Masters Tournament

Masters Tournament, invitational golf tournament held annually since 1934 from Thursday through Sunday during the first full week of April at the private Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia. The tournament was conceived by American golfer Bobby Jones. It is considered one of the four “majors”—the other major golf tournaments being the U.S. Open, the British Open (Open Championship), and the Professional Golfers’ Association of America (PGA) Championship. It is the only one of them played annually at the same site. Most of the entrants are professionals, although a few amateurs are invited each year.

(Read Britannica’s biography of Arnold Palmer, author of this entry.)

In 1930, at age 28, Jones retired from competitive golf and formed a consortium with Wall Street financier Clifford Roberts. They bought a 365-acre (150-hectare) commercial nursery in Augusta for $70,000 with the goal of creating an exclusive golf club—with no swimming pool and no tennis courts. The 72-hole golf course was planned by the noted English designer Alister MacKenzie. The club opened in early 1933 with a members’ tournament commemorating the occasion. One year later, Jones expanded the tournament, and the Masters was born.

The Masters is one of the world’s most-prestigious sporting events. Golfers are invited to compete on the basis of their past achievements. Besides a monetary prize, now worth several million dollars, winners are presented with a gold medal, awarded a lifetime invitation to the Masters, and granted automatic invitations to the other three majors for the next five years. In addition, winners have been presented with a club member’s distinctive green jacket since 1949 and have had their names engraved on the club’s silver Masters Trophy since 1961.

Many professional golfers say that Augusta National is the most beautiful golf course they have ever played. The sun seems brighter there, the sky bluer, the wind gentler, the pines more stately, and the azaleas more colourful than on any other golf course in the world. Sam Snead once said,

I don’t want to sound overly sentimental about it. But with the course looking the way it does and the spirit of Bobby Jones running around, sometimes it feels as though the Masters is played on hallowed ground.

Prior to the 2002 Masters, in response to changing equipment technology and the improved strength conditioning of contemporary golfers, the course at Augusta National was lengthened by 285 yards (261 metres). At the same time, the fairway bunkers on three holes were reshaped to make them more dangerous for long drivers. Before the 2006 Masters, the course was lengthened again, this time by 155 yards (142 metres) to a length of 7,445 yards (6,808 metres). The course will likely continue to be modified to keep up with the modern game.

Because of their physical proximity and some pivotal moments in Masters history that occurred there, the green on the 11th hole, the entire 12th hole, and the tee for the 13th hole have become known as Amen Corner. These are among the most famous and challenging holes in golf, and it was these holes that marked a turning point for me en route to my victory at the 1958 Masters.

Notable moments in Masters history include Jack Nicklaus winning the tournament for the sixth time in 1986 at age 46 and Tiger Woods capturing his first Masters championship in 1997 while shooting 270 to break the 72-hole tournament scoring record.

Millions of fans have watched over the years on a Sunday afternoon as the leader comes down the fairway to the final green at Augusta with the crowd cheering. This author has been fortunate to win the Masters on four occasions and can confirm that those final moments are as exhilarating as anything in golf.

Masters Tournament winners are provided in the table.