Anand Datla

The Storied History Of The Masters

Amateurs, arriving for the Masters from various qualifying events, enter the Crow’s Nest, with a great deal of respect. Perhaps even with a sense of trepidation.

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Masters champions from left, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus, and Arnold Palmer tour Amen Corner at Augusta National Golf Club on Tuesday April 8, 2014.

The Masters is here again and the colours and scent of the tournament have a special enduring appeal. The event and its lingering charm suck in the entire golf universe with a magnetism that is hard to match. The Augusta National glows in a resplendent green that is at once soothing and exciting beyond words. Golfing Indian will keep you posted with a flurry of updates throughout this week as we celebrate the 81st running of this endearing event.

The champions locker room is only open to past champions, one of the two most treasured prizes in all of golf.

NOTHING COMES CLOSE

The cloak of tradition hangs heavy every inch of the way at the iconic Augusta National Golf Club, the only course with the honour of hosting a major tournament year after year. Every other major event practices a policy of rotation, with courses hosting the event by turns. Even the greatest tournament on the golf planet, the Open Championship cannot escape this. This is just one of the myriad things that make the Masters such a special event.

THE STORIED HISTORY

Players, past and present congregate, at the club in Georgia wearing the spirit of the tournament all around them. Young players arrive in Augusta, with their bags filled with awe, besides the tools of their trade. Amateurs, arriving for the Masters from various qualifying events, enter the Crow’s Nest, with a great deal of respect. Perhaps even with a sense of trepidation.

The champions locker room is only open to past champions, one of the two most treasured prizes in all of golf. A locker inside that hallowed chamber is far more coveted by golfers than perhaps the spaces inside their own homes.

Amateurs, arriving for the Masters from various qualifying events, enter the Crow’s Nest, with a great deal of respect. Perhaps even with a sense of trepidation. 

THE GREEN JACKET

The Green Jacket is an honour passed down from one champion to the other. The defending champion is faced with the dilemma of decorating the next great golfer, just moments after losing his own hold on this treasured title.

The Amen Corner, just around the bend, is one of the most spoken about run of holes in all of golf. The Sarazen bridge at the 15th hole celebrates the second winner of the event in 1935, Gene Sarazen.

But no champion has owned this tournament more than a certain Jack Nicklaus. The Big Bear won first in 1963 and his sixth and last title came in 1986, a tribute to the greatest golfers love for the game.

Nicklaus will be out on Thursday, alongside Gary Player, for the ceremonial first tee. At the break of dawn on Thursday, even the air around Augusta will stand still to witness this celebrated tradition. Enjoy the week with us as we celebrate this great tournament with features and updates.

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