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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Sport
Ewan Murray

‘Without golf art, I’d be in jail’: the remarkable story of Valentino Dixon

Valentino Dixon with his painting of the 12th hole, Golden Bell, at Augusta National.
Valentino Dixon with his painting of the 12th hole, Golden Bell, at Augusta National. Photograph: Valentino Dixon

A mere five-minute stroll from Augusta National lives a man with a more extraordinary backstory than anybody who will tee off in the upcoming Masters. Golf was largely responsible for restoring Valentino Dixon’s freedom, which in itself is poetic given his upbringing in the streets of East Side Buffalo.

“I had never set foot on a golf course before I went to prison,” Dixon explains. “I have played about 20 times now.

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