68 Fun Facts About The Masters

In which U.S. state is the Masters played every year?

Unlike the other three majors, the Masters never rotates venues; it has been held at Augusta National in Georgia since 1934.

Which player has won the most Masters titles?

Jack Nicklaus won six Masters; before the last, in 1986, an Atlanta columnist wrote that he was 'gone, done', and the clipping stayed taped to his refrigerator all week.

Which three holes at Augusta National are known as Amen Corner?

11, 12 and 13 form Amen Corner: in 1958 a Sports Illustrated writer wanted a catchy name, like baseball's 'hot corner', for the stretch where that year's Masters was decided.

What is the par of Augusta National as set up for the Masters?

72 is the par, 36 for each half, though the club never says front nine and back nine: at the Masters they are the first nine and the second nine.

Which golfing legend co-founded the Masters with Clifford Roberts?

Bobby Jones had retired from competition at 28 after his 1930 Grand Slam and wanted a course and tournament of his own.

Who was the youngest Masters champion when he won in 1997 at age 21?

Tiger Woods won the 1997 Masters by a record margin, reaching par-5 greens with short irons; within a few years the club began adding length to the course.

Which announcer called 'Yes, sir!' as the 46-year-old 1986 champion holed his birdie putt on the 17th?

Verne Lundquist, calling the 17th hole, has said he told himself to keep it simple and get out of the way, so two words were all he used as the putt dropped.

Which network has televised the Masters in the United States every year since 1956?

CBS first televised the Masters in 1956 and has carried it every year since on one-year contracts, an arrangement widely held to give the club unusual say over the broadcast.

Each hole at Augusta National is named after what?

Every hole is named for a tree or shrub growing on it, such as Tea Olive (1st), Golden Bell (12th) and Azalea (13th).

What does Augusta National officially call the spectators at the Masters?

Patrons is the club's word for its spectators, credited to co-founder Clifford Roberts, and the television announcers say it instead of 'fans' or 'spectators'.

Which former U.S. president had a pine tree on the 17th hole named after him?

Dwight Eisenhower, a club member, hit the pine on 17 so often that he asked a club meeting to have it cut down; chairman Clifford Roberts adjourned the meeting rather than refuse.

How do golfers get into the Masters, which has the smallest field of the four majors?

By invitation only: the club invites players who meet set criteria, with no qualifying rounds, and past champions may return for life, so only 85 to 100 tee off.

What is sold to fans at Augusta National for a few dollars as the tournament's signature snack?

Pimento cheese sandwiches have been sold at the Masters since the 1940s; when the club changed suppliers in 2013 the old maker kept his recipe, and regulars complained that the taste had changed.

Which month is the Masters normally played in?

The Masters is played in April, the first men's major of the year; the first edition in 1934 was in March, and the 2020 edition was moved to November by the pandemic.

What was the Masters originally called when it began in 1934?

The event began as the Augusta National Invitation Tournament; its co-founder thought 'Masters' too presumptuous, and the name was not officially adopted until 1939.

Which caddie uniform is mandatory at the Masters?

White jumpsuit, green cap and white shoes are the Masters caddie uniform; each suit carries a number, with 1 kept for the defending champion's caddie and the rest given out as players register.

Who won the very first Masters in 1934?

Horton Smith won the inaugural 1934 event by one stroke over Craig Wood and won again in 1936; winners' green jackets only began in 1949, so his was made for him years later.

Who was the first winner to be awarded a green jacket, in 1949?

Sam Snead, the 1949 champion, was the first winner presented with a green jacket; members had worn the jackets since 1937 to be identifiable to spectators.

Which course architect designed Augusta National together with the club's co-founder?

Alister MacKenzie, who also designed Cypress Point, laid out Augusta National in the early 1930s but died in January 1934, before the first tournament was played.

Who hit the 1935 double eagle on the 15th hole known as the 'shot heard round the world'?

Gene Sarazen holed his 4-wood second shot for a double eagle, wiping out Craig Wood's three-stroke lead with one swing, then beat him in a 36-hole playoff the next day.

Which past champion started the Champions Dinner in 1952?

Ben Hogan, the 1951 champion, invited the past winners to dinner in 1952 with one stipulation, that each wear his green coat; today the defending champion chooses the menu and picks up the bill.

Who was the first non-American to win the Masters, in 1961?

Gary Player of South Africa won in 1961, the first champion from outside the United States; he took his jacket home, and the chairman let him keep it only if he never wore it in public.

Which writer coined the name 'Amen Corner' in a 1958 Sports Illustrated article?

Herbert Warren Wind coined 'Amen Corner' in Sports Illustrated in 1958, borrowing from a jazz record he remembered, 'Shouting in That Amen Corner'.

Who broke the Masters scoring record with a 268 in November 2020?

Dustin Johnson shot 20-under 268 to win by five strokes after the pandemic pushed that Masters back to November, and it was played with no spectators on the course.

Which Augusta native holed a 45-yard pitch on the second playoff hole to win the 1987 Masters?

