Some interesting facts about the Augusta National

colintrav

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1931 Purchase of Fruitland Nurseries as site of Augusta National. Dr. Alister Mackenzie retained as Golf Course architect. Construction begins.
1932 Augusta National opens (December).
1933 Club formal opening (January 12-16).
1934 First Augusta National Invitation Tournament. Horton Smith champion. First radio broadcast.
1935 Golf course nines reversed. Gene Sarazen's double eagle at par 5 No. 15 ties Craig Wood. Sarazen defeats Wood by five strokes in ensuing 36-hole playoff.
1936 Horton Smith becomes Tournament's first two-time winner.
1937 Members begin to wear Green Jackets. Sam Snead plays in his first of 44 consecutive Tournaments. Byron Nelson scores 2-3 on hole Nos. 12 and 13 to pick up six strokes on Ralph Guldahl and wins the title.
1938 Pine log benches first used for spectator convenience.
1939 Tournament officially named the Masters.
1940 Lloyd Mangrum scores course record 64 in opening round.
1941 Installation and utilization of underground network of telephone cable for scoring system on course. First radio tower.
1942 Byron Nelson defeats Ben Hogan 69-70 in a playoff. Nelson gains five shots on Hogan in 11 holes during the extra round. Gallery control and roping first used.
1943-44 Club closes during World War II.
1945 Club reopens for play by members.
1946 First post-war Masters played.
1947 Magnolia Lane paved. First field scoreboards erected on course. Jimmy Demaret captures his second of three Tournaments and becomes first player to break par all four days.
1948 General Dwight D. Eisenhower becomes Club member. Bobby Jones donates golf clubs from Grand Slam year to Augusta National Golf Club.
1949 Ike's Pond built. Green Jacket first awarded (Sam Snead). Spectator Guide published. First fairway roped (No. 11).
1952 Masters Club for Tournament champions initiated (Ben Hogan suggests and hosts first dinner). General Eisenhower elected President of the United States.
1953 Eisenhower Cabin built. Press building Quonset hut erected. Ben Hogan wins his second Masters title breaking the Tournament record by five strokes.
1954 Sam Snead defeats Ben Hogan in an 18-hole playoff to win his third Green Jacket. Tradition of giving crystal for the day's low score, eagles, and holes-in-one initiated.
1955 All holes serviced by phone for scoring system. Sarazen Bridge dedicated at No. 15 commemorating 20th anniversary of double eagle.
1956 First Masters television broadcast (hole Nos. 15-18). Jack Burke Jr. makes up eight strokes the final day to edge amateur Ken Venturi.
1957 First cut of the field (40 plus ties).
1958 Par 3 course built. Nelson and Hogan Bridges constructed and dedicated. Arnold Palmer wins his first of four Green Jackets. Herbert Warren Wind first uses the term Amen Corner in written story.
1959 Record Fountain dedicated.
1960 Standards for posting individual scores of participants first used. Over and under scoring method introduced. Telecast interview of champion with Clifford Roberts begun. First Masters film. First Par 3 Contest, Sam Snead winner.
1961 Clubhouse reproduction introduced for permanent Masters Trophy. Gary Player becomes first international golfer to win Tournament.
1962 First observation stand erected. Masters first three-way playoff with Arnold Palmer scoring a second nine 31 to defeat Gary Player and Dow Finsterwald. Cut changed to low 44 plus ties.
1963 Attendance limitations instituted. Jack Nicklaus wins his first of six Masters crowns.
1964 Butler Cabin built. Clifford Roberts' 70th birthday party. Arnold Palmer becomes the first four-time Masters champion.
1965 Nelson Bridge rebuilt and extended. Television studio in Butler Cabin for the first time. Jack Nicklaus defeats Arnold Palmer and Gary Player by nine strokes for then largest victory margin in Tournament history. Nicklaus scores 271 for Tournament record.
