As winter fades away, and the spring sun starts to warm the northern hemisphere, the PGA Tour makes its way to the east coast. On April 7th begins the first of the four major golf tournaments, The Masters, where the verdant greens of Augusta National are in this case only outshone by the ever-famous green jacket. As tradition goes, the defending champion, Jordan Spieth this year, will slip the green jacket over the new champion at the end of the tournament. The winner will also enjoy his share of a hefty purse. Last years’ purse was $10 million, and first placed claimed $1.8 million of that, nearly twenty percent!
All the big names are invited to the Masters: Jordan Spieth, Jason Day, Adam Scott, Bubba Watson, Rory McIlroy, etc. . . not just because they are big names though. The Masters has certain criteria that must be met in order for a player to qualify. Those that have won the Masters before automatically receive an invite (Phil Mickelson, Tiger Woods, Adam Scott, Jordan Spieth, and Bubba Watson are all included in this list), as do the top twelve players in the previous years’ Masters. Among the many other qualifications are the other three major golf tournament (US Open, British Open, and the PGA Championship) champions with a five-year exemption, and the Players Championship Winners with a three-year exemption. The winners from several of the amateur tournaments also qualify.
In the next two weeks leading up to the Masters, be sure to follow the World Golf Championships – Dell Match Play, taking place in Austin, Texas at the Austin Country Club, and the Shell Houston Open, taking place in Humble, Texas at the Golf Course of Houston. With the weather getting warmer, don’t forget to get out and play yourself too!
Featured image courtesy of tee.golfmiles.com
