The Masters Golf Tournament, more commonly known as The Masters, is the youngest of the four major championships in men’s professional golf and has the richest history. The tournament was started by Augusta National Golf Course designers Clifford Roberts and Bobby Jones, who worked with legendary British golf course architect Dr. Alister MacKenzie to design one of the most challenging courses in the nation.
Bobby Jones initially had the idea to design the course, as he wanted to build a golf course after he retired. The Augusta National Golf Course was officially opened in 1933.
The first-ever Augusta National Masters Invitation Tournament was played in 1934. The tournament was won by Horton Smith, and the format of the first tournament was arranged so that golfers played holes 10-18 as the first nine, and one through nine as the second nine. The very next year, the format was reversed, and has remained that way to present day.
Since then, there has been no shortage of great shots, great moments, and great champions.
In the 1935 tournament, Gene Sarazen hit an albatross—then known as a double eagle—by sinking his second shot with a four-wood from the fairway, 235 yards away on the par-5 15th hole. Sarazen would go on to win the tournament in a 36-hole playoff with Craig Wood. That shot prompted Alan Gould of The Associated Press to yell into his mouthpiece, “Say that again!” while experimenting with his short wave radio. This became “The shot heard ‘round the world”; and the newspaper coverage brought so much attention to this quaint gathering in the South, the Masters was never the same.
Four years later in 1939, the Augusta National Invitation Tournament would switch names to become what we now know as The Masters. The Masters was not played from 1943-45 due to WWII. Instead, the Augusta National grounds were used to raise cattle and turkeys to help the war effort.
Byron Nelson already had won three majors and it looked as though he would win another when he opened with rounds of 68-67 to take the halfway lead in the 1942 Masters. But Ben Hogan caught Nelson on the final round and forced an 18-hole playoff. Nelson had beaten Hogan—who had yet to win a major then—a couple of times head-to-head before. But Nelson sliced his tee shot into the woods and made double bogey, and he fell three shots behind with a bogey on the par-3 fourth hole. Both exchanged leads later on, and Nelson, despite a bogey on the final hole, shot 69 in the playoff to win by one shot what is known today as the “Clash of the Titans.”
In 1958, Herbert Warren Wind, legendary writer for Sports Illustrated, christened the 11th, 12th, and 13th holes "Amen Corner" in his description of play on that Sunday afternoon. Back then, the man who would be King, Arnold Palmer, had played through the 12th hole in the midst of a rules controversy to eagle on the 13th hole and win the first of four Masters. The term "Amen Corner" stuck and has lasted for over five decades.
In the 1960's and 1970's, Palmer, Gary Player and Jack Nicklaus dominated the tournament. These three key players won the event 11 times during that span of 20 years. In 1975, Lee Elder became the first black player to qualify for the Masters. He would play in the tournament fifteen years before Ron Townsend, became the first black player admitted as a member to Augusta National.
Between the years of 1980 and 2000, non-American golfers took eleven victories in those twenty years. This was the longest streak for non-American golfers in any major U.S. tournament since the early U.S. Open years.
The Masters in 1986 remains the most popular to-date. Jack Nicklaus was an afterthought as the game had been turned over to a young generation of Seve Ballesteros and Greg Norman. It had been five-full years since Nicklaus won the last of his 17 professional majors in the 1980 PGA Championship.
He was on the ninth green when he heard two sets of explosive cheers behind him—Tom Kite holed out for eagle on the par-5 eighth, and then Ballesteros chipped in for eagle moments later. But ‘The Golden Bear’ still had a couple of tricks up his sleeve. Nicklaus made a birdie on the ninth hole, and then headed to the 10th hole to begin what is one of the most famous charges in Augusta history. He shot 30 on the back nine, blowing past—now Hall of Famers—Kite, Norman, Ballesteros, Nick Price and Tom Watson.
Nicklaus closed with a 65 for his 18th and final major, the benchmark record in professional golf. He also became became the oldest player to win the Masters, winning at the age of 46.
In 1997, the player that is now closer to Nicklaus’ record, Tiger Woods, in his pro debut at the Masters; opened with a 40 and it seemed like he was destined for major doom. But he then turned the heat on finishing with a 30 in the back nine. In the next three rounds, Woods solved Augusta National’s puzzle with such ease, that he would make George Boolos “Hardest Logic Puzzle Ever” look like child’s game. Woods closed out his 20-records performance with a 69 and win by 12 shots over Tom Kite. He became the first winner of black heritage, youngest Masters champion, set a tournament record at 18-under 270, and his victory margin remains the largest in Masters history.
The Augusta National Golf Course has been adjusted several times over the years. But after Woods dismantling of the course the “Tiger Proofing” began. In 1998, the course measured 6925 yards from tee to pin on all holes. The course was adjusted to 7270 yards for 2002 and to 7445 yards in 2006. These adjustments have brought several criticisms, but most competitive players have defended the course as freshly challenging. But apparently Woods didn’t get the memo about the “Tiger Proofing.” He closed out the 2000 season by winning the final three majors and arrived at the Masters with a chance to hold all four professional majors at the same time, an unprecedented feat.
There was a lot of debate that if he won should it be considered a real Grand Slam, since the idea is to win all four in the same year. Woods would have won all four over two seasons. But Woods won a three-way shootout with Phil Mickelson and David Duval in the back nine on Sunday closing with one last birdie putt at the 18th for a 68 and a two-shot win over Duval. With it he had swept the four professional majors in a span of 294 days. And it must be pointed out that he beat two of the best players from his generation to do it.
The last three years are a perfect example of what kind of excitement Augusta National provides. Last year, Bubba Watson hit a superb wild hook-shot out of the trees on the 10th hole in a playoff to setup his win over Louis Oosthuizen. In 2011, Charl Schwartzel closed with four straight birdies to win; and in 2010, Mickelson won his third green jacket, helped in part by a six-iron he hit off the pine needles and threw a small gap in the trees to within four feet on the 13th hole.
There is so much more history and tradition to the Masters, that we could write a whole book. Just remember to watch this weekend, because it always brings on a show; and moreover, you could miss history being made.
For more great information on the history of the Masters, visit their website.