A Brief History of the Masters Golf Tournament

A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE Masters Golf TOURNAMENT For golf enthusiasts, the sport isn't a hobby-it's a way of life! Get in the game by exploring this history of the Masters Golf Tournament. O MASTERS 1931 Construction Begins Tournament co-founders Bobby Jones and Clifford Roberts decide to buy property in Augusta, Ga., and ask Dr. Alister MacKenzie to help design the 1934 course. The First Masters The Augusta National Invitation Tournament is played at Augusta National Golf Club. Horton Smith beats Craig Wood by a stroke and becomes the first Masters champion. 1935 Holes Reversed Before the tournament, the holes are reversed, making the front nine the second nine. Gene Sarazen helps make golf history with his rare double eagle, known as the "shot heard 1935 'round the world." Sarazen wins a 36-hole playoff the next day. The Golf Shot Heard 'Round the World 1943-1945 The War Years The Masters Tournament is halted because of World War II. To help with the war effort, turkeys and cattle are raised on the Augusta National grounds. 1949 First Green Sam Snead wins the Masters by three Jacket Awarded strokes and receives a green jacket, starting a tradition that continues to this day. 1956 First Televised Broadcast 1963 CBS broadcasts the third and fourth rounds of the Masters, the first time the tournament is televised. Jack Burke Jr. Honorary Starters The tradition of having honorary starters begins wins his first major championship one stroke ahead of amateur Ken Venturi. after Jock Hutchison and Fred McLeod hit their ceremonial shots from the first tee before the first round of the Masters. 1981 A Switch to Bentgrass Augusta National Golf Club exchanges its greens from bermuda grass to bentgrass. 1997 Young Tiger's Historic Win At age 21, Tiger Woods becomes the youngest player ever to win the Masters and sets a record for the lowest 72-hole total. 2000 HD High-Definition Coverage The Masters becomes the first golf tournament presented in HDTV. 2010 The Dawn of 3D Broadcasting For the first time ever in sports broadcasting the Masters and the Par-3 Contest are produced and distributed live in 3D on TV and the Internet. 2014 This Year At The Masters Bubba Watson stole the spotlight and won his second Masters championship in three years, shooting -8 overall. Brought to you by SOURCES: JC GOLF http://www.augusta.com/masters/history http://www.masters.com/en_US/discover/timeline.html?decade=2000 http://www.augusta.com/node/36