1966 Resolution making Robert T. Jones, Jr. President In Perpetuity. Nicklaus becomes the first Masters champion to successfully defend his title. Players within 10 strokes of the lead included in final two rounds. First golf broadcast in color.
1967 First overseas broadcast when BBC televises Masters via satellite.
1968 Charles Bartlett portrait dedicated and hung in Press Building. Roberto De Vicenzo signs an incorrect scorecard showing a 4 on hole No. 17 instead of a birdie 3 and misses a playoff with Bob Goalby.
1969 President Eisenhower passes away.
1970 Television coverage extended to No. 13. Rear-operated scoreboards introduced.
1971 Robert T. Jones, Jr. passes away.
1972 Wirephoto service dispatches color photos from the Masters for the first time. Jack Nicklaus joins Arnold Palmer as the only four-time champion. Patron Badge list closed. Waiting list established.
1973 Television coverage extends to 12th hole. First delayed television broadcast to Japan.
1974 Clifford Roberts' 80th birthday party.
1975 Jack Nicklaus becomes the first five-time winner.
1976 Sudden death playoff format announced. Clifford Roberts introduces William H. Lane as his successor as Tournament Chairman beginning in 1977. Clifford Roberts' The Story of the Augusta National Golf Club is published. Raymond Floyd ties then Tournament record with 271. First live broadcast to Japan.
1977 Clifford Roberts passes away. William H. Lane elected Chairman and Hord W. Hardin elected Vice-Chairman of Augusta National Golf Club and the Masters.
1978 Gary Player scores a final round 64 including birdies on seven of the last 10 holes to win his third Masters. Par 3 course converted to bentgrass. Patron Badge waiting list closed.
1979 First sudden death playoff in Tournament history when first-time participant Fuzzy Zoeller wins with a birdie on second playoff hole (No. 11). William H. Lane hospitalized. Hord W. Hardin becomes Acting Chairman.
1980 Seve Ballesteros wins his first of two titles. Greens changed in the fall from Bermuda to bentgrass. Hord W. Hardin elected Chairman. William H. Lane passes away.
1981 Heating and cooling systems installed at No. 12 green. First Masters on bentgrass greens.
1982 First and second round television coverage begins. Craig Stadler defeats Dan Pohl in the Tournament's first one-hole playoff.
1983 Players given the option of using their own caddies.
1984 Ben Crenshaw fires a final round 68 and wins his first of two Masters titles.
1985 Bernard Langer becomes the Tournament's third international champion.
1986 At age 46, Jack Nicklaus wins his sixth Green Jacket and becomes the oldest champion in Masters history. Nicklaus scores a final round 65. Nick Price scores a course record 63.
1987 Augusta native Larry Mize holes a memorable chip shot to defeat Greg Norman on second playoff hole.
1988 Sandy Lyle hits a spectacular 7-iron from the fairway bunker and birdies the final hole to win by one.
1989 Nick Faldo wins his first Green Jacket with a 25-foot birdie putt on the second playoff hole to defeat Scott Hoch.
1990 Nick Faldo joins Jack Nicklaus as the only player to defend his Masters title successfully. New Press Building opens. Flood destroys No. 11 green and No. 13 members tee, and damages No. 12 green.
1991 Jackson T. Stephens elected Chairman. Hord W. Hardin named Chairman Emeritus.
1992 Fred Couples wins, and Raymond Floyd sets the Tournament record for the oldest runner-up (49). Jeff Sluman scores the only ace at No. 4.
1993 Bernhard Langer wins his second Masters title and becomes the twelfth golfer with multiple Masters victories.
1994 Jose Maria Olazabal wins his first of two Masters Tournaments. Jeff Maggert's double eagle at No. 13 is only the third double eagle in Masters history, the first in 27 years.
1995 Practice Rounds tickets limited and sold in advance. Plaque commemorating Arnold Palmer's achievements at the Masters placed on new fountain at No. 16.
1996 Greg Norman ties course record with opening round 63. Nick Faldo rallies from six shots back the final day to win his third Green Jacket by five strokes. Masters Internet site launched. Hord W. Hardin dies.
