Southern Course by Seps

Puzzle explanation

The puzzle’s overall theme was albatrosses. Corrections to the misprints in clues spelt out (a) the description “famously shot an albatross” and (b) the phrase “stoppeth one of three” from Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s poem The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, about a seaman who fatefully shot an albatross and was condemned to wear the dead bird around his neck. In the grid, letters of GENE SARAZEN, a golfer who famously “shot” an albatross (three under par) on his way to winning the 1935 Masters Tournament at the Augusta National Golf Club, were changed to show ANCIENT MARINER. As suggested by the quotation, the third letter in each of the grid’s normal answers was “stopped” (erased), revealing the comedy group MONTY PYTHON, whose sketch about a snack seller in a cinema selling a dead albatross ended with the alternative offering “gannet on a stick”, represented by highlighting GANNET above A STICK in the first column. The puzzle’s title referred to:

Many clues contained references to golf and golfers, in particular to the Masters Tournament at Augusta. The puzzle was published during the 2024 Masters Tournament.

Clue explanations

Conventions: * = anagram, < = reversal

No Misprint Answer Explanation
Across
1 (F)reeze GSTAAD (AUGUSTA − U − U) * + D; ref. Augusta
6 ch(A)p SCAMP S(eve) + CAMP; ref. Seve Ballesteros (Masters winner 1980, 1983)
12 bu(M) BEACH BOY (BOB C YEAH) *; ref. Bob Charles (Open champion 1963)
13 (O)f NASALITY ALI in NASTY; ref. Jack Nicklaus (winner 1963, 1965, 1966, 1972, 1975, 1986)
14 b(U)t NIS ERNIE ELS − ER − EEL; ref. Ernie Els (runner-up 2000, 2004)
15 (S)hipped MISSENT MISS + ENT
16 (L)eadership ELECTION EJECTION with L for J
18 part(Y) ESTH (eagl)ES TH(rill)
20 plum(S) TYRIAN TRY * + IAN; ref. Ian Woosnam (winner 1991)
21 (H)ell BILLY-O (BY OLLIE − E) *; ref. Jose-Maria Olazabal (winner 1994, 1999)
23 F(O)rm BANC C after BAN
25 fla(T) ENE NE < + (gr)E(en); ref. Byron Nelson (winner 1937, 1942)
28 s(A)bering SA SA (AS + AS) <
30 flatte(N) RAZE GRAZE − G(reen)
31 b(A)dge MON 2 meanings; ref. Hideki Matsuyama (winner 2021)
32 (L)eft TONTINE TONE around TIN
34 (B)eset AMID (D + I’ + M + (O’Mear)A) <; ref. Mark O’Meara (winner 1998)
35 m(A)le IDRIS (I(an) + IS) around DR; ref. Ian Woosnam
36 ac(T) ECOCIDE (CO + CID) in EE; ref. Craig Wood (winner 1941)
37 (R)ow CANOE CANE around O
38 l(O)st SALT EEL TEE in (SAL + L)
39 (S)ettled UNSTRESSED (REED STUNS + S) *; ref. Patrick Reed (winner 2018)
Down
1 (S)et GAN HOGAN − HO; ref. Ben Hogan (winner 1951, 1953)
2 (S)low SNAILY (a)NALYSI(s) *
3 (T)ile TESSERA TEASERS *
4 r(O)ach ABLET (t)ABLET
5 (P)aving PATIO PAT + IO
7 du(P)e CHISEL CH + LIES *
8 Nic(E)’s ABBÉS (EBB in SA) <; ref. Nick Faldo (winner 1989, 1990, 1996)
9   MOUNT UN(i)T after MO; ref. Dr Gil Morgan (third in 1984)
10   PYOT P + TOY <; ref. Sandy Lyle (winner 1988)
11 hea(T)ing CALCINATION NATION after ((T)I(ger) + C + LAC) <; ref. Tiger Woods’ fifth win (2019) after recovery from surgery
15 (H)um MING M + OWING − OW; ref. Alister MacKenzie, Augusta National architect (still owed most of his fee when he died)
16 j(O)bs ETAS SATE <
17 ma(N)y NINE-HOLE (ON LINE HE) *
19   HORN (JAM + HORN) * = JON RAHM; ref. Jon Rahm (winner 2023)
21 tin(E) BEZ BEAN − AN + Z(oeller); ref. Fuzzy Zoeller (winner 1979), Andy Bean
22 c(O)ats LAMMIES LIES around (A + MM); ref. Jack Nicklaus
24 (F)ixes CRISES C(abrera) + RISES; ref. Angel Cabrera (winner 2009)
26 par(T) ENACTS STANCE *
27 nos(H) VOIDEE (DIVE * + E) around O(hio)
29 shi(R)t AO DAI (ODA + I) after (August)A; ref. Augusta admitting female members in 2012
32 Ch(E)ck TICK (s)TICK
33 a(E)ry NEST SENT *
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