Larry Mize, born in Augusta, chipped in from about 140 feet on the 11th, the second playoff hole, to beat Greg Norman in 1987.

Who won the 1996 Masters after Greg Norman blew a six-shot lead in the final round?

Nick Faldo shot a closing 67 to Greg Norman's 78, turning a six-shot deficit into a five-stroke win and his third Masters title.

Through 2026, what has no winner of the Wednesday Par 3 Contest ever gone on to do that same week?

Win the Masters: Raymond Floyd came closest, taking the Par 3 Contest in 1990 and then losing the tournament in a sudden-death playoff; contest winners get a crystal bowl, never yet a green jacket that week.

Who was the first African American to play in the Masters, in 1975?

Lee Elder became the first Black golfer to play the Masters in 1975; he earned the invitation by winning the 1974 Monsanto Open, and late in life he returned as an honorary starter.

Which Argentine lost the 1968 Masters by signing an incorrect scorecard?

Roberto De Vicenzo signed for a par on the 17th when he had made a birdie, because playing partner Tommy Aaron marked it wrong; the extra stroke cost him a playoff with Bob Goalby.

What did the 22-year-old 1997 champion choose as the main course for his first Champions Dinner in 1998?

Cheeseburgers, with chicken sandwiches, fries and milkshakes, were what he ate, he said, as part of being young; a year earlier he had won by a record 12 strokes.

Who shot the first 63 at the Masters, a course record, in the third round in 1986?

Nick Price had opened that Masters with a 79; two days later ten birdies gave him the first 63 at Augusta National, a mark matched only by Greg Norman in 1996.

What does the low amateur at the Masters receive?

The Silver Cup goes to the low amateur only if he makes the cut, so in some years nobody wins it; it was first presented in 1952.

Who wrote 'Augusta', the theme of the Masters telecast?

Dave Loggins began writing it in his head while walking the course on his first visit in 1981, and the network adopted it a year later; he is a distant cousin of Kenny Loggins.

What did the Masters go without entirely in 2003 and 2004, during a protest over the club's all-male membership?

Television commercials vanished from both broadcasts because the club released its sponsors rather than expose them to a boycott; in a normal year it still allows only four minutes of advertising an hour.

Who was the first left-hander and first Canadian to win the Masters?

Mike Weir of Canada beat Len Mattiace in a playoff in 2003, becoming the first left-handed champion a year before Phil Mickelson's first win.

What did Sandy Lyle serve at the 1989 Champions Dinner?

Haggis with neeps and tatties was the Scot's choice when he hosted in 1989; because the previous year's winner sets the menu, champions often serve food from home.

What was the Augusta National property before it became a golf course?

A plant nursery called Fruitland had occupied the old indigo plantation since the 1850s; it was lying abandoned in the Depression, which let the club's founders buy the land cheaply.

Who caddied for the 46-year-old 1986 champion during a back nine played in 30?

His son Jackie carried the bag as the champion, four shots behind with four holes left, eagled the 15th and birdied the 16th and 17th to win by one.

When a Masters champion wins again the very next year, who helps him into the green jacket?

The club chairman steps in, because the previous year's winner normally does the honours; the first repeat champion, in 1966, simply put the jacket on himself.

Whose name is on the stone bridge at the 13th tee, dedicated in 1958?

The Nelson Bridge at the 13th tee was dedicated in 1958 to Byron Nelson, honoring his 1937 win, when he birdied the 12th and eagled the 13th to overtake Ralph Guldahl.

Where is the green jacket ceremony first held before being repeated by the 18th green?

Butler Cabin, built in 1964, has a basement that serves as the tournament's television studio, so the jacket is presented there on air and then again outside for the crowd.

Who won the first sudden-death playoff in Masters history, in 1979?

Fuzzy Zoeller, playing his first Masters, birdied the second extra hole to beat Ed Sneed and Tom Watson after Sneed bogeyed the last three holes of regulation.

What finally brought down the famous pine on Augusta National's 17th hole in 2014?

An ice storm in February 2014 damaged the loblolly pine beyond saving, so the club removed it, decades after a famous member asked in vain to have it cut down.

Which two women became Augusta National's first female members in 2012?

Condoleezza Rice and Darla Moore were admitted on August 20, 2012, nine years after Martha Burk's protest over the club's all-male membership.

The 1995 champion spoke of 'a 15th club in my bag' in tribute to which mentor who had died days earlier?

Harvey Penick, the Austin teaching pro who coached Ben Crenshaw from boyhood, died the Sunday before the 1995 Masters; Crenshaw served as a pallbearer on Wednesday.

Where do amateurs playing in the Masters traditionally lodge during the week?

The Crow's Nest sleeps five in cubicles under the roof of the main building; the club's co-founder competed only as an amateur, and housing the amateurs is one way the Masters still honours that.

Who finished runner-up at the Masters four times between 1969 and 1975 without ever winning it?

