Sam Snead felt like he was in the Twilight Zone early Thursday morning as he addressed the ball to begin the 2000 Masters Tournament.

The 87-year-old three-time champion followed 88-year-old Byron Nelson on the first tee as an honorary starter on a cool, clear morning.

``There were so many shadows going back and forth,'' Snead said. ``It was like I was being hypnotized. I never saw the ball. And I almost fell down.''

Snead sent his drive down the middle of the fairway, just as Nelson did during the traditional opening for the tournament. It was a beginning with some emptiness, as Gene Sarazen was absent for the first time since 1981. Sarazen died at age 97 last May.

``Before we go, let's have a few moments of silence for one of golf's greatest, Gene Sarazen,'' Augusta National Golf Club Chairman Hootie Johnson said before introducing Nelson and Snead.

``I'd known Gene since I came on the tour,'' said Snead, who turned pro in the mid-1930s. ``We played together and against each other quite a bit. He did a lot to make the game of golf better.''

Johnson introduced Nelson as Lord Byron and then gave Snead the intro of Slammin' Sammy, much to the delight of a crowd packed eight-deep around the first tee.

``This is the greatest tournament in the world,'' said Snead, who won here in 1949, 1952 and 1954. ``As a matter of fact, an Augusta ticket is near 'bout impossible to get. It started out as just Bobby Jones' tournament, but I think the name Masters is what did it.''

Snead recalled winning the first green jacket in 1949 and then losing it.

``Somebody got that first jacket; I don't know what happened to it,'' Snead said. ``So I had to borrow one of Bobby Jones' jackets, and he had short arms, so the sleeves were too short.''

Nelson has received notoriety recently for his 55-year-old record streak of 11 straight PGA Tour victories. Tiger Woods' streak of six victories in a row, tied for second all-time with Ben Hogan (1948), brought questions of whether Nelson's streak is breakable. Phil Mickelson ended Woods' run in February at San Diego.

Nelson, who won the Masters in 1937 and 1942, said he welcomed Woods' presence because it made the young generation of golfers aware of his achievements more than 50 years ago.

As Snead and Nelson ambled off to let the tournament begin, Johnson sounded more like the starter for the Indianapolis 500.

``Let the tournament begin!'' he exclaimed.

A list of all-time honorary starters

Jock Hutchison 1963-73

Fred McLeod 1963-76

Byron Nelson 1981-present (not consecutive)

Gene Sarazen 1981-99

Ken Venturi 1983

Sam Snead 1984-present