Although it remains one of the oldest, most prestigious sporting events in the United States, few Americans are aware of the time-honored traditions and history associated with The Masters Tournament.

Most people, myself included, know little more than the current champion and a small sense of the history involved with the tournament. As could be expected, the tournament has a rich history, beginning with its somewhat recent founding in the 1930’s. I decided to research the tournament, and found that the history behind the tournament is just as captivating as the tournament itself. While some feel the tournament has lost some of its grandeur over the past few years due to the scandal involving former champion Tiger Woods, and the tournament’s perceived sexist attitude toward women, I would argue that the tournament’s prestige has not been adversely affected. The tournament has been through adversity before, and nothing has changed. For the rest of this column, I will share just some of the rich history involved with The Masters Tournament.

Proprietors of the Augusta National Golf Club, Bobby Jones and Clifford Robert, established The Masters Tournament in 1934. The land had formerly been an indigo plantation and was converted to a golf club by amateur golfer and lawyer Jones, along with golf course architect Alister Mackenzie. During the second world war, the tournament was not played, and chickens and cattle were raised on the grounds in order to assist the war effort. The tournament’s iconic green jacket, which is awarded to the winner of the tournament, was not utilized until 1949. The winners are not permitted to take the jacket away from the grounds of Augusta National, although the jacket does remain the personal property of the winner. All jackets of previous winners are stored together in a single cloakroom. Past winners can check out their jackets when they are visiting Augusta National.

The tournament became the huge event it is today during the 1960s, when the trio of Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player dominated the winner’s circle. Nicklaus currently holds the record for most Masters wins all time with six, winning in 1963, 1965, 1966, 1972, 1975, and 1986. Palmer and Tiger Woods come in a close second with four wins each. In 1961, South African competitor Gary Player became the first foreigner to win the tournament, and Lee Elder became the first African-American to participate in the tournament, although the club did not induct their first African-American member until 1990.
In the early 2000s, Tiger Woods dominated the tournament, winning four championship between the years of 1997 and 2005. Most recently, the tournament has been won by the likes of Bubba Watson, Jordan Spieth, and most currently Danny Willett. The current prize for winning the Masters is 1.8 million dollars. When the tournament first began in 1934, the winning prize was 1,500 dollars.

The Augusta National Golf Club today can boast three female members: Ex-Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and businesswoman Darla Moore (both inducted in 2012), and IBM CEO Virginia Rometty (inducted in 2014). While the club looks to the future, it remains heavily rooted in its long rooted traditions, enforcing the tournament’s reputation as one of America’s most prestigious sporting events.