Tom Weiskopf was second in 1969, 1972, 1974 and 1975; the last hurt most, lost by a stroke after the winner holed a 40-foot birdie putt on the 16th while he watched from the tee.

Which body of water guards Amen Corner?

Rae's Creek is named for John Rae, who once owned the land; his house sheltered residents from attack when Fort Augusta was out of reach.

Who won in 2007 at one over par, tying the highest winning score in Masters history?

Zach Johnson never went for a par 5 in two all week, yet played those holes in 11 under; his 289 matched the highest winning totals, set in 1954 and 1956.

Who became the oldest player to make the Masters cut, in 2023?

Fred Couples made the 2023 cut at 63 years and six months, breaking Bernhard Langer's record; he was in the field because the 1992 champion, like every Masters winner, is invited back for life.

Through 2026, who has held or shared the first-round lead at the Masters a record five times?

Justin Rose took his fifth first-round lead in 2025, one more than any other player, yet has never won a green jacket: he lost playoffs in both 2017 and 2025.

Which whimsical merchandise item, introduced in 2016, became a daily sell-out at Augusta?

Garden gnomes first appeared at the Masters in 2016; by 2026 they were selling out within an hour each morning, with buyers limited to one and resale prices several times the shop's.

Which champion won all four of his Masters titles with club caddie Nathaniel 'Iron Man' Avery on the bag?

Arnold Palmer had no choice of caddie: until 1983 every Masters player was assigned one from the club's own staff, and Avery was on his bag for all four wins from 1958 to 1964.

Who completed the career Grand Slam by winning the 2025 Masters in a playoff?

Rory McIlroy won on the first hole of sudden death, becoming the sixth man to hold all four majors after ten failed tries at this one; a year later he won the Masters again.

Where did Clifford Roberts die by suicide in 1977?

Beside Ike's Pond on the par-3 course, Roberts shot himself in September 1977; he was 83 and had been gravely ill for months, with cancer and then a stroke.

The permanent Masters trophy, introduced in 1961, is a silver replica of what?

The clubhouse is modelled in silver on a trophy of more than 130 pounds that stays permanently at the club, while each champion takes home a far smaller copy.

Which 14-year-old amateur became the youngest player to make the Masters cut, in 2013?

Guan Tianlang of China survived a one-stroke penalty for slow play in the second round to make the cut right on the number, lowering the age record for any men's major by almost two years.

Who made a record 11 birdies in one round at the 2009 Masters, three years before vanishing from pro golf?

Anthony Kim made 11 birdies in a second-round 65, still the Masters record; injured in 2012, he did not play professionally again until he joined LIV Golf in 2024.

Which grass has covered Augusta National's greens since they were converted for the 1981 Masters?

Bentgrass replaced Bermuda on the greens for the 1981 Masters after a trial on the par-3 course; it can be mowed shorter, making the greens far faster.

The reigning U.S. Amateur champion traditionally plays the first two rounds of the Masters alongside whom?

The defending Masters winner and the U.S. Amateur champion make up the one pairing fixed in advance; a committee of club members chooses every other grouping for the first two rounds.

What is the name of Augusta National's entrance drive, lined with trees planted in the 1850s?

Magnolia Lane runs in from Washington Road under magnolias older than the club by some eighty years, yet the famous drive stayed unpaved until 1947.

What was raised on the Augusta National grounds while the Masters was suspended for World War II?

Cattle and turkeys grazed the closed course to help the war effort, some 200 head and more than a thousand birds; the cattle ate the azaleas, and the course needed months of repair.

What was the winner's first prize at the inaugural Masters in 1934?

$1,500 went to the winner from a total purse of $5,000 in 1934; by 2026 the champion's cheque was three thousand times larger, at $4.5 million.

Who was the second non-American to win the Masters, in 1980?

Seve Ballesteros of Spain won in 1980 and again in 1983; non-Americans went on to claim more than half the Masters of the 1980s and 1990s.

Which two veteran major winners became the Masters' first honorary starters in 1963?

Jock Hutchison and Fred McLeod never won the Masters, but each had won at Augusta National: the first two PGA Seniors' Championships were played there in 1937 and 1938, and they took one apiece.

What did Bernhard Langer serve at his 1986 Champions Dinner?

Bernhard Langer, the 1985 champion, chose Wiener schnitzel, a breaded veal cutlet popular in his native Germany, for his 1986 dinner; champions traditionally serve a dish from home.

Who became the first Australian to win the Masters, beating Ángel Cabrera in a 2013 playoff?

Adam Scott holed a birdie putt on the 10th, the second playoff hole; nine months earlier he had thrown away a four-shot lead over the last four holes of the Open, and now he ended Australia's wait for a green jacket.

The hospitality venue Berckmans Place is named after a family of which nationality who owned the land?

Belgian: Baron Louis Berckmans bought the estate in 1858 and ran it with his son Prosper; after the family left in 1910 a Florida developer's hotel plan collapsed, and the land lay unused until the golf club came in 1931.