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AUGUSTA, Ga. -- The only thing we knew about how Arnold Palmer would be honored at the ceremonial tee shot before the first round of the 2017 Masters on Thursday is that it would be tasteful and well done. Nobody knew how honorary starters Gary Player and Jack Nicklaus would react or how the mood would run.

The result is that we got a little bit of everything on a crisp, chilled 7:40 a.m. ET tee time for two of the greatest golfers ever. Nicklaus, Player, Masters chairman Billy Payne and Palmer’s widow strode to the first tee surrounded by dozens of supportive friends and family and thousands willing to fill that role.

Rickie Fowler and William McGirt were there along with several other golfers and caddies. Fowler even escorted Nicklaus’ wife, Barbara, back to the clubhouse from the first tee.

Both Player and Nickalus were emotional as Payne delivered a short, terrific speech to honor a man with four green jackets who helped make this tournament what it is today.

“It is a wonderful, but in one respect, difficult day,” said Payne on the first tee. “For the first time in many, many decades, someone is obviously missing from the first tee here at Augusta National and the Masters. The almost unbearable sadness we all feel at the passing of Arnold Palmer is surpassed only the love and affection for him which will forever reside in our hearts.”

“I thought the ceremony was very nice,” said Nicklaus afterwards. “I know Billy, he said, ‘How did I do?’  He said, ‘I was really nervous.’ I don’t believe he was that nervous. He did a nice job. I thought the ceremony was very nice.”

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It was more than that. It was a bookend of sorts. There is never full closure in death, but this felt like the end of mourning Palmer in the way he has been mourned over the last six months.

Nicklaus and Palmer told stories about Palmer’s manners, his legacy, his generosity and what it was like to travel the world with him.

“Something that always comes to mind is that the three of us were all extremely competitive obviously and wanted to win, and we made it very clear that we wanted to win,” said Player. “And we traveled the world extensively unlike the players today where they get millions and hundreds of thousands of dollars to go around the world. We went around the world with very small sums of money trying to promote the game. Because we love the game and because we enjoy people and also the fact that we were traveling, which was the greatest education one could acquire. 

“There will be other big threes. But I don’t know if you’ll ever have another big three that will live together like we did. I mean, I was in Jack’s home for weeks, and Arnold was in my home, and Jack visited my farm time and time and time again. And we were ‑‑ I was in their airplane; I didn’t have mine at that stage. We really lived our life together, playing big three matches all over the world.  

“Will that happen again with three guys? Possibly. I don’t know. But it was a very, very unusual time in history, and it will be interesting to see if there is again. And it was a privilege and we all appreciated each other, which was a great friendship. It’s hard to be highly competitive against people and have a great friendship. And yet I sit here today and Jack Nicklaus is my best friend in the world. “

The trio has been reduced to two, and Nicklaus and Player seemed noticeably more appreciative of the moment than maybe in years past.

“It’s really, it’s something that you never forget,” said Player. “And it’s choky. I got on the first tee this morning and I was choky, thinking of the people, the warmth. The greatest thing that can happen to a person is to receive love. The greatest word is ‘God.’ These people were inundated with love. There were young kids there, at eight years of age, know[ing] Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player and cheering at old people at that time of the morning.”

Nobody would have missed it because, as we were coldly reminded of this year, these moments don’t last forever. They’re there. Then they’re gone, but the stories live on.