The Masters

From the perfectly manicured setting at Augusta National to the reverence with which the players treat the course and the history involved, if there is poetry in professional golf, it lives at the Masters.

One of golf’s four major tournaments, the Masters is nearly as steeped in tradition as any other professional sports tournament. From the Green Jacket awarded to the winner to the gasps and roars of the crowd in Amen Corner, there are things at Augusta National that aren’t found anywhere else in the game.

If there is a place that players love to win, this is it.

Players winning the Masters are automatically qualified to play in the remaining three majors – for the following five years, no less – and receive a lifetime invitation to the tournament, in addition to the $1.5 million purse.

No small stakes here. But the romance of the place, the Dogwoods, Azaleas and Rhododendrons, and sun setting behind the 18^th green on the second Sunday in April are what the players and the fans really come to see.