“A tradition unlike any other…” The Masters

It’s that time of the year again! April reminds me of three things: warmer weather, Easter, and the Masters Tournament. In 2020, the Masters was moved to the fall because of Covid, which was the first time the tournament had been played during this season! However, now it is back to its regularly scheduled programming, and I am going to take you on a trip to Augusta, Georgia to look at why the Masters is such a unique tournament and who some of my predicted favorites are to win it all. This blog is basically me doing something I love: talking golf!

As mentioned in one of my previous blogs, I grew up in a golf-loving family, so I have been surrounded by it my entire life. Even though I might not enjoy playing it nearly as much as my family, I do enjoy watching it, especially when one of the four major tournaments, such as the Masters, rolls around.

You can explore the official website of the Masters to discover the history and more interesting facts about the tournament, but here are my favorite things that I think make the Masters “a tradition unlike any other.”

The Names of the Holes

One of my absolute favorite things about Augusta National is that each of the holes have a unique name, and each of the holes is named after some sort of flower or plant. When the founders of Augusta National, Clifford Roberts and Bobby Jones, were looking for land for the course, they chose some acres in Augusta, Georgia where a nursery had been. They even hired the son of the former nursery owner to help position and reposition the flowering plants, shrubs, and trees on the land, which ended up giving names for the holes. Some of the holes’ names have changed since their original naming, but most have remained the same, and they all are still named after flowering plants.

The Champions Dinner

Every year, a dinner is held on the night before the tournament begins for all of the players that year. In my opinion, the menu is what makes the Champions Dinner so cool. At each dinner, the previous year’s Masters winner gets to create the menu. The selections that the previous winners make usually reflect both the person’s heritage and home country’s cuisine and foods that express their own personality and likings. Each year, I am always super excited (and jealous) to find out what the menu will be. The best one I have seen so far, based on my personal taste, is Patrick Reed’s… everything is perfect about it.

The Visuals

From the iconic Green Jackets to the storied Magnolia Lane to the beautiful “Amen Corner” (holes 11,12,13), the visuals of the tournament are unmatched. The tournament is filled with tradition and luxury, and the scenes around the course are absolutely beautiful. It is worth just watching the broadcast for this reason alone! 

My Predictions for the 2021 Tournament

As with any Masters Tournament, there are lots of big names, and it is always difficult to guess who might reign supreme at this tournament. However, I definitely have a few people that I’m going to keep my eye on. 

The first player is Jordan Spieth. He has won at the Masters before and also come in a heartbreaking second place. Although he has been in a slump these past three years in his career, he has shown in 2021 that the old Jordan is coming back, which should frighten any player in the field. The second player is Rory McIlroy, my favorite player and of whom I named my dog after. Rory has also been struggling over the past few years, although not nearly as badly as Spieth. However, McIlroy is always interesting to watch at the Masters because it is the last of the four “Majors” in golf that he needs to complete his career grand slam. Therefore, every time McIlroy arrives at Augusta, you know he’s hungry to win. Lastly, the third player is Brooks Koepka. First of all, Koepka has the funny attribute of showing up and dominating in golf’s four Major Tournaments, but not really caring about his performance in some of golf’s smaller events. But that is not what makes him interesting this year. Koepka dislocated his kneecap about a year ago and recently had surgery a month ago on his knee. No one thought he would even play! For a surgery that typically takes 6 months to recover from, Koepka is taking 1. Players will do anything for the Masters. No matter who wins, though, it should be an exciting tournament, as always!