Golf
How Did The Masters Get Its Iconic Name?
Joe Kozlowski began his career as a sports journalist in 2013 and joined Sportscasting in 2019. He covers the NBA and soccer for Sportscasting, with specialties in legacy NBA players such as Michael Jordan and Premier League club Arsenal. Off the clock, he's a Kansas City Chiefs fan and a hockey goalie. Growing up loving Shaquille O'Neal and reading everything he could about the great big men throughout NBA history — likely because he was still tall enough, at least relative to his peers, to play center — he's continued to love learning about and exploring the historical and story-based sides of the basketball archives. As for Arsenal, Joe spent a year living in London and latched onto the local support of the club. He's barely missed a match since, loving Arsene Wenger, enduring the Banter Era, and following along through rebuilds. The Premier League interest developed into a passionate following of the Champions League, Europe's big five league, and international soccer as a whole when played at the highest level. Regardless of the sport, Joe is captivated by the stories of athletes beyond the box scores and how they push the envelope — both in terms of what we think a human is capable of accomplishing and how they find new competitive tactics to win.
Get to know Joe Kozlowski betterPublished11 Nov 2020
In the world of sports, certain names speak for themselves. One of those is The Masters. When you hear those two simple words, it’s almost impossible to imagine anything other than Augusta National, green jackets, and Jim Nantz.
While golf fans around the globe all know and love The Masters, the tournament’s title isn’t as intuitive as something like the US Open or the PGA Championship. So how did the event get its iconic name?
The history of The Masters
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These days, it’s impossible to imagine professional golf without The Masters. The tournament, however, wasn’t always part of the sport’s landscape.
As explained by a timeline on the tournament’s official website, Bobby Jones wanted to build a golf course; he teamed up Clifford Roberts and purchased some land in Augusta, Georgia. The two men tapped Dr. Alister McKenzie, a noted course architect, and tasked him with transforming the plant nursery into a golfer’s dream.
In December 1932, Augusta National Golf Club was ready to go. At the formal opening, which took place the following January, Jones explained that “Our overall aim at the Augusta National has been to provide a golf course of considerable natural beauty, enjoyable for the average golfer and at the same time testing for the expert player striving to better par. We want to make bogies easy if frankly sought, pars readily obtainable by standard good play, and birdies, except on par 5’s, dearly bought.”
The first “Augusta National Invitational” Tournament took place in 1934; from there, the rest is golf history.
Why is the tournament called ‘The Masters’?
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As you might have noticed, the earliest tournaments were simply called the “Augusta National Invitational.” So what prompted the move to The Masters?
According to the Golf Channel, Roberts wanted to call the tournament ‘The Masters’ because the competitors would be the masters of golf; Jones, however, wasn’t sold on that idea. In his mind, calling his own event something that grandiose would be too immodest.
After five editions of the Augusta National Invitational, however, Jones relented. In 1939, The Masters graced golf’s annual calendar for the first time.
No matter what you call it, the tournament is full of traditions
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Would The Masters have caught on if it was still known as the Augusta National Invitational? At this point, there’s no way to really know; the name, like many other aspects of the event, has simply become part of the tradition.
While the world of sports is full of pageantry, The Masters exists in a league of its own. The Green Jacket, for example, has its own unique set of rules; things like the Champions Dinner, the Par 3 Tournament, and even caddy’s attire is dictated by tradition. Even CBS has made a special arrangement with The Masters, allowing the event to air with limited commercials.
Although one tradition has been broken—due to the coronavirus pandemic, this year’s tournament couldn’t take place in early April—The Masters is still a special occasion for golf fans everywhere. Part of that magic includes the name.
