The name Masters' has a certain ring to it. The US Masters held in Georgia of the US each year, as part of the PGA tour, is perhaps the most prestigious of the Major tournaments. With its pristine greens and lush fairways, the course is perhaps one of the most revered in the world. The competition has captured the imagination of golf fans the world over, and has a unique place in golf's history.

The history of the competition can be traced back to 1934. Its founding fathers, Bobby Jones and Clifford Richards wished to host a golf tournament annually as a service to golf. In actual fact it was founded as the Augusta National Invitation Tournament for the first five tournaments, until it changed to the Masters.

The first official tournament was held on March 22 1934 and was won by Horton Smith. His victory was soon followed by a reversal of the golf course nines in 1935. In 36 Smith also became the first two- time winner of the competition.

In 1937 members began to ware the Green Jacket. But it was not until 1949 that the jacket was awarded to tournament winners.

Since then the tournament has been graced by the greatest golf players in the sport's history. In the 1960-70s the triumvirate of Nicklaus, Palmer and Player dominated the tournament. Nicklaus holds the all time record with 6 wins. Palmer has 4 Master's titles and Player has three to his name.

Since the 1980, non- Americans have won on a greater number of occasions and to an extent ended US dominance of the tournament. 11 titles went to non-Americans from 1980-2000. The likes of Bellestaros and Faldo had multiple tournament wins, 5 between them. Overall, however, the tournament still has 55 American wins, which is greater than the rest put together.

Tiger Woods became the youngest winner at 21 years in 1997 and broke tournament records in the process. With 4 Major titles, he has won more Master tournaments than any player bar Palmer and Nicklaus.

The course itself has been subject to changes since the early tournaments. Currently, it has 18 holes and an unofficial rating of 76.2. It has been lengthened somewhat, and currently stands at 7445 yards. The actual record score on this course is 63, which was set by Nick Price in 1986. Greg Norman also matched this in 1996.

The tournament is limited to about 90 players, which is the smallest of any Major. It is an invitational event, with invitations to only those players who meet the criteria. The top 50 ranking players are all invited. As such, the playing field is elite level.

Tickets to this great tournament are not especially expensive but difficult to obtain. Ticket applications will need to be booked well in advanced and even then a ballet is held for the practice rounds. The Masters only actually sells tournament tickets to a closed patron's list. As such, the majority must watch the tournament via broadcasters from the BBC and CBS.

As such, the Masters is the most exclusive of golf tournaments. The standard of play ranks it as perhaps the highest of all golf competitions. Its status within the game of golf is rivaled perhaps only by the British Open Championship, which has a longer history, but as the name suggests is less exclusive. While you most likely won't get a ticket to the Masters, you can be sure that the tip-top of golf will be provided by the event.

Learn more about this author, Matthew Adams.
Click here to send author comments or questions.

---

Add your voice

Know something about Sporting events: The Masters Tournament?
We want to hear your view. Write now!