It’s a tradition unlike any other, and it’s right around the (Amen) corner.
Well, maybe the November Masters isn’t right around the corner.
But today, nobody will be driving down Magnolia Lane. No green jackets will be seen. Pimento cheese sandwiches won’t be eaten (unless you’re really down on your quarantine food supply).
Your friends here at Golfweek are just as sad as you are without the Masters being played this week, but that won’t stop us from celebrating what should be the first major of the season. So in order to help get you in the right state of mind without any new golf at Augusta National Golf Club, we went through every Masters tournament and picked out one notable piece of information.
We’ll start with the inaugural tournament:
1934
The first Masters was officially known as the “Augusta National Invitation Tournament” for the first five years. Host and co-founder Bobby Jones finished T-13. The tournament purse was $5,000, with the winner Horton Smith taking home $1,500.
1935
The nines at Augusta switched to their present order, with the finishing hole at “Holly.” In the final round, Gene Sarazen holed a double eagle (235 yards, 4 wood) to tie Craig Wood and force a 36-hole playoff. You might know that second shot at “Firethorn,” the par-5 15th hole, as the “shot heard ’round the world.” Sarazen went on to win the Monday playoff.
1936
For the second year in a row, the Masters (still officially Augusta National Invitation Tournament) was decided with 36 holes on Monday, but not because of a playoff. Heavy rains postponed the first round until Friday. Sunday’s play was also postponed, leaving the third and fourth rounds to be played on Monday. Horton Smith won his second Masters.
1937
Byron Nelson opened with a 6-under 66, but a Saturday 75 dropped him to a tie for third. On the back nine on Sunday, Nelson gained six strokes on leader Ralph Guldahl over two holes and won. Nelson played Nos. 12 and 13 birdie-eagle, and in 1958, the bridge near the 13th tee was dedicated as The Nelson Bridge.
1938
The great Ben Hogan makes his Masters debut, finishing T-25. For the second and final time, tournament host Bobby Jones finished in the top 20.
1939
Guldahl, who finished runner-up the previous two years, claimed his only Masters title with a tournament record 9-under par, besting runner-up Sam Snead by a stroke. Guldahl’s -9 record stood until Hogan’s 14-under performance in 1953.
(Click next for 1940-1949)
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