The Masters Tournament

The Masters Tournament, more commonly referred to simply as "The Masters", is one of professional golf's four major championships, and is the first one played each season. The event is held annually at Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia, making it the only one of the four major championships that does not rotate sites. Along with being played at Augusta, The Masters Tournament is well-known for its classic traditions, including the awarding of the iconic green jacket.

Officially, The Masters Tournament remains an invitation event, though players can qualify for invitations through 19 different categories. The field is usually set entirely through qualifications. All past Masters champions are eligible to play, though since 2002 the tournament organizers have discouraged participation by past champions of advanced age. The current defending champion is Bubb Watson, who defeated Louis Oosthuizen in a playoff in 2012..

Beginning in 1963, The Masters Tournament has included opening tee shots from honorary starters. In 2010, Arnold Palmer -- who has started the past three Masters events -- was joined by Jack Nicklaus as an honorary starter. Gary Player joined the group in 2011.

Origins

Golfing legend Bobby Jones and Clifford Roberts teamed up to start an annual golf event beginning in 1934. Roberts proposed the event be titled "The Masters Tournament", but Jones objected, thinking it too presumptuous. The first Masters was held March 22, 1934. The original name for the tournament was the Augusta National Invitation Tournament. It stayed that was for five years; in 1939, Jones gave in and the name was changed. An early dilemma was whether Jones would play or serve as an official. Jones preferred not to compete, but was persuaded by the Club's members to join the field. In the 12 Tournaments that he competed in, Jones never cracked the top 10; his best finish was 13th in 1934.

The first official Masters was won by Horton Smith in 1934. The next year, Gene Sarazen hit "the shot heard 'round the world", scoring an incredible double eagle on the par five 15th hole, tying Craig Wood and forcing a playoff. The next day, Sarazen won the 36-hole playoff by five strokes.

1940s and 1950s

In the 1942 Masters, Byron Nelson defeated Ben Hogan by one shot in an 18-hole playoff. The tournament was canceled due to World War II from 1943-45, while the Augusta National grounds were used in the war efforts.

Sam Snead won three green jackets in a six-year span (1949, '52, '54). The 1950's included two victories by Ben Hogan (1951, '53), and the first of four for Arnold Palmer. Arnie's Army celebrated in 1958, which began the tradition of Amen Corner.

1960s and 1970s

In 1960 the Par 3 Contest was started, played the day before the start of the tournament. No winner of the par three has worn the green jacket after the weekend. In 1965 and '66, Jack Nicklaus became the first Masters champion to defend his title successfully. The '66 championship came via a three-man, 18-hole playoff as Nicklaus beat Tommy Jacobs and Gay Brewer.

Nicklaus (1972 and '75) and Gary Player (1974 and '78) each won a pair of green jackets during the decade of the 1970's. Sadly, the 70s also saw the two founders of the Masters Tournament pass away. Both Jones and Roberts meant so much to the Masters and to the world of golf.

1980s and 1990s

The 80s saw Spaniard Seve Ballesteros won twice (1980 and '83) and Tom Watson captured his second title. In 1986, at age 46, Nicklaus donned his sixth Green Jacket. Also in that decade, Nick Faldo won the first of his back-to-back green jackets, capturing the title in 1989 and then in '90.

Jose Maria Olazabal won a pair of Masters titles in the 90s (1994 and '99). He beat Tom Lehman by two strokes in 1994 and Davis Love III in '99.

Emergence of Tiger Woods

Tiger Woods broke the Tournament four-day scoring record in 1997. That mark had stood for 32 years. It was the first of his four green jackets. At the 2001 Masters, Woods won his fourth consecutive professional major; a year later he became only the third player to win consecutive Masters titles. In 2005, he became the third person to win at least four Masters championships, finishing at 12-under-par.

With Woods's dominance at the event came the new tradition of "Tiger-Proofing" the course. The 18 holes were approximately 6,925 yards in length as recently as 2001, but the course was lengthened in 2002 and again in 2006, both times following wins by Woods. Woods successfully defended his title on the longer course in 2002, but has not won since the course was lengthened again in 2006. Phil Mickelson has won the title three times on the longer course, capturing the green jacket in 2004, 2006 and 2010.

Many of the original aspects of the Masters remain intact today. The four-day stroke playing of 18 holes each day instead of the 36 holes played on the third day back in the 1930s stands out. The Masters did not have qualifying rounds, and denied permission for anyone except the player and caddie to be in the playing area. Fans at The Masters are referred to as patrons, and what is traditionally called "the rough" at most golf events is called the "second cut" at Augusta. The Masters required players to use Augusta National caddies until 1983, and still requires caddies to wear the traditional Augusta National uniform.

