The Masters Tournament doesn't hold pro-ams, but the PGA Tour does, and it's serious business.

Once a player commits to a tournament, he's obligated to play in the pro-am if asked.

The top players, starting with Tiger Woods, are invited. According to Tim Crosby, the director of tournament business affairs for the tour, 80 percent of the pros in a pro-am are chosen off the previous year's money list. The balance are selected by the tournament sponsor.

"If you don't play (in the pro-am) you're disqualified from the tournament," said Crosby, a former Augustan.

A disqualification occurred in 2005 to Retief Goosen when he missed his pro-am starting time in the Nissan Open.

Crosby said the average cost for an amateur to play in a pro-am is "$5,000 to $6,000." The maximum number of pros in a pro-am, he said, is 52.

The pro-am "is fundamental to the success of the regular tour event," Crosby said.

"From a tournament perspective, it is the single most important marketing asset they have," he said.

Crosby said a spot in the pro-am is often contingent on a company's buying a sponsorship package with the tournament, which might include such perks as a skybox.

The money from the pro-am goes to everything from the purse to the tournament's charity.

The pro-am is unique in sports because amateurs play with the pros.

"They get to go inside the ropes and interact with the players," Crosby said. "You could play with Tiger Woods; you can't go play with Roger Federer."

Reach David Westin at (706) 823-3224 or david.westin@augustachronicle.com.