said. "There were five or six little tables in there at one point, but over the years we have lost a lot of them. Same with the players, losing Sam Snead, Byron Nelson.

"It's quieter in there all of a sudden."

Since the oak lockers number only 28, players share space with other past champions, thought you can probably spot a trend here. Lyle shares with Herman Keiser, who died in 2003, while Crenshaw partners with three-time Masters winner Jimmy Demaret, who passed away in 1983. Craig Stadler shares with Craig Wood, who died 30 years ago.

"So, I don't have a lot of company," Stadler said.

Just as well, since there's not much room up there anyway.

"I suppose you could say it's tight, but I think it's about what it means," Lyle explained. "It's a quiet little place to get away from the outside hullabaloo. It's a place to reflect and enjoy."

Well, usually.

Three years ago, Phil Mickelson and Vijay Singh had to be separated after exchanging heated words in the Champion's den. The Fijian was upset that Mickelson was leaving rooster-tail-sized spike marks all over the Augusta greens, which are hard enough to putt under the best of circumstances. Heck, they could probably use a little excitement up there.

Yet if Mickelson and Tiger Woods keep piling up most of the victories to the exclusion of new winners -- they have combined to win five of the past seven titles -- there could be a lot more elbow room as other winners grow older. But as it stands, like many things associated with the Masters, the locker room stands as a nice confluence of many eras.

"It's a nod to the past," Crenshaw said. "But it still feels quite contemporary."