Masters Golf History - How Augusta's Greatest Tournament Was Built

No tournament in golf carries more history than the Masters. It has been played at the same course every single year since 1934, which means every April, the game returns to a place where more iconic moments have happened than almost anywhere else in sport. Understanding Masters golf history means understanding how a retired amateur golfer's dream became the most watched golf major championships in the world.

How the Masters Began

Bobby Jones was already the greatest amateur golfer who ever lived when he retired from competition in 1930 at the age of 28. He had won 13 major championships, including the Grand Slam of his era in a single calendar year. Retirement, for Jones, meant building something rather than winning something.

Together with investment banker Clifford Roberts, Jones purchased a 365-acre former plant nursery called Fruitland Nurseries in Augusta, Georgia in 1931. Course architect Alister MacKenzie was hired to design the layout, working closely with Jones at every stage. The course opened for limited member play in 1932 and formally opened in January 1933, per the Masters official website.

The first tournament was held March 22-25, 1934. Horton Smith won by one stroke over Craig Wood. Roberts had wanted to call it the Masters from the start, but Jones considered the name too presumptuous for a new event. For the first five years it was officially called the Augusta National Invitation Tournament. By 1939, Jones relented and the name was formally changed. The tournament was not held in 1943, 1944, or 1945 due to World War II.

The Traditions That Define the Tournament

Masters golf history is inseparable from the traditions that have built up around the event over nine decades. Each one has a specific origin story.

The Green Jacket

Augusta National members began wearing green jackets in 1937 so that patrons could easily identify someone to ask for information around the course. From 1937 to 1948, the jackets were for members only. That changed in 1949 when Sam Snead won the Masters and was presented with a green jacket as part of his honorary membership of the club. All previous champions were retroactively awarded jackets. The tradition of the defending champion placing the jacket on the new winner began in the same era, with one notable exception: when Jack Nicklaus won back-to-back in 1965 and 1966, Bobby Jones reportedly suggested, jokingly, that Nicklaus just put it on himself.

The winner keeps the jacket for one year, then returns it to Augusta National, where it remains in the club's possession unless the player wins again.

The Champions Dinner

Ben Hogan organised the first Champions Dinner in 1952, the year after his maiden Masters victory. He invited past winners to eat together in the clubhouse on the Tuesday evening before tournament week began, with one condition: green jackets to be worn. Hogan picked up the bill himself, establishing the tradition that the defending champion selects the menu and pays for the dinner. The event moved to Tuesday permanently in 1959 and has been held every year since, per Golf Digest. It is attended exclusively by past Masters champions and the Augusta National chairman.

Amen Corner

The name was coined by American sportswriter Herbert Warren Wind in a 1958 Sports Illustrated article. He used it to describe the stretch covering the back end of the 11th hole, the par-3 12th, and the front portion of the par-5 13th. The 12th, named Golden Bell, plays 155 yards across Rae's Creek to a narrow green where the wind swirls unpredictably from different directions. More Masters titles have been lost on that hole than anywhere else on the course.

The Par-3 Contest

First held in 1960, the par-3 contest takes place on the Wednesday before the main tournament on Augusta's separate nine-hole short course. Sam Snead won the inaugural event. No player who has won the par-3 contest has ever gone on to win the Masters that same week, a record that has now stretched across more than six decades.

Decade by Decade - Key Moments in Masters Golf History

Nine decades of April Sundays have produced moments that golf fans still argue about today. Some of the most dramatic finishes, records, and collapses in the sport's history have happened within the same 18 holes at Augusta. Here is how the tournament's story unfolded, era by era.

The 1930s and 1940s - The Foundation Years

The moment that put the Masters on the map came in the second year of the tournament. In the final round of the 1935 Masters, Gene Sarazen stood three shots behind leader Craig Wood when he reached the par-5 15th hole. Facing a 235-yard second shot, he chose a 4-wood and holed it for a double eagle, the only one ever made on that hole in Masters history, per the World Golf Hall of Fame. Clifford Roberts later said the shot "put the Masters in business." Sarazen beat Wood in a 36-hole playoff the following day.

The 1940s cemented several of the tournament's core traditions and produced its first stretch of memorable champions, including Byron Nelson, Sam Snead, and Ben Hogan. The tournament's pause during World War II was the only interruption in its history.

The 1950s and 1960s - Palmer, Player and the Television Era

The first CBS television broadcast of the Masters came in 1956, changing how golf fans across America experienced Augusta. Arnold Palmer won four green jackets in 1958, 1960, 1962, and 1964, becoming the tournament's dominant figure of the era and helping turn it into a national event.

In 1961, Gary Player of South Africa became the first international champion in Masters golf history. Player would go on to win three green jackets in total, in 1961, 1974, and 1978. Jack Nicklaus won his first Masters in 1963 at age 23. He would win five more over the following 23 years.