1997 Tiger Woods becomes Tournament's youngest winner and sets records for lowest 72-hole total and widest victory margin. Former champions Henry Picard and Ben Hogan pass away.
1998 Mark O'Meara birdies hole Nos. 17 and 18 to win Masters Tournament. Plaque commemorating Jack Nicklaus' achievements at the Masters placed on new fountain between hole Nos. 16 and 17. William W. Johnson elected Chairman. Jackson T. Stephens named Chairman Emetitus
1999 Qualifications for invitation to Masters Tournament changed. Second cut of fairway increased on golf course. 1935 Masters champion Gene Sarazen passes away. Jose Maria Olazabal becomes Masters 14th multiple winner.
2000 Patron badge waiting list reopened then closed.
2001 Tiger Woods wins by two strokes to capture his fourth consecutive professional major golf tournament.
2002 Tiger Woods becomes the third player to capture consecutive Masters titles. Nine holes changed on golf course. 18-hole coverage on Sunday initiated. Sam Snead serves as Honorary Starter, then dies one month later.
2003 Mike Weir becomes the first Canadian to win one of golf's major tournaments and the first left-hander to win the Masters. In the twelfth playoff in Masters history, Weir wins with a bogey on the first playoff hole (No. 10).
2004 Phil Mickelson birdies the last hole to win his first major, making him the fourth Masters champion to win with a birdie on the final hole. Arnold Palmer plays in his 50th consecutive, and final competitive, Masters Tournament.
2005 Tiger Woods birdies the first hole (No. 18) in the thirteenth Masters playoff to defeat Chirs DiMarco. His victory made him the third champion to win at least four Tournaments. Chairman Emeritus Jack Stephens passes away at age 81. 1969 winner George Archer dies.
2006 Phil Mickelson wins his second Masters title. Six holes changed on the golf course. William Porter Payne elected Chairman. Hootie Johnson named Chairman Emeritus. Two-time Masters champion Byron Nelson passes away. Oil painting of Amen Corner dedicated and hung in the Press Building in honor of Herbert Warren Wind.
2007 Four-time Masters champion Arnold Palmer serves as the Tournament's seventh Honorary Starter. Zach Johnson wins the Masters with a four-day total of 289, equaling the highest winning score in Tournament history. Masters Major Achievement Award initiated for media members covering 40 or more Masters. 1967 Masters winner, Gay Brewer passes away.
2008 Gary Player breaks the tie with Arnold Palmer by competing in his 51st consecutive Masters. Golf Goes Worldwide initiative announced, which includes televising the Par 3 Contest and the beginning of the Junior Pass program. After shooting three rounds in the 60s, Trevor Immelman finishes with a 75, matching the highest winning fourth-round score at the Masters.

Behind the Green Jacket
Bobby Jones
Clifford Roberts
History of the Club
Significant Dates
The Trophy Case
Awards and Trophies
Winners and Runners-up
Records & Stats
Champions
Holes-in-One/Double Eagles
Par 3 Contest
Scoring Statistics
Eagle, Birdie Leaders
All-Time Cum. Stats
Tournament Decided By
Career Scoring Averages
Runners-Up/Leaders
Cut Information
Top Finishers
Tournaments Entered
Highest & Lowest Scores
Tournament Results
 

ADB

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All-Time Cum. Stats

Out of all of that text, this was the one line that caught my eye.....I suppose that says a lot about my sense of humour, sorry chaps.

Finbarr lives
 

HomerJSimpson

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Intersting stuff. Not sure where you got all the info from or found the time to put it all down but is good stuff. Might be worth putting this back up next April just as we start our annual arguments on who'll be the winner. I've £50 says it won't be this years winner defending it
 
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