Par 3 Contest

The Par 3 Contest was first played in 1960 and has traditionally been played on the Wednesday before the event each year since. The event is played on Augusta's Par 3 course, a nine-hole course measuring 1,060 yards in length. The event is traditionally played with a much looser style than The Masters Tournament, with players allowed to use their children as caddies. As of 2009, no Par 3 Contest winner has won the event, leading to players intentionally disqualifying themselves or recording a high score on the final hole to avoid the jinx. Some players have even allowed their children or patrons to complete a putt for them, which results in no official score being posted. In 2008, the event was televised for the first time, by ESPN.

Television Coverage

The Masters has long been known for cutting off commercialization, keeping coverage of the tournament and advertisements during that coverage limited in comparison to other major golf events. The first year of Masters television coverage only showed the final four holes, and the first eight holes of the course were not part of television coverage until 1993. Currently ESPN shows three hours of live coverage for the first two rounds, while CBS has coverage of the weekend rounds. Broadcast partners are limited to four minutes of advertising per hour.

The Green Jacket

There are few prizes in sports that are so recognizable as the Masters prize  the green jacket. Jones and Roberts chose green for the prize, and it has led to big payoffs for those donning that jacket. Jones came up with the original idea while he was at the 1930 British Open at Hoylake.

He was invited to dinner at Royal Liverpool, where he noticed 15 men wearing red coats with brass buttons. He was told that only captains of the club wore the red jackets, and one of them offered to give Jones his if he won the Open. That famed coat now hangs in the clubhouse at Atlanta Athletic Club, his home course.

Jones and Roberts felt members should wear matching jackets during the Masters so patrons would know whom to ask for information, a tradition that began in 1937. They selected what the club refers to only as "Masters Green" for the color, with the famous Augusta National logo on the left crest and on the buttons.

The first Masters champion to be awarded that famed green jacket was Sam Snead in 1949. The gesture was made to enable the winner to become an honorary member. Past champions were also rewarded with the green jacket, symbolic of the title.

Crystal Awards

In addition to the Green Jacket, The Masters began awarding pieces of crystal for various achievements in 1954. Currently there are three possible crystal awards a golfer can win:

- Crystal vase - given to the golfer with the lowest score on the day
- Large crystal bowl - given to a golfer who scores a hole-in-one (Gene Sarazan and Bruce Devlin were also awarded special large crystal bowls to commemorate their double eagles)
- Pair of crystal goblets - given to a golfer who scores an eagle

The Champions Dinner

Officially known as the Masters Club, the Master's Champions dinner was first held in 1952 by Ben Hogan. Since then, the previous year's winner has hosted a dinner for all past champions in attendance, usually scheduled for the Tuesday prior to the event. The winner chooses the menu each year.

The Masters Tournament remains an invitation event, and has the smallest field of any of golf's four majors. Players can qualify for an invitation in one of 19 ways, and often players will qualify in more than one category. With regards to Bobby Jones's amateur roots, The Masters still invites a number of amateur champions from around the world to compete in the event.

As of 2011, the invitation categories are:

1. Masters Tournament Champions (Lifetime)
2. U.S. Open Champions (Honorary, non-competing after five years)
3. The Open Champions (Honorary, non-competing after five years)
4. PGA Champions (Honorary, non-competing after five years)
5. Winners of the Players Championship (Three years)
6. Current U.S. Amateur Champion (6-A) (Honorary, non-competing after one year); Runner-up (6-B) to the current U.S. Amateur Champion
7. Current British Amateur Champion (Honorary, non-competing after one year)
8. Current Asian Amateur Champion
9. Current U.S. Amateur Public Links Champion
10. Current U.S. Mid-Amateur Champion
11. The first 16 players, including ties, in the previous year's Masters Tournament
12. The first 8 players, including ties, in the previous year's U.S. Open
13. The first 4 players, including ties, in the previous year's Open Championship
14. The first 4 players, including ties, in the previous year's PGA Championship
15. The 30 leaders on the Final Official PGA Tour Money List for the previous calendar year
16. Winners of PGA Tour Regular Season and Playoff events that award at least a full-point allocation for the season-ending Tour Championship, from previous Masters to current Masters
17. Those qualifying for the previous year's season-ending Tour Championship
18. The 50 leaders on the Final Official World Golf Ranking for the previous calendar year
19. The 50 leaders on the Official World Golf Ranking published during the week prior to the current Masters Tournament