The Masters golf tournament just wrapped up at Augusta National, and did not disappoint.
The Masters is one of four Major golf tournaments, but annually attracts the most attention because of its unique traditions. Every year the tournament is held at Augusta National Golf club in Augusta Georgia, which is known as one of the most appealing courses in the country. One of the biggest traditions is the green jacket that is given to the winner of the tournament every year. The previous winners are Rory Mcilroy in 2025, Scottien Scheffler in 2024, and Jon Rahm in 2023.
This year’s tournament winner was Rory McIlroy. Rory was the first back to back winner since Tiger Woods in 2001, and 2002. Rory was a favorite to win the tournament this year along with Cameron Young, and Scottie Scheffler according to The Golf Channel. The tournament came down to the wire as Rory hit a difficult shot out of the woods on 17 to keep the lead. Rory finished at -12, Scottie finished second at -11, and there was a four way tie for third place at -10.
A couple of reasons the Masters is such a unique tournament are the rules and expectations that only apply at this golf club. One of the biggest is that the fans who are referred to as Patrons at Augusta National are not allowed to have any phones or cameras on them. This means the only photos taken at the tournament are by professional photographers with access from The Masters according to Masters.com.
The tournament has also kept the same prices on all of their concessions since it opened in December of 1932. The Pimento cheese and egg salad sandwiches are the most well known foods sold at the masters and are sold for $1.50 each. A beer at the Masters costs only $6.00 while at other major tournaments like the US open they will cost anywhere from $15 to $18.
Not everyone who wants to go to watch the tournament is able to get in. The Masters has a lottery system where people have to enter every year for a bid to get a ticket. Tickets are very affordable considering the anticipation of the event usually ranging from $160 to $180. The lottery is incredibly competitive and usually accepts less than 1% of the applicants annually. The lottery is completely random, but with millions applying every year it is one of the hardest tickets to obtain in all of sports globally.
The tournament averaged 14 million views in the final round this year which was the highest since 2015 when Jordan Spieth won. Views have been up and down since the early late 90s and 2000s which were known as “The Tiger Effect” years. When Tiger won the Masters in 1997 completing his first major win, the final round averaged 20.3 million viewers and peaked at 44 million viewers according to TV charts. This broke the all-time Masters record for most viewers and the record still stands today.