The 1970s and 1980s - Nicklaus Defines an Era

Jack Nicklaus won the Masters in 1965, 1966, 1972, 1975, and then produced the most celebrated round in the tournament's history in 1986. At 46, Nicklaus shot a final-round 65 on Sunday, including six birdies and an eagle on the back nine, to claim his sixth and final green jacket. He remains the oldest Masters champion ever, per official tournament records, at 46 years and 82 days.

The 1990s - Faldo, Norman and Golf's Greatest Collapse

Nick Faldo won three Masters titles, in 1989, 1990, and 1996. The 1996 edition is remembered more for what Greg Norman lost than what Faldo won. Norman entered the final round with a six-shot lead, the largest 54-hole lead ever surrendered in Masters history, per official tournament records. He shot a closing 78. Faldo shot 67 and won by five strokes. Norman's collapse remains one of the most analysed performances in major championship golf.

Greg Norman also holds the record for the lowest single round at Augusta, shooting a 63 in the first round of that same 1996 Masters. He shares that record with Nick Price, who also shot 63 in the third round in 1986.

1997 to 2019 - The Tiger Era

Tiger Woods changed the entire context of Masters golf history when he won the 1997 edition at the age of 21 years, 3 months, and 14 days, the youngest champion in tournament history per official Augusta National records. He won by 12 strokes, the largest margin of victory in Masters history, finishing at 18 under par. That scoring record stood until Dustin Johnson broke it in 2020.

Woods went on to win the Masters five times in total: 1997, 2001, 2002, 2005, and 2019. His 2019 victory, after years of back surgeries that had many questioning whether he would compete again at the highest level, drew the highest golf television ratings in years and is widely considered one of sport's greatest comeback stories.

2020 to 2025 - New Records and a Grand Slam Completed

The 2020 Masters was played in November rather than April due to the pandemic, behind closed doors with no spectators. Dustin Johnson won with a score of 20 under par, 268 total, setting a new 72-hole scoring record by two strokes and winning by five, per the PGA Tour.

In 2025, Rory McIlroy ended an 11-year wait for his fifth major title by winning the Masters in a sudden-death playoff against Justin Rose. A birdie on the 18th hole on the first playoff hole gave McIlroy the green jacket and completed his career Grand Slam, making him the sixth player in history to win all four major championships. Understanding how that playoff was decided requires knowing the Masters playoff format in full, because the sudden-death structure meant everything came down to one hole, one shot, and one birdie that the sport had been anticipating for over a decade.

The Masters Record Books

The records at Augusta tell the story of who has defined the tournament across its history. Jack Nicklaus holds six Masters titles, the most of any player ever. Tiger Woods is second with five. The lowest 72-hole total is 268, set by Dustin Johnson in 2020. The lowest single round is 63, shared by Greg Norman in 1996 and Nick Price in 1986. Woods holds the record for the largest winning margin at 12 strokes. Nicklaus is the oldest champion at 46 and Woods the youngest at 21. No amateur has ever won the Masters in its 90-year history.

Why Masters Golf History Keeps Growing

Most sporting events have history. The Masters has identity. The same course, the same second week of April, the same azaleas and the same green jacket ceremony that has played out since 1949. That consistency is what separates it from everything else in golf and from most things in sport. Each generation of players arrives at Augusta carrying the weight of what happened there before, which is exactly what makes every April feel like it matters.

FAQ

When did the Masters golf tournament start? 

The first Masters was played on March 22-25, 1934, at Augusta National Golf Club. It was originally called the Augusta National Invitation Tournament and was officially renamed the Masters in 1939.

Why is it called the Masters? 

Clifford Roberts suggested the name from the beginning. Bobby Jones initially objected, considering it too presumptuous for a new event. By 1939, Jones changed his mind and the tournament was officially renamed the Masters.

Who has won the most Masters titles? 

Jack Nicklaus has won six Masters titles, the most in the tournament's history, winning in 1963, 1965, 1966, 1972, 1975, and 1986. Tiger Woods is second with five.

What is Amen Corner at the Masters? 

Amen Corner refers to the stretch covering the back end of the 11th hole, the par-3 12th, and the front of the par-5 13th. The name was coined by sportswriter Herbert Warren Wind in a 1958 Sports Illustrated article.

Who is the youngest Masters champion? 

Tiger Woods won the Masters in 1997 at the age of 21 years, 3 months, and 14 days, making him the youngest champion in tournament history, per official Augusta National records.

What is the Green Jacket at the Masters? 

The green jacket is presented to every Masters champion. The tradition began in 1949 when Sam Snead became the first winner to receive one as part of honorary club membership. The defending champion presents the jacket to the new winner each year.

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