Duck Tales

Three decades since he played in the Masters, BBC legend Ken Brown sat down with us to reveal how he once sneaked in without an invite, got told off for kicking a football down the fairway and crashed into another player’s car with Seve, Woosie and Langer in the back seat…

- Michael Catling

Ken Brown can still remember driving down Magnolia Lane for the first time. It was always his lifelong dream to do so, and he got the chance to live it in 1985. What he elected not to tell anyone at the time was that he shouldn’t have been there. He hadn’t even been invited.

He drove to Augusta on the offchance and, on spotting his PGA Tour credentials, security assumed he was playing and granted him access to the car park, just outside the clubhouse. He spent a practice day roaming the course and driving range, soaking up the atmosphere and making notes. They’d come in handy when he returned three years later; this time with an invite to play.

He was one of two Brits to make his debut that year, and the only one who made the cut. A victory of sorts? If it was, it was a hollow one. Needing to finish in the top 24 to automatically qualify for the following year, Brown “blew” his chance – and never played at Augusta again. Instead, he watched as Ian Woosnam – the same rookie he had overshadowed in 1988 – slipped on the Green Jacket three years later. Woosnam now has Ryder Cup winning captain and Hall of Famer against his name. Brown’s CV isn’t quite so illustrious. A European and PGA Tour pro turned BBC broadcaster, who once used a banana to illustrate a fade and a rubber duck to show how the Swilcan Burn flows.

Ask anyone under the age of 21 and Brown is probably better known for his “Ken on the Course” segments on TV than his five Ryder Cup appearances, or four European Tour wins. Not that he has too many regrets. The perks of swapping his golf clubs for a microphone mean he’s probably walked Augusta more than the world’s top 10 have played it. He’s got the props, memorabilia and yardage books to show for it – and plenty of stories to go with them...