Facts on the Masters in Augusta

Augusta, Georgia is host to one of the world's best known golf tournaments, the Masters, every spring. Many golf legends have won the tournament and been presented with its iconic green jacket. If you pass by the coverage with the click of a television remote every April and are mildly curious as to what the fuss is all about, you may want to learn some interesting facts about the event.

  1. Calling it "Masters"

    • Although the name "Masters" was bandied about at the tournament's inception in 1934, it was actually called the Augusta National Invitation Tournament until 1939. Bobby Jones, who with colleague Clifford Roberts started the Masters, thought the name was too presumptuous and objected when Roberts proposed it. What began as the Augusta National was first held March 22, 1934, and it was in 1940 that the Masters began to be scheduled for the first full week of April, a tradition that has continued in the decades since.

    The Course

    • The Masters is played on the 18-hole course at the Augusta National Golf Club. Several landmarks throughout the course are dedicated to prestigious players and contributors to the game of golf. Plaques commemorating legends Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus are affixed to drinking fountains behind the 16th tee and between the 16th and 17th holes, respectively. Augusta is a private club; individuals can only play a round of golf there if they are members or the guest of a member.

    Notable Winners and Prize Money

    • Jack Nicklaus became the first golfer to win back-to-back Masters tournaments in 1965 and 1966. When Tiger Woods won in both 2001 and 2002, he became only the third golfer to successfully defend at the tournament. The 2011 tournament has a total purse of $7,500,000, comparable to other tournaments on the PGA Tour. The 2010 Masters champion, Phil Mickelson, took home $1,350,000.

    Television Viewship

    • The final round of the 2010 Masters tournament was the third-most watched Masters since 1986. Two winning rounds by Tiger Woods top the most-watched list: the second highest came in 2001 when Woods became the first player to hold all four professional major titles at the same time, and the highest in 1997 when Woods won his first Masters title.