Masters 2016: Early Preview

The Masters. The Holy Grail of Golf. The grand daddy of them all. Whatever you may call it, The Masters at Augusta National is something in its own class, above the rest. Prestigious landscape, lush greens, the top players in the world, and celebrities alike is what you can find come early April in Augusta, Georgia. Since 1934, The Masters has been a special golf tournament. It is the first major of the year, and draws viewers that are not even fans of golf, but love watching the beauty of Augusta National Golf Club on television. There are many things that set The Masters apart from every other tournament in the world.

Over the last 80 years, many traditions have stemmed from the annual tournament held at Augusta. The most notable and recognizable is the green jacket that the winner takes home every year. Since 1949, the winner of the tournament is presented with a custom fit green sport jacket, signifying membership into one of the most exclusive fraternities in sports.  The previous years winner always presents the jacket to the current years winner with an award ceremony on the 18th green. The first green jacket was custom made by Brooks Brothers, and has since been made by multiple different clothiers. The infamous green jacket that all the players chase is shown below.

The Masters is home to the only PGA sanctioned par-3 tournament, another tradition unique to the tournament. The par-3 event is held the Wednesday before the start of tournament play, and features past winners, celebrities, guest caddies, and current players. The par-3 contest is a great way for players to get family involved in the events before a long weekend of grueling competition. 

Now for the actual PGA tournament... The Masters kicks of the PGA major season, and is one of the most coveted titles in professional golf. Names like Jack Nicklaus, Sam Snead, Arnold Palmer, and Tiger Woods have all won the tournament on multiple occasions. This year, Jordan Spieth will be looking to repeat as champion and would be the first to do so since Nick Faldo in 1989-90. 

Rory McIlroy is looking to reclaim his spot as the #1 golfer in the world, and a Masters championship would start him in the right direction. McIlroy has had a bit of a shaky start to 2016, but has turned his game around in recent weeks. Look for him to be in the final pairing come Sunday. 

Phil Mickelson is notorious for being a threat at the top of the Masters leaderboard. He has won twice at Augusta, and is currently leading the PGA Tour in scoring average for 2016. With the long rough and fast greens, Phil's short game could find him in the final pairing as well come Masters Sunday. 

My long-shot pick to win the 2016 Masters is American born Brandt Snedecker. He is currently in first place in FedEx cup points and has been striking the ball extremely well this season. Brandt is known for his ball control and short game, which are two strengths necessary to win at Augusta. Watch for him on the leaderboard when the weekend rolls around. 

This years tournament will start Thursday, April 7th and conclude on Sunday, April 10th. All the action can be seen on ABC. Tune in for a historic and breathtaking tournament viewing experience.