Major championship

Masters Tournament

Augusta, Georgia Established 1934

American Golf Archive illustration of the Augusta National clubhouse representing the Masters Tournament.
American Golf Archive editorial illustration

An invitation tournament whose permanent home makes place and ritual part of the competition’s identity.

At a glance

Founded
1934 ↘
Organizer
Augusta National Golf Club ↘
Usual calendar position
April ↘
Venue model
One permanent course: Augusta National Golf Club ↘
Field character
Invitees drawn from published qualification categories, with limited committee discretion ↘
Format
72-hole stroke play over four rounds ↘

Across the years

Champions through time

Latest verified Edition

Rory McIlroy

Status
Completed
Venue
Augusta National Golf Club
Champion
Rory McIlroy
Open 2026 Masters Tournament
Browse complete history 93 editions

Archive essay

Why it matters

The Masters is an annual invitation stroke-play championship organized by Augusta National Golf Club and played at Augusta National in Augusta, Georgia. ↘

No other member of this family returns to one permanent course. The invitation system and Green Jacket presentation repeat in the same setting, so place and ritual are not decoration around the event; they are part of how the tournament is understood. ↘

Chapter 01

Origins and identity

The first Augusta National Invitation Tournament was played in 1934 and was later renamed the Masters. Four years earlier, the leading championships of Bobby Jones’s Grand Slam had included the U.S. and British Amateur championships, so today’s men’s major canon should not be projected backward unchanged; the Masters joined a tradition that was itself evolving. ↘

Chapter 02

Place and competitive character

Augusta National is not one stop in a rotation; it is the tournament’s permanent stage. The clubhouse therefore serves as this Archive profile’s defining Mark: an illustration of the place that holds the competition’s history, customs and course knowledge together. ↘

Chapter 03

Traditions, qualification and evolution

Entry begins with an invitation. Published categories draw from past Masters champions, recent champions and high finishers in other championships, leading amateur champions, selected tour winners and positions in the world standings; the committee also retains limited discretion for international players. The assembled field plays four stroke-play rounds. ↘

American Golf Archive illustration of the Green Jacket presented at the Masters Tournament.
The Green Jacket American Golf Archive editorial illustration
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