The Albatross
11 April 2008
Nairobi — The first of the four majors in the PGA tour calendar kicked off at its permanent home in the Augusta National Course in Georgia, US, yesterday.
Traditionally, the finals of this most prestigious tournament, are played on the second Sunday of April, making it the first Tournament the four majors played each year. The other three are the US Open Championship, The Open Championship, also known as the British Open, and PGA Championship.
The Masters is part of the official event of the PGA Tour, The PGA European Tour and the Japan Golf Tour. The purse for the Masters last year stood at Ksh471.25million ( US $ 7.25 Million).
The Masters is steeped in tradition of honouring amateurs, following the founding of the tournament by a great amateur, Bobby Jones. The defending Masters Champion is always paired with the US Amateur Champion over the first two days, before the two are separated by the 'cut off'. The winner of each Tournament is donned a Green Jacket by the preceding year's winner.
This honoured tradition begun in 1949 when Sam Snead won the first of his three Masters Titles and was to run uninterrupted till 1966, when Jack Nicklaus became the first player to win the Masters Titles back-to-back, had to don the Green Jacket on himself. But when Nick Faldo, in 1990, and Tiger Woods, in 2002, won Masters Titles, the Chairman of Augusta National Golf Club took on the role of putting the Green Jackets on the repeat champions.
The Tournament is kicked off by Honourary Starters who play the opening tee shots of the first hole. This task is performed by legendary golf players with the original starters being Jock Hutchison and Fred McLeod. These two gentlemen started off every tournament from 1963 to 1973 when bad health would not allow Hutchison to swing a golf club. McLeod continued until his death in 1976.
Byron Nelson and Gene Sarazen teed off the Tournament in 1981 and were joined by Sam Snead in 1984. This trio continued as Honourary Starters until 1999 when Sarazen died. Nelson discontinued in 2001.
Sam Snead hit his final opening tee shot in 2001, a year before he, too, died. Arnold Palmer took over as Honourary Starter in 2007.
It is fitting here to recount Gene Sarazen's most memorable win at Augusta in 1935. He played "the shot that was heard 'round the World'", when he holed a fairway shot on the par five 15th , for an albatross. He went on to win the tournament from Craig Wood, by five strokes, after a 36-hole play-off!
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