Bobby Jones and Augusta National Golf Club.
The two are almost synonymous - the greatest amateur golfer of all time and his dream course. Together, they would play host to the Masters Tournament, which started out as a small gathering for Jones' friends but grew into one of the most coveted tournaments in all of golf.
Jones, fresh off his Grand Slam feat of 1930, was searching for the ideal spot to build a course. When he was shown the 365-acre tract of land known as Fruitland Nurseries, he knew he had found the right place.
"Perfect! And to think this ground has been lying here all these years waiting for someone to come along and lay a golf course on it," he said after viewing the property from the area where the practice putting green is now located.
Under the guidance of Jones and co-founder Clifford Roberts, Augusta National and the Masters would become an important player in the world of golf. Tournament administration, architecture and television coverage are just a few of the many standards set by the Masters.
Roberts and other club members persuaded Jones to play in the first Augusta National Invitation Tournament, and his presence made the 1934 event a success. By the end of the 1930s, the Masters name was accepted and the tournament was a fixture on golf's schedule.
Jones, along with Roberts, oversaw the tournament as it grew into an international sporting event. The tournament set the standard by which all others are measured, much as Jones did in setting the bar as a player. Every great player - from Gene Sarazen to Ben Hogan to Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods - has won the Masters.
Today, the Masters badge remains the toughest ticket in all of sports; series badges and practice-round tickets for this year's tournament have sold out.
No tickets are sold at the gate, and the tournament has sold out in advance every year since 1966.
The patron list was closed in 1972, and a waiting list, created to give those who weren't subscribers a chance to get tickets, was closed in 1978.
The waiting list was reopened in the summer of 2000, and individuals were added by random selection. The new waiting list was then closed.
Practice-round tickets have been limited since 1995. To receive an application for practice-round tickets, send your name, address, daytime phone and Social Security numbers to: Masters Tournament, Practice Rounds, P.O. Box 2047, Augusta, GA 30903.
Augusta National Golf Club is the only authorized source of tickets to the Masters. Sales through vendors such as travel agents and tour groups violate the club's sales agreement, and those ticket holders are subject to denial of admission and permanent loss of tickets.
IT'S A FACT
Tiger Woods holds the 72-hole scoring record, set at the 1997 Masters, with an 18-under-par score of 270.
FUTURE DATES:
2004: April 5-11
2005: April 4-10
2006: April 3-9
2007: April 2-8
2008: April 7-13
