Old dogs on hard road are still a perfect match

CARL JACKSON was 14 when he carried his first bag at the Masters. That was 1961 and yesterday, he returned to Augusta National for his 50th tour of duty in the tournament, looping for long-time employer Ben Crenshaw and, for once, stealing the spotlight from the two-time champion.

Now 64, Jackson was a full-time caddie at Augusta National Golf Club when he was first pressed into action and he’s been Crenshaw’s caddie for the past 35 years, which included the Texan’s two Masters victories in 1984 and 1995. It is a remarkable feat in a tournament and at a golf course where you can’t walk 10 feet without tripping over a legacy or stumbling all over a tradition and Crenshaw, celebrating a mere 40 Masters appearances this year, is appreciative of his old retainer.

“Well, I feel very fortunate to have had him with me all these years,” Crenshaw said after carding a six-over-par 78 for his first round. “You know, we can certainly look back and see some very, very nice times and some really fine, fun tournaments that we didn’t win but we were in the fray a lot. You know, fortunate to win twice, but there’s a lot of years. He’s spilled a lot of blood for me.”