Rich History
The Masters is one of the oldest golf tournaments on the PGA tour and dates back to 1934 when Horton Smith pipped Craig Wood by one shot to win the first-ever edition. Since then, the Championship has risen to fame and has been won by the who’s who of golf. This includes Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Seve Ballesteros and Tiger Woods.
This year’s tournament was slightly different as it was the first-ever to be played behind closed doors due to the Covid-19 pandemic. However, the competition didn’t lose any of its charm or customary drama as Hideki Matsuyama became the first person from Japan to win the prestigious event and the second person from Asia to don the green jacket, following in the footsteps of South Korean Y. E. Yang. Yang won the 2009 edition of the tournament when he fended off Tiger Woods at the time.
Matsuyama’s final round started by driving the ball into the trees off of the tee. At that point, he must have felt a million miles away from winning the Masters as his lead was cut to one from the off. However, he dusted himself off and birdied the second hole and never looked back.
The Future
The US Masters returns to the home of golf at Augusta in 2022, when the tournament will take place between April 7th through to the 10th. What does the course have in store next year? Initially, both Bobby Jones and Dr Alister MacKenzie believed in designing holes that required a high level of planning from the player’s viewpoint and a variety of approaches to the hole. This is still valid at Augusta. Although being able to reach precise parts of fairways and greens with pinpoint accuracy has its benefits, the course presents a somewhat different challenge than the one designed by the original architects.
Just two holes on the course have stayed the same length – the 6th has been marginally shortened – and although others have only seen minor length changes, holes like the par-five 8th have been extended by up to 26%! Many of the holes’ architectural features have changed, with course architects such as Perry Maxwell, George Cobb, Jack Nicklaus, and Tom Fazio having been commissioned to redesign the course at different points in the past.
Although the course’s overall length and obstacles have changed dramatically since Augusta’s early days, one thing has remained constant: the key challenges here lie in wait on the incredible green complexes that haven’t changed much over the years. Players’ short games and their ability to hold the ball below the hole with their approach shots are of paramount importance when playing at Augusta. With significant slopes and dramatic undulations featured on every one, the magnitude of which you have to see in person to understand, players’ short games, as well as their ability to keep the ball below the hole with their approach shots, are extremely important when playing at Augusta.
Who are some of the names to look out for next year? Irishman Rory McIlroy has returned to form, and he will be hoping to win his first-ever Masters tournament. Last year’s runner up Will Zaltoris, has a big future in the game, as do Abraham Ancer and Collin Morikawa. They are all names to follow. Dustin Johnson and Bryson DeChambeau are names you can’t ignore for any golf tournament. Then you have what is now considered the old guard with players such as Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, and Jim Furyk – all are still capable of lifting the trophy.
Ticket Information
Daily Tournament tickets are one-day ground passes that can be used on each of the tournament’s four days (Thursday, Friday, Saturday or Sunday). Tickets for the Daily Tournament cost $115 each, plus any related shipping and handling fees. For the 2022 Masters® Tournament, the registration deadline for both Practice Rounds and Regular Tournament tickets is June 21, 2021. Tickets for the daily tournament will be given out first. Anyone who applied for Practice Rounds and was not chosen for Daily tickets will be included in the Practice Rounds ticket selection. When the selection process is complete, all applicants will be notified by email in mid-July.
