By Phil Casey, PA Sport, Augusta

Augusta officials are committed to reviving the tradition of honorary starters at the US Masters.

For the first time in more than 20 years there will be no honorary starters before the opening round on Thursday following the death last year of three-time champion Sam Snead.

Snead acted as starter from 1984 onwards - mostly alongside Byron Nelson and Gene Sarazen - but died six weeks after last year's tournament, four days short of his 90th birthday.

For the first time last year Snead needed help teeing up his ball and his opening drive flew right into the gallery, breaking a man's glasses when it hit him between the eyes.

It will not be the end of the honorary starters however, with Arnold Palmer next in line to fulfil the role when he finally retires.

Club chairman Hootie Johnson said: "The honorary starters have been very important to the tournament. I have talked with Arnold about being an honorary starter and he has said he would be honoured to be one at the appropriate time.

"He still feels that he's playing enough active golf that he doesn't want to do that now. But I am hopeful that we will have him some time in the future and we're going to wait on him."

Palmer thought he had played his last competitive round at Augusta in 2002 after Johnson sent out a letter in 2001 asking former champions to give up their lifetime exemptions, later adding that from 2004 the age limit for competitors would be 65.

After complaints from Palmer and Jack Nicklaus however that rule has since been rescinded, with the club now relying on former champions to know themselves when they are unable to compete.

Therefore Palmer will make his 49th consecutive appearance this week and may yet achieve his ambition of making it to a remarkable half-century next year.

Johnson said: "I guess you might say that I over-fixed our (age limit) problem. First Arnold wrote me a letter and expressed his displeasure and discomfort, and a few days later I got a letter from Jack expressing similar sentiments.

"I asked them to come and meet me and told them I thought I had a solution. I told them it was my belief that Clifford Roberts and Bobby Jones (Augusta's co-founders), their belief about the lifetime exemption was that it was for a champion who believed he would be competitive and play 36 holes and try to make the cut.

"That was the spirit and intent of the lifetime exemption and they (Palmer and Nicklaus) were in agreement with that. I also spoke to Raymond Floyd, Tom Watson and Byron Nelson and they all seemed to be in agreement. And with that we rescinded the new qualifications."