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Spring may have arrived on March 21, but, in my mind, the season isn’t officially here until I witness the colorful azaleas, the dogwoods in full bloom, and hear the birds chirping under a bright, blue sky at Augusta National Golf Club.

Every first full week of April, all eyes are focused on Augusta, a Georgia city nestled on the banks of the Savannah River, just a couple of miles from the South Carolina line. There, professional golfers battle for the opportunity to earn a green jacket in front of thousands of fans who line nearly every inch of this famed course.

The Masters (tournament) was first played in 1934, making this year the 89^th annual event. The 18-hole course was once the home of a plant nursery before legendary golfer Bobby Jones teamed up with designer Alister MacKenzie to fashion what has become perhaps the most iconic golf course in the world. When in full bloom in the spring, this course is a site to behold.

The Masters draws its name due to the elite field of participants. The top 50 players in the world by the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) as of January 1st of the previous year qualify for the Masters. Additionally, players who rise into the top 50 in the OWGR during the week before the Masters are also eligible. Previous Masters champions also have lifetime exemptions.

Also, the top 12 and ties from the 2024 Masters are allowed to return, as are the top four and ties from the other three majors in 2024, with every winner at a full-field PGA Tour event – the ones not played the same week as a major – over the past 12 months securing a spot.

Invitations are also awarded to the two finalists of the US Amateur and the winner of The Amateur Championship, along with the winners of the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship, Latin America Amateur Championship, the US Mid-Amateur and the NCCA Division 1 Men’s Individual Champion.

All totaled, 95 players teed it up for Thursday’s opening round. After Friday’s second round, 42 golfers were cut, leaving 53 to battle it out over the final two days.

So, how prestigious is this particular event? That answer lies in the first place trophy, which, by the way, isn’t shiny or made of metal or glass. Rather, it’s a jacket of a particular color. First awarded in 1949 (where Sam Snead was the winner), the green sport coat is the official attire worn by members of Augusta National while on the club grounds. Each Masters winner becomes an honorary member of the club.

The recipient of the green jacket has it presented to him in a televised ceremony inside the Butler Cabin soon after the end of the tournament, and the presentation is then repeated outside near the 18th green in front of the patrons. Winners keep their jacket for the year after their victory, then return it to the club to wear whenever they are present on the club grounds. The green jacket is only allowed to be removed from the Augusta National grounds by the reigning champion, after which it must remain at the club.

By tradition, the winner of the previous year’s Masters Tournament is charged with task of placing the jacket on the new champion. In 1966, Jack Nicklaus became the first player to win in consecutive years and he donned the jacket himself. When Nick Faldo (in 1990) and Tiger Woods (in 2002) repeated as champions, the chairman of Augusta National put the jacket on them.

In addition to the green jacket, The Masters champion also receives a gold medal. The winner’s name along with that of the runner-up is also etched onto the silver Masters trophy, which remains at the clubhouse. The original trophy weighs over 130 pounds and sits on a four-foot-wide base. It resides permanently at Augusta National and depicts the clubhouse of the classic course. The winner does receive a replica of this trophy, which is significantly smaller as it weighs 20 pounds.

Another tradition involves the recognition of outstanding play by amateurs in the field. In 1952, The Masters began presenting an award, known as the Silver Cup, to the lowest scoring amateur to make the cut. In 1954, they began presenting a silver medal to the low amateur runner-up.

Other traditions at The Masters include the Champions Dinner on Tuesday – where the defending champion, as host, selects the menu for the meal, the Par-3 Contest on Wednesday, and the honorary opening tee shot on Thursday, an event where legendary past champions (who no longer compete) smack a drive off the tee box of the first hole.

As you can imagine, the prize money earned by the winner is significantly higher today than it was way back in 1934. The total purse was $5,000 for that first event. For his first-place effort, Horton Smith took home $1,500.

This year’s total purse is $21 million. Roy McIlroy got the biggest share of that as $4.2 million was deposited in his bank account after a grueling win over Justin Rose in sudden death. McIlroy, a first-time Masters champion, overcame two double bogeys, to complete the career Grand Slam (winning all four major tournaments). He will most assuredly earn at least that much or more on endorsement deals. Not bad for four days work.

And the other top golfers will earn seven figures as second place is worth $2.268 million while third place amounts to $1.428 million.

Last place pays approximately $52,000. For the professionals who were cut from the field on Friday, they each receive $25,000 or nearly 17 times more than the amount Smith pocketed for winning the event 89 years ago.

Even the men toting the golf bags are rewarded for their work. Caddies at The Masters are paid between $2,000 to $4,000, depending on experience, plus a percentage of their pro’s tournament earnings. The caddie of The Masters winner earns 10 percent ($420,000) of their paycheck. The caddie of the runner-up gets 7 percent while the rest of the caddies earn five percent.

Makes me wonder why I didn’t take up golf when I was younger.

Cal Bryant is the Editor of Roanoke-Chowan Publications. Contact him at cal.bryant@r-cnews.com or 252-332-7207.