The golf we get to see at #TheMasters is only a fraction of the memorable moments in the course's history.
The craziest round of golf at Augusta National ever happened in 1983, and it featured Ronald Reagan, 7 hostages, and an early cell phone.
This is the wild story.
It was October 22, 1983, and President Reagan was in Augusta, GA, for a bucket list round of golf. His Secretary of State was a member at the course and so some of the cabinet had traveled to Georgia for a day at the hallowed course.
Reagan teed off a little before noon.
At 2:15 pm, a man named Charlie Harris barreled his Dodge truck through an unmanned gate at the country club. A bottle of tequila rattled on the floorboards.
He drove up to the clubhouse, and pointed a .38 caliber pistol at a chauffeur.
He wanted to talk to the president.
Harris marched into the pro shop, where there were 4 others. He had five hostages now. “I want to see that son of a bitch on the golf course,” Harris said.
Reagan was on the 16th hole, and the Secret Service tried to whisk him away. Instead, the president asked for a phone.
From the 16th green, Reagan called the pro shop on an early cell phone. Harris picked up.
“This is the president of the United States," he said. "This is Ronald Reagan. I understand you want to talk to me."
But the connection was bad. Harris could hardly make out the words. He thought it was a recording.
Harris had substance abuse problems. He had just lost his job and heard rumors that more layoffs were coming. He wanted to beg Reagan to intervene.
Thinking the call was recorded, Harris ripped the phone off the wall and fired a shot in the ground.
He looked over at one of the hostages, a Reagan aides who said, "We both need a stiff drink." Harris asked him to go find some vodka. When the aide got outside, he ran away.
After the gunshot, the Secret Service whisked Reagan away. On a TV in the pro shop, Harris saw the president's bulletproof limousine driving away.
Knowing that his chance of talking to the president was over, he turned himself in. He served 3 years in prison.
The next day, Reagan came back to Augusta National.
This time, he played all 18 holes.
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