As we sat around the table at the 1886 Club enjoying a three-course meal while listening to ESPN’s Scott Van Pelt interview Roger Federer on stage, I couldn’t help but smile.
While I certainly enjoyed the humbling and surprisingly relatable perspective from the 20-time Grand Slam tennis champion as it pertained to winning, pressure, success and celebrity, what stood out for me was my brother’s reaction.
Like a kid in a candy store, he was wide eyed as he soaked in the scene and surroundings—a high school physical education teacher tagging along as I did my job. This week, I was a guest of Mercedes-Benz for the 2025 Masters Tournament.
While I attended the Masters the year before with IBM, this experience was different. Having my brother with me to relish in everything from the celebrity sightings to pimento cheese sandwiches, Rory McIlroy’s playoff victory and everything in between made for a truly unforgettable experience we’ll brag about for the rest of our lives.
Friday
As one of just four Champion Partners of the Masters and Augusta National, Mercedes-Benz is afforded many luxuries other brands and partners can only dream of. Each year, the German automaker invites prominent dealership owners, business executives, sports stars, celebrities and journalists to come along for the ride.
Our excursion started when we were handed the keys to a 2024 Mercedes-AMG GT 63 S E Performance hybrid. After a quick pit stop in Atlanta to tour Mercedes-Benz Stadium—home to the Atlanta Falcons and Atlanta United FC—we hit the road in the fastest, sleekest and most expensive car either of us have ever been in. At 831 horsepower and the ability to go from 0 to 60 in 2.8 seconds, we were a China Blue blur driving two hours on I-20 E to Augusta.
With the windows down, we cruised through the streets while watching golf patrons head toward Augusta National for the second day of competition. After being the most popular spot in town during Monday’s rainout, Hooters was surprisingly busy on this picture-perfect Friday afternoon; maybe John Daly was posted up again taking photos and selling memorabilia?
All feelings of jealousy for not attending the tournament that day were quelled once we arrived at the 1886 Club, Mercedes-Benz’s hospitality headquarters in nearby Evans, Ga., to triumphantly announce our arrival. Given the lay of the land from a friendly and organized staff, my brother hopped in a golf cart and sped off to our house as I followed in the GT 63 S E.
Each year, Mercedes basically rents out an entire community on the banks of the Susquehanna River in River Island for its guests. After getting settled into our rental property, we were off on the golf cart to explore the area while enjoying the beautiful weather, still in awe of what was to come.
A few hours later, back at the 1886 Club, my brother ran over to me bragging about his newest selfie with 2024 WNBA Rookie of the Year Caitlin Clark, who was also being hosted as a guest of the brand.
Sat at a table for dinner with other media members and their plus-1s, you’d recognize a famous face any direction you turned, whether it was Arthur Blank, Sterling Shepard or Clark, who participated in a Q&A with ESPN reporter Laura Rutledge. After a few drinks and cigars, we tried to force ourselves to go to bed like kids on Christmas Eve, excited about what was to come the following morning.
Saturday
Up bright and early, we took our carts back to the 1886 Club to receive our day passes and confirm we weren’t in possession of our cellphones before we were driven to Augusta National.
From there, it was a whirlwind of excitement and appreciation, beginning with waffles marked with the Masters logo at the Mercedes-Benz hospitality cabin. Wanting to rush over to the merch shop in the hopes of securing this year’s collectable gnome, we were handed VIP fast passes that basically helped us bypass the extensive line of patrons already queued up. Like Vince Vaughn and Jon Favreau walking through the kitchen of The Derby to see Big Bad Voodoo Daddy in “Swingers,” we were escorted through the bowels of the Masters merchandise machine, entering the store without having to wait like the thousands of others still outside.
Frantically purchasing anything and everything for ourselves as well as those who requested gear we had to hand write on a shopping list since no cellphones are permitted on the property, the next hour or so was a blur. In a Masters miracle, my brother got the gnome he coveted, while I expanded my golf visor era with a Masters edition addition.
Dropping off our respective hauls at Mercedes hospitality, which were put safely into lockers for the rest of the day, we fueled up with to-go chicken salad and pimento cheese sandwiches and a few azaleas as we walked the course, soaking in all of its history, splendor and tradition. We also spent about 45 minutes in line waiting for a rare on-course photo opportunity in front of the clubhouse, which was well worth it. If only Mercedes had a fast pass for that too …
Honestly, it was a welcomed respite not having a phone, constantly reaching in your pocket to respond to a text or post on Instagram. We swung by the phone booth banks to call home and check in as many patrons did, all regaling in the perfection that comprised the surprisingly hilly Augusta National, while asking those on the other line if “Augusta National” popped up on the caller ID.
Frequenting Mercedes’ hospitality cabin just off the 10th fairway to refuel and recharge—only Champion Partners Mercedes-Benz, AT&T, IBM and Bank of America (new for 2025) have cabins there—we put our putting to the test on a miniature replica 18th green just outside the four cabins before returning to our rental home to shower ahead of dinner, where SVP interviewed Federer.
Sunday
Having explored most of the grounds on Saturday, Sunday’s goal was to secure a seat as close as possible to the 18th green in the hopes of watching McIlroy finally win the green jacket and complete his career Grand Slam. We took turns safeguarding the first come, first serve folding chairs set up by Mercedes reps for us, including saving them for Clark and her family, as the day progressed and Rory’s rollercoaster came to a dramatic conclusion.
A two-hour drive across I-20 W back to Atlanta and I was off to my next assignment and adventure. Even as I write this weeks later, my phone continues to buzz with messages from our Mercedes Masters group chat with our new friends who all were fortunate to share the same experience my brother and I had.
I don’t know if I’ll ever attend another Masters Tournament, but if I’m lucky enough—call me, AT&T or Bank of America!—it will be half as good as this opportunity with Mercedes-Benz.
Michael LoRé 