Greg Hansen: Tucsonans have deep roots at Augusta, but still searching for elusive green jacket

In the public mind, golf in Tucson is a winter wonderland, cactus and snakes, sun and fun, a cold one on a warm day.

Big names? We’ve had a few. Arnie’s Army marched (and won) here. Annika Sorenstam got her start here. Jack Nicklaus designed two of our eye-popping resort courses. Phil Mickelson donned the Conquistadores helmet three times, and Tiger blitzed the field in one of his 82 career victories, at Dove Mountain.

About all Tucson lacks on its golf résumé is a hometown face donning the green jacket at Augusta National.

It’s not that we haven’t been well-represented at the Masters. Since the inaugural event, 1934, Tucson-connected golfers have been in the field 83 times across 88 years. Tucson has provided every conceivable level of golfer, with every imaginable golf background, to the history of America’s heavyweight golf tournament.

Tucson’s roots at Augusta have grown deep.

The first-ever Masters included perhaps the two most prominent club pros in Tucson history: El Rio Country Club’s Leo Diegel, and Tucson Country Club pro Errie Ball. Diegel, who grew up near Detroit, had won back-to-back PGA Championships in the late ’20s, and Ball, who grew up in Wales, got his start as an American club pro linked to a recommendation from golf legend Bobby Jones.

Based on their tournament participation, here’s a chronological review of the 18 other Tucson-connected golfers who followed Diegel and Ball to the Masters:

Ed Updegraff, 1962-70. A urologist from Iowa who moved to Tucson in 1948, “Dr. Ed’’ qualified as an amateur six times from 1962-70. His best finish: 44th in 1966. Updegraff might’ve had a top-25 finish in 1965 but he injured his right hand while trying to hit a ball from behind a tree on the 13th fairway and had to withdraw.

Homero Blancas, 1963-75. The pro at the Randolph Golf Complex played in seven Masters, with a top finish of fifth, 1972, a week he had a chance to catch Nicklaus on Sunday’s back nine.

Don Pooley, 1981-91. The standout Arizona Wildcat alumnus made the cut in seven of his eight Masters. Best finish: fifth in 1988, fourth strokes back of Sandy Lyle.

Dan Pohl, 1982-89. Arizona recruited Pohl from Mount Pleasant, Michigan, after Pohl eschewed a chance to play minor-league baseball. Pohl came from six strokes back in 1982, tying Craig Stadler at the 18th hole, forcing a playoff. Unfortunately, Pohl missed a six-foot par put in sudden death and finished second.

Willie Wood, 1982-99. A prep national champion from Sabino High School, Wood played in four Masters over 18 years, finishing 12th in 1997.

Ronnie Black, 1984-85. Now the director of golf at Green Valley’s San Ignacio Golf Club, the small-town golf hero from Lovington, N.M., finished sixth in his Masters debut in 1984, just five strokes back of winning Ben Crenshaw. Black also played in the 1985 Masters, finishing 41st.

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Eric Meeks, 1989. Upon winning the 1988 U.S. Amateur, Meeks, an Arizona junior, shot 83-79 to miss the cut at his lone Masters, 1989.

Robert Gamez, 1990-91. The NCAA golfer of the year as an Arizona senior, 1989, Gamez missed the cut in his two Masters appearances.

Manny Zerman, 1991-92. A key part of Arizona’s 1992 NCAA championship team, Zerman qualified for the 1991 and 1992 Masters by finishing second in the U.S. Amateur. Zerman was the low amateur at the ’92 Masters, shooting 70-71-76-77, thus earning a spot in the Green Jacket ceremony at Butler Cabin. Zerman never played regularly on the PGA Tour.

David Berganio, 1992-97. Another indispensable part of Arizona’s ’92 national championship team, Berganio joined teammate Zerman at the ’92 Masters, with UA coach Rick LaRose as a caddy. Berganio missed the cut, as he did in his other Masters appearance, 1997.

Mike Springer, 1995. An All-American at Arizona in the late ’80s, Springer missed the cut in his lone Masters appearance.

Jim Furyk, 1996-2017. No one from Tucson’s golf family comes close to Furyk’s 20 Masters appearances, which included No. 4 finishes in 1998 and 2003. In ’98, Furyk had his best chance to win a green jacket, finishing two strokes behind winner Mark O’Meara.

Rory Sabbatini, 2001-12. In seven Masters starts, Sabbatini’s most memorable finish was No. 2 in 2007, but he couldn’t catch champion Zach Johnson and lost by four.

Ricky Barnes, 2003-2011. Upon winning the U.S. Amateur as an Arizona junior in 2002, Barnes qualified for the ’03 Masters and finished 21st. The best of Barnes’ three Masters’ was 10th place, 2010, a week he was in third place after two rounds. Phil Mickelson won.

Ted Purdy, 2005-06. In two Masters appearances, the 1996 Arizona All-American made the cut in 2006, finishing 32nd, a shot ahead of his ex-UA teammate Sabbatini.

Michael Thompson, 2008-21. The Rincon/University High state champion made his Masters debut in ’08 after a No. 2 finish in the U.S. Amateur. He made the cut in his other two starts — 25th in 2013 and 34th in 2021.

Tianlang Guan, 2013. Qualifying at age 14 by winning the Asia-Pacific Amateur, the future Arizona Wildcat was the low amateur at the ’13 Masters, joining winner Adam Scott in the Butler Cabin for the green jacket ceremony. Guan played at Arizona in 2018 and 2019, usually as a substitute.

Nate Lashley, 2020. Thirteen years after he played for Arizona, Lashley earned his PGA Tour card and played in the 2020 Masters, missing the cut at 75-76.

Who’s next? Who’s most likely to be the 21st Tucson golfer to play in the Masters? Salpointe Catholic High school and UA grad Trevor Werbylo has won championships on both the Forme Tour and Korn Ferry Tour over the last nine months, two strong steps toward Augusta.