Table of Contents
Brief Information
Established in: 1934
Location: Augusta, Georgia, United States of America
Length: 7, 435 yards (6, 799 meters)
Par: 72
Major Tours: PGA Tour
European Tour
Japan Golf Tour
Total Prize Fund: US $ 9 million
Month played in: April every year
Best Performances:
On Aggregate: 270 by Tiger Woods in 1997
To Par: – 18 by Tiger Woods in 1997
Introduction
The Masters Tournament, which also has alternate names like The Masters or The US Masters is one of the four major golfing championships in the professional golf. If we have to make an analogy with tennis then The Masters Tournament can certainly match the level of the Wimbledon. The Masters Tournament is held in the month of April every year at the same location called the Augusta National Golf Club which is a private golf club in the city of Augusta in the Georgia in USA. The Masters Tournament was started by Clifford Roberts and Bobby Jones. Jones was also the architect of the Augusta Golf Course. The number of participating players is less than the other major golf championships because it is an invitational tournament.
Some of the traditions attached with The Masters Tournament
The Green Jacket: For a new golfing fan, The Masters Tournament is known for its tradition of awarding a green jacket to the winner of the tournament. This tradition was started in 1949. The green jacket awarded player must return the jacket prior to the next year’s tournament. If a player wins the tournament for a multiple time he continues to wear the same jacket which he has worn on his first ever Masters’ victory.
The Champions Dinner: This tradition was introduced by Ben Hogan in the year 1952. The Champions Dinner is held on the Tuesday prior to the start of the tournament every year. Only past Champions and chosen board members of the Augusta National Golf Club can participate in this dinner.
The Honorary Tee Shot: Since 1963 this tradition was commenced. The legendary golfers or in other words the past champions on the day before the main tournament starts, get involved in this semi-social contest. A random PAR-3 course is chosen for this event. Players like Fred McLeod, Jack Hutchinson, Gene Sarazen, Sam Snead, Byron Nelson, Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player have been involved in this event in the past.
Format
The Masters Tournament is the first major championship. Since 1948 the final round has been played for the every second Sunday of April.
Just like the other major tournaments, The Masters too consists four rounds at 18 holes each from Thursday to Sunday, if there is no rain or other delays.
Since 2013 the players who wants to play the weekend rounds must “make the cut” in which he has to be either in the top 50 places (ties also included) or should be within the 10 strokes of the leader’s score. This decision has been taken because of the small size of the golf course.
Additional 36 holes are played over the final two days. If the fourth round fails to produce a winner, all players who are tied at the top enter for a sudden-death playoff. The sudden-death playoff starts at the 18th Hole and it alternates with the 10th Hole till the clear winner is found.
The Course
| Hole | Name | Yards | Par | Hole | Name | Yards | Par |
| 1 | Tea Olive | 445 | 4 | 10 | Camellia | 495 | 4 |
| 2 | Pink Dogwood | 575 | 5 | 11 | White Dogwood | 505 | 4 |
| 3 | Flowering Peach | 350 | 4 | 12 | Golden Bell | 155 | 3 |
| 4 | Flowering Crab Apple | 240 | 3 | 13 | Azalea | 510 | 5 |
| 5 | Magnolia | 455 | 4 | 14 | Chinese Fir | 440 | 4 |
| 6 | Juniper | 180 | 3 | 15 | Firethorn | 530 | 5 |
| 7 | Pampas | 450 | 4 | 16 | Redbud | 170 | 3 |
| 8 | Yellow Jasmine | 570 | 5 | 17 | Nandina | 440 | 4 |
| 9 | Carolina Cherry | 460 | 4 | 18 | Holly | 465 | 4 |
| Out | 3725 | 36 | In | 3710 | 36 | ||
| Total | 7435 | 72 | |||||
Awards:
In the latest Masters Tournament, which was held in April, 2014 the winner got US $ 1, 620, 000 and the total prize money was US $ 9, 000, 000.
The winner of the Masters Tournament gets automatic qualifications for the next three major tournaments like The US Open, The Open Championship and The PGA Championship for next five years!!
