Dave Loggins, Composer of Iconic Theme Song for Masters Broadcast, Dies at 76

Dave Loggins, a singer-songwriter who composed the theme song for television coverage of The Masters, died Wednesday in Nashville. He was 76.

Loggins’s piece, “Augusta,” was cited in his obituary in The Tennesseean as “the longest-running sports theme in history.”

The Nashville stalwart was inspired to write music while playing Augusta National Golf Club in 1981. The resulting composition, known to most as an instrumental, had lyrics referencing “that green coat on Sunday afternoon” and “dogwoods and pines.”

“I stopped for a minute, looked up at the pine trees and the wind down there was just different in some regards,” Loggins told the AP in 2019 of “Augusta,” which CBS quickly picked up as the theme for its tournament coverage. “Spiritually, it was different. That course was just a piece of art. I looked over at some dogwoods and, man, I just started writing the song in my head which is what I do when I get inspired.”

In addition to “Augusta,” Loggins—the second cousin of fellow singer-songwriter Kenny Loggins—had two Hot 100 hits in 1974 with “Please Come to Boston” and “Someday.”