The Masters Tournament
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MastersGolfLogo.png
The Masters Tournament logo
The Masters is one of four major championships in men's golf, and the first to take place each year. Unlike the other major championships, the Masters is held every year at the same location: Augusta National Golf Club, which is a private golf club in Augusta, Georgia, USA. The Masters was started by Bobby Jones, who designed Augusta National in conjunction with legendary course architect Alister MacKenzie.
In addition to a cash award, the winner of the tournament is presented with a distinctive green jacket, awarded since 1949, highly coveted among professional golfers. The green sportcoat is actually the official coat worn by members of Augusta National while on the club grounds; each Masters winner becomes an honorary member of the club.
Augusta National had a long history of racial segregation, and it was not until 1975 that Lee Elder became the first African-American to play in the Masters. Then, in 1997, headlines were made around the world when part-African-American Tiger Woods won the Masters.
In line with the other majors, winning The Masters gives a golfer several privileges which make his career much more secure, if he is not already one of the elite of the sport. Masters champions are automatically invited to play in the other three majors (the US Open, British Open and the PGA Championship) for the next five years, and earn a lifetime invitation to The Masters. They also receive membership on the PGA TOUR for the following five seasons and invitations to THE PLAYERS Championship for five years.
Winners
Numbers in brackets after "Playoff" indicate the number of players involved.
Multiple winners
The following men have won the Masters Tournament more than once to 2005 inclusive.
- 6 wins
- Jack Nicklaus: 1963, 1965, 1966, 1972, 1975, 1986
- 4 wins
- Arnold Palmer: 1958, 1960, 1962, 1964
- Tiger Woods: 1997, 2001, 2002, 2005
- 3 wins
- Jimmy Demaret: 1940, 1947, 1950
- Sam Snead: 1949, 1952, 1954
- Gary Player: 1961, 1974, 1978
- Nick Faldo: 1989, 1990, 1996
- 2 wins
- Horton Smith: 1934, 1936
- Byron Nelson: 1937, 1942
- Ben Hogan: 1951, 1953
- Tom Watson: 1977, 1981
- Seve Ballesteros: 1980, 1983
- Bernhard Langer: 1985, 1993
- Ben Crenshaw: 1984, 1995
- Jose Maria Olazabal: 1994, 1999
External links
- Masters.org, official Masters tournament site (http://www.masters.org)af:Meesterstoernooi
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