Arnold Palmer defied his age and a shoulder injury to hit the ceremonial opening drive of the 79th Masters and provide the first storyline at Augusta National this year . Palmer , the seven-time major champion and now 85 years old , has been struggling in his recovery from a dislocated shoulder , which kept him out of the Par 3 Contest on Wednesday . But he ignored the pain to take his place alongside Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player as the honorary starters on Thursday morning . That he hooked his shot a short distance towards the ninth fairway mattered not . Arnold Palmer hits the ceremonial opening drive of the 2015 Masters at Augusta National . The 85-year-old legend , who won seven majors , defied an injury to hit his tee shot . Palmer hit his shot low and left but the crowds will have been thrilled to see the legend in action . Palmer , who won four Masters titles in his glittering career , watches his tee shot . Nicklaus has a record six Masters wins , Palmer four and Player three , meaning they have 13 victories at Augusta between them . But it was Player who was able to claim bragging rights among the trio , formerly known as golf 's 'Big Three ' . The 79-year-old fitness fanatic produced the longest drive on the par-four first hole . Nicklaus , 75 , who recorded his first ever hole-in-one at Augusta during the Par 3 Contest , was around 10 yards behind Player . Both men split the fairway on a hole ranked the third hardest on the course last year . With that the trio retired to the clubhouse and allowed the tournament proper to begin , with conditions perfect for the early starters . South African Gary Player split the fairway with a glorious drive that belied his 79 years . Jack Nicklaus , who won a record 18 major championships , hits his drive on Thursday morning . Player , dressed all in trademark black , congratulates his friend and old rival on his drive . Palmer enjoys the occasion with his old sparring partner Nicklaus . Nicklaus ( left ) shakes hands with Player during their heyday at Wentworth in 1966 . Palmer unleashes a drive in the Ryder Cup at Royal Lytham & St Annes in 1961 .
Arnold Palmer has been struggling with a shoulder injury . But the 85-year-old legend hit the first drive of the 2015 Masters . Gary Player , 75 , and Jack Nicklaus , 79 , also hit ceremonial opening drives . Player took the bragging rights with a 240-yard tee shot . CLICK HERE for the Masters 2015 leaderboard .