AUGUSTA, Ga. — With a chill in the air and wind in the pines, Arnie’s Army gathered for one last ride.

Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player began the 2017 Masters with the customary ceremonial tee shot, but to them and the thousands of patrons gathered around, the moment was more about who wasn’t there than who was.

The presence of Arnold Palmer, who passed away last fall, loomed large over the morning. His green jacket was draped over the chair where he’d sat watching this event last year. Augusta National chairman Billy Payne escorted Palmer’s wife Kit to the first tee to watch the proceedings. And Payne led the gathered masses in a moment of silence, thousands of patrons doffing their hats and bowing their heads in a silent salute to Palmer.

Augusta National passed out pins labeled “I am a member of ‘Arnie’s Army,’” a replica of, and tribute to, the old Army pins of nearly six decades ago. Back in those days, Palmer was the bull-necked, blacksmith-armed hero, Nicklaus the young, slightly pudgy villain, and Player the mysterious foreigner with the peculiar accent. And the Army was thousands strong and nationwide, full-throated in its support of its hero, paving the way for the celebrity-athlete culture of today.

The Army has mellowed with age, though, and on Thursday they greeted Player and Nicklaus with waves of applause. While notables ranging from Rickie Fowler to NFL commissioner Roger Goodell looked on, first Player and then Nicklaus striped drives down the first fairway to kick off the Masters. (Afterward, Nicklaus noted that while the official record had his drive going farther, Player insisted that they tied.)

Afterward, Nicklaus and Player retired to the media center for what’s become a Masters tradition: a give-and-take press conference of old jokes, older tales, and hearty laughs. Nicklaus, who’s spent more time in press conferences than most people have spent with their own children, was as wry and relaxed as ever. Player, on the other hand, ladled out effusive praise like he was spreading rose petals:

• On Nicklaus: “Jack Nicklaus was the greatest gentleman I ever played golf with on a golf course in my life.”

• On Payne’s tribute to Palmer on the first tee: “Extremely eloquent, very touching.”

• On the Tuesday night Champion’s dinner: “A terrific evening. Terrific. It always is.”

• On golf history: “I don’t think there will ever be three better players than [Ben] Hogan, [Sam] Snead, and [Byron] Nelson.”

• On Bobby Jones, co-founder of Augusta National: “He was one of the greatest golfers ever. Maybe the greatest golf swing ever … He had the greatest command of English language of anybody and the most highly educated of any golfer that ever played golf.”

But it was clear Palmer was on everyone’s mind. Player told the tale of visiting a South African gold mine with Palmer, who proceeded to lift a gold brick with one hand. Nicklaus recounted how Palmer made him feel welcome in his earliest days on tour.

“Arnold,” Nicklaus said, “took the Masters from being a tournament to being one of the four biggest events in golf.”

What was clear throughout the morning, though, is that these two men are aware not only of the magnitude of their achievements but, with the passing of Palmer, how fleeting they can be, too. They laughed, as they always did, and told stories both reverential and mocking. Player recounted one of the best of recent weeks:

“What do you think it takes to be classified as a superstar in golf?” Nicklaus asked Player.

“Well, I suppose to be a superstar, you’ve got to win six majors,” Player said. Only 12 men have ever reached that level. Player himself has nine majors, a fact of which Nicklaus is well aware.

“I think,” Nicklaus said, “you’ve got to win 10.”

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Jay Busbee is a writer for Yahoo Sports and the author of EARNHARDT NATION, on sale now at Amazon or wherever books are sold. Contact him at jay.busbee@yahoo.com or find him on Twitter or on Facebook.