The Early Days at Augusta
The Masters first prize competition took place on March 22nd 1934. At this time, it was known as the “Augusta National Invitation Tournament”. Horton Smith took the inaugural first prize in 1934 and he received $1,500 for his efforts. Born in Springfield, Missouri, Smith turned to professional golf in 1926 and won his first tournament, the Oklahoma City Open in 1928.
The early days at Augusta provided ample golf tales. In 1935 Gene Sarazen was famed for hitting the 'shot heard 'round the world' holing an albatross on the 15th hole at Augusta National Golf Club during the final round of the Masters Tournament. It put him into a tie for first place and forced a playoff, which he won the next day. An albatross, also known as a double eagle in the US, is a hole score three strokes less than par and is extremely rare.
The Big Three – An Era of American Dominance
It was during the 1960s and 70s that Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player and Arnold Palmer really stole the show on the lush fairways of Augusta. With their brilliance, each of them pushed the game forward. Jack Nicklaus won his first green jacket in 1963, beating Tony Lema by one stroke. Two years later, he shot a then-course record of 271, an impressive 17 under par, for his second Masters win.
Bobby Jones was allegedly so in awe of Jack Nicklaus he described him as playing “a game with which I am not familiar.” In 1961 Gary Player famously became the first non-American to raise the Masers trophy beating Palmer, the defending champion, by one stroke when Palmer double-bogeyed the final hole.
It was Arnold Palmer, known affectionately as ‘The King’ who really became popular during this period. His first major championship win was at the 1958 Masters Tournament, where he earned a purse of $11,250 and in doing so, truly established his position as one of the leading stars in golf.
The 1980s to 2000s – Europeans Make Their Mark
During this period, the battle was on to reduce American dominance over the prestigious Masters. The first European to win The Masters was the great Spaniard Seve Ballesteros in 1980. In fact, non-Americans collected 11 victories in 20 years in the 1980s and 1990s, which was by far the strongest run they have had in any of the three majors played in the United States since the early days of the U.S. Open.
It was Greg Norman who really stole the public's heart at Augusta as he finished in the top five at The Masters eight times but never won. In 1986, after birdieing holes 14 through 17 to tie Nicklaus for the lead, he badly pushed his 4-iron approach on 18 into the crowd surrounding the green and missed his par putt for a closing bogey.
In 1995, A few days after the death of his lifelong teacher and mentor Harvey Penick, Ben Crenshaw won a highly symbolic and emotional tournament. After making his final putt to win, he broke down crying at the hole and was consoled and embraced by his caddie. In the post-tournament interview, Crenshaw said, “I had a 15th club in my bag”, a lovely reference to Penick. The “15th club” he was referring to is a reference to the golf rule that players may only carry 14 clubs during a round.
Tiger Woods is also famed for having become the youngest champion in Masters’ history, winning by 12 shots with an 18-under par 270, which broke the 72-hole record that had stood for 32 years. In 2001, Woods completed his "Tiger Slam" by winning his fourth straight major championship at The Masters by two shots over David Duval. He won again the following year, making him only the third player in history, after Jack Nicklaus and Nick Faldo, to win the tournament in consecutive years. 2003 saw not only the first Canadian to win a men’s major championship but also the first left-hander to do so curtesy of Mike Weir’s victory over Len Mattiace in a playoff. In 2011, the South African Charl Schwartzel birdied the final four holes to win by two strokes. In 2012, Bubba Watson won the tournament on the second playoff hole over Louis Oosthuizen. Sergio Garcia won his first major title in 2017 by beating Justin Rose in a playoff. Tiger Woods captured his fifth Masters in 2019, his first win at Augusta National in 14 years and his first major title since 2000.
Originally scheduled to be played April 9–12, the 2020 Masters Tournament, was postponed until November due to the ongoing coronavirus outbreak and Dustin Johnson won the tournament by five strokes. It is extraordinary to think that the great competition was only previously interrupted by war. The tournament was not played from 1943 to 1945, due to World War II. Incredibly, to assist the war effort, cattle and turkeys were raised on the Augusta National grounds.
The Green Jacket – A Golfing Status Symbol
Although the prize money is big, it is not the only sought after prize. The much-coveted 'green jacket' has been formally given to the winners since 1949. The green sports blazer is the official attire worn by members of Augusta National while on the club grounds. Each Masters winner becomes an honorary member of the club and hence is entitled to wear the traditional attire. Winners keep their jacket for the year after their victory, and then must return it to the club to wear whenever they are present on the club grounds. The recipient of the green jacket has it presented to him inside the so-called 'Butler Cabin' soon after the end of the tournament in a televised ceremony. It was Sam Snead who was the first Masters champion to be awarded the green jacket, after he took his first Masters title in 1949. In addition to the much-prized green jacket, winners of the tournament receive a gold medal.
Numerous Trophies to Be Won and A Champions’ Dinner to Remember
A crystal vase is awarded to the player with the daily lowest score and any player who achieves a hole-in-one or a double eagle receives a large crystal bowl. Each albatross a player makes receives a pair of crystal goblets. Since 1952, the lowest scoring amateur has received an award known as the Silver Cup. Another award, the Double Eagle trophy came about in 1967 after Bruce Devlin holed out for a double eagle on number 8. The trophy is a large crystal bowl with "Masters Tournament" engraved around the top. With so many awards up for grabs, The Masters presents several exciting outright betting opportunities.
The Champions' Dinner was first held in 1952, hosted by defending champion Ben Hogan and was intended to honour the past champions of the tournament. As host, the defending champion is given the great privilege of selecting the menu for the event. This has produced some very special national cuisines; from a haggis offered by Scotsman Sand Lyle to a 'bobotie', a spiced mincemeat dish from South Africa and a classic Wiener schnitzel from the German Bernhard Langer.
In 1998, Tiger Woods served cheeseburgers, chicken sandwiches, French fries and milkshakes. Woods was the youngest winner, and when asked about his informal choice, he responded with, “They said you could pick anything you want... Hey, it's part of being young, that's what I eat!”