The Golf World Buzzes for the Masters
I’ve been golfing for a long time. I started when I was young, attending summer junior camps and playing with my father and brother at a local course as frequently as we could. I gradually fell out of playing once I got to high school and became busy with work and other extracurriculars. It wasn’t until the Spring semester of my last year at graduate school that I rediscovered golf. I took an internship with a junior golf tour and was re-immersed in the golf world.
One of the biggest things I’ve noticed, and I know it’s nothing new, is how much the golf world buzzes for the Masters. It’s counted down months in advance, which isn’t done for many sporting events. Countdown to next year’s tournament begins the second the tournament ends this year.
We asked a few students why they love the Masters.
“It’s the week of the year that draws everyone closer to watch the best players in the world compete on the best course in the world.” said Jared Campbell, a student at East Central University.
“Sunday Red Tiger Woods at Augusta.” said Teddy Tiftickjian of Ohio State.
“One word sums it up pretty well: Tradition.” said Sam Jones, Virginia Tech.
The rich history of the tournament, the mystique of Augusta National, the first major of the year, combine to create an event that officially kicks off the golf season. An event that probably causes countless lost hours of productivity for students and employees (this sentence was typed as the tournament is playing on my phone during the workday).
What other sporting event would cause you to drop everything if you suddenly received a ticket? Not the Super Bowl. Not the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament. Probably not even the NBA Finals. Sure, if you were a big fan of the teams playing you would drop everything. But for the Masters, it doesn’t matter who is playing. If you receive a ticket, you drop your priorities and go.
In a Golf Digest poll, 44% of people said they would move their wedding to play Augusta National. 34% said they would miss their child’s birthday. This means a whopping 78% of golf fans would skip one of those major life events just to play a round of golf at a specific course. Wow.
We want to know, why do you love the Masters?
