10 things that make The Masters the most unique golf tournament on the planet
Spring and the second week in April.
Blooming flowers.
Green grass.
Very green grass.
And the quest for a Green Jacket.
It’s time for the Masters and the tournament is special in the world of golf not just for being the first major championship every year, but also for being very different to the three that follow.
The Open – or British Open – is the oldest of them all and always takes place on a linksland course.
The US Open is the toughest test of them all.
The PGA Championship has the deepest field (all of the world top 100 players).
But the Masters is in a world of its own.
Let’s take a look at the top 10 things that make it so distinctive from the other three tournaments that define a golfer’s career.
The prize
No trophy. Instead, an addition to the wardrobe.
The Open has the Claret Jug. The PGA Championship has the Wanamaker Trophy. The US Open just has a big old-fashioned cup.
The Masters has a Green Jacket.
The prize ceremony
The winner of the Open is introduced to the packed grandstands surrounding the 18th green and is invited to chat to the fans both there and around the world.
In gloriously mad contrast, the winner of the Masters heads into the Butler Cabin to have a toe-curling chat with Jim Nantz and the chairman of the club.
The Champion’s Dinner
Every Tuesday of Masters week the defending champion hosts every other previous winner of a green jacket at a meal in the clubhouse dining room.
The chefs prepare a meal the host designs to reflect either his background or taste.
The course
The other three majors are nomadic. They tend to return to the same courses, sometimes adding new ones or dropping outdated layouts, but there is no repeat in consecutive years.
In the Masters, they return to Augusta National every year.
It means the players – and everyone watching around the world – know the course more intimately than any other.
The food and drink
The other majors are ruthless at ripping the fans off. The prices of on-site food and drink rises not so much with inflation as with multiples of inflation.
At the Masters the food is economical and fair – and the Pimento and egg salad sandwiches are justly celebrated.
The lack of fans
The other majors have fans, the Masters insists on calling those outside the ropes “patrons”.
They are not permitted to run nor are they allowed to use mobile telephones.
The Par-3 Competition
On Wednesday the players – and past champions not teeing it up – are allowed to participate in a Par-3 contest on the club’s nine-hole short course.
Players often get family, friends or celebrity acquaintances to caddie (sometimes they are even allowed to hit a shot) and winning the competition has become something of an unwanted triumph – no-one has won the Par-3 and the tournament itself in the same week.
The caddie outfits
At the other majors the caddies must wear bibs but otherwise there is little in the way of outfit demands on them.
At the Masters the caddies must wear all-white boiler suits.
The hole names
Every hole at Augusta National is named after a flower found somewhere on the property.
The likes of Tea Olive, Pink Dogwood, White Dogwood, Flowering Crab Apple, Yellow Jasmine, Golden Bell, Firethorn and Chinese Fir.
The honorary starters
At the Open the first group out on Thursday has become something of a big deal in recent years.
Back in 2007 there was a mere handful of folk on the first tee at 6.30 in the morning. Now there is a small grandstand full of fans and the man selected to hit the first ball will have some sort of story for digital teams and the media to sell to the world.
The first tee shots at the Masters are hit by honorary starters who are old champions for whom a full round is a bit beyond them.
There was a time when they would play nine holes. Now, they tend to just clip their balls down the fairway.
This year Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player and Tom Watson will start the week in style.
READ MORE: The Masters Champions Dinner: What has been served at Augusta National down the years?