AUGUSTA — In 1960, Loran Smith stood behind the 18th green at the Masters as a college student, waiting for Arnold Palmer to putt.

Palmer was a stroke away from winning his second of four green jackets. Suspense built as he backed away and requested silence.

“I thought all of that was the most fabulous drama,” said Smith. “I was close enough I could hear him talking.”

Smith, a longtime columnist and Georgia Bulldogs football broadcaster, has attended every Masters since.

During Thursday’s opening round of the 90th edition of the tournament, Smith, 87, roamed the clubhouse looking to catch a moment with Gary Player. He later returned to the media center to write a column on Player, Jack Nicklaus and Tom Watson, who hit the ceremonial tee shots that morning.

The late sportswriter Dan Jenkins holds the record, having covered 68 Masters. After watching Palmer’s 1960 win as a patron, Smith has attended the past 66 as a credentialed media member. He intends to keep returning in hopes of matching Jenkins’ mark.

“If the good Lord will keep me around, I plan to,” Smith said.

"The Masters was just a godsend,” says Smith, seen here at the 2026 Masters. “I would interview all these people, not just to write about them but to learn from them.” (Jason Getz/AJC)

Nearing 70 years in journalism, Smith says he still burns with the curiosity to find stories. He officially retired last year from full-time duties with the UGA Athletic Association. But he still has an office on campus, hosts Bulldogs football radio pre-game shows and writes a weekly column for newspapers across Georgia.

In the early 1960s, Smith was just getting started.

Money was tight. Gas was 31 cents a gallon and it was a stretch to fill his ‘50 Ford. He lodged for free near Augusta at a former high school coach’s house and the course provided meals. Smith ate honey glazed donuts for breakfast — he still eats one each year “in honor of those early days” — and pimento cheese sandwiches through the afternoons.

“I was really taken by the beauty of this place, just overwhelmed,” said Smith, a native of Wrightsville. “I thought it was the most wonderful place on Earth.”

Smith entered into a media landscape much different than today. He had long, informal conversations with Gene Sarazen, the 1935 champion, and laughed at the “raw, colorful” remarks by three-time winner Sam Snead.

Smith once came upon Ben Hogan drinking from a trophy in the clubhouse.

“The Masters was just a godsend,” Smith said. “I would interview all these people, not just to write about them but to learn from them.”

Smith became a fixture in Georgia Bulldogs history along the way — a track team captain as a student, Dan Magill’s protégé promoting athletics through the Bulldog Club and a confidant to football coach Vince Dooley. He later covered Kirby Smart as a player and co-authored a book with him as a coach.

Through it all, he never stopped making the trip to Augusta each April.

Smith is one of 38 media members to receive the Masters Major Achievement Award, given to those who have covered the tournament for 40 years or more. The list includes Jenkins and former Atlanta Journal-Constitution columnists Furman Bisher and David Kindred.

David Westin, longtime golf writer for The Augusta Chronicle, has covered 48 Masters. A fellow University of Georgia graduate, Westin says he has long admired Smith.

“I wish I had the enthusiasm that he still has,” Westin said.

Through the decades, Smith developed friendships with Nicklaus and Player. He once spent a week at Player’s ranch in South Africa, has stayed with Nicklaus on multiple occasions and often crossed paths with both overseas while covering roughly 40 British Opens.