AUGUSTA - The world's greatest golfers face each other on Thursday for the first time since the bitter LIV Golf-PGA Tour split divided the sport and appropriately it is the timeless tranquility of Augusta National that provides the arena.
Given the tradition of the Masters tournament, with the famous winner's green jacket, the striking absence of advertising, the pristine course and the palpable sense of historic significance, it is perhaps not surprising that both sides of the divide caused by the breakaway Saudi-backed LIV Golf League have been observing an informal cease-fire.
Legal battles remain to be fought and the name-calling may well resume next week but the words of those involved in the first major tournament of the year have been a refreshing acknowledgement that Augusta is no place for public squabbling.
"I think this tournament is bigger than all of that," said Northern Ireland's Rory McIlroy, the world number two.
"It's narrative and a storyline, but the Masters and the four major championships sit above all that noise, and that's the way it should be this week."
Not everyone received the memo. LIV Golf's chief executive officer, Greg Norman, talked in a pre-tournament interview of the entire LIV contingent being ready to crowd around the 18th green to celebrate a victory by of one of their 18 competitors.
But it was noticable that McIlroy, who has been one of the most partisan backers of the established PGA Tour, chose to practice on Tuesday with one of the top LIV contenders, American Brooks Koepka.
McIlroy has been rotating top spot in golf's rankings with current world number one Scottie Scheffler and Spaniard Jon Rahm and that trio are among the favorites to triumph on Sunday at the end of what is forecast to be a rain-affected four days.
"You've seen just a pretty high level of consistency from us so far this year," defending champion Scheffler said. "We've been pretty close to winning most of the elevated events."
McIlroy would complete the career Grand Slam with a victory on Sunday while Rahm would become the fourth Spaniard to win at Augusta after Seve Ballesteros, Jose Maria Olazabal and Sergio Garcia.
Former winners Nicklaus, Gary Player and Tom Watson will get the tournament under way on Thursday with the ceremonial start.