

For over 70 years The Masters has captivated and enthralled us as golf’s best players and biggest names compete on the sport’s greatest stage. With Augusta finally upon us again, here are 10 fun facts about The Masters to give you an insight into the tournament’s rich history.

Jack Nicklaus has the most green jackets with a total of six. Jack was also the oldest player to win the tournament at age 46 (2 months and 23 days) in 1986. The Golden Bear is one of 3 PGA Professionals who are members of Augusta National (Arnold Palmer and John Harris are the others)

In 1997 Tiger Woods was the youngest player to win the Masters at age 21 years (3 months and 13 days). He’s won the tournament a total of 4 times and win this week would give him 78 total wins, surpassing Sam Snead’s (who won the first ever Green Jacket in 1949) record for most individual Tour wins all-time.

The Champions Dinner is for the elite few members of the Masters Club, which are players who have won a Masters Tournament, and is hosted by the defending champion on Tuesday of Masters Week. The first dinner was held in 1952 and was hosted by Ben Hogan.

The green jacket is only removed from the club’s grounds by a first-time champion. A golfer who wins the event multiple times uses the same green jacket awarded upon his first win (that is of course unless he needs to be re-fitted with a new green jacket). All winners are given a replica green jacket that they may keep. The previous year’s passes the torch to the new winner by putting the jacket over the shoulders of the new champion after the conclusion of the tournament.

Both Nick Price and Greg Norman hold the course record at the Masters with a 9-under (63). Phil Mickelson holds the record for the most birdies in a single Masters tournament (25) in 2001, Anthony Kim has the most birdies in one round (11), and Tiger Woods and Steve Pate share the record for most consecutive birdies (7).

Gary Player participated in the most Masters Tournaments (52). He was also the first international winner and has donned the green jacket 3 times.

Jack Nicklaus, Nick Faldo, and Tiger Woods are the only players to win back-to-back Masters Tournaments. Only 16 players all-time have won this event more than once.

The prize awarded for the winner of the first Masters Tournament in 1934 (Horton Smith) was $1,500.00 and last year’s winner (Bubba Watson) received $1.44 million. According to inflation calculators, Horton Smith winnings only totaled $25,386.90 in today’s dollars. Bubba’s prize would have amounted to about $86,000 back in 1934’s dollars.

Fred Couples won the 1992 Masters and began playing in the tournament in 1983. From 1983 Couples never missed the cut until his streak ran out in 2008 giving him the longest active made-cuts streak at Augusta.

Arnold Palmer holds a Masters record that will likely never be broken. Arnie has played in 50 consecutive Masters from 1955 to 2004. The King is still “the man” in April at Augusta, hitting a ceremonial tee shot along with fellow legends Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player.

(Cover Photo Credit)

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