“The Masters Tournament.”
Also known as the U.S. Masters, it is one of the four most famous golf tournaments. The first draw was held in 1932, making it one of the oldest golf tournaments in the world. Unlike the others, it is held in the same place every year at the Agusta National Golf Club, a private golf club in Georgia.
When the tournament was first drawn, it was called the Agusta National Tournament. The first winner was Horton Smith, who won $1,500. After eight decades, the tournament’s prize pool has increased many times over. The reigning winner of the tournament, Hideki Matsuyama, earned more than $2 million for winning the tournament, and the total prize pool of the tournament was more than $11 million.
“Masters” is not only a sporting event, but also a tournament that preserves the traditions of golf. For example, since 1949, the champion is awarded a green jacket. Exactly one year later, the winner of the last “Masters” has to return it to the tournament organizers, in order for them to present it to the new winner of the tournament.
“The U.S. Open.”
Some of you might confuse it with a tennis tournament. However, one of the most famous golf tournaments simply has an identical name. It is also one of four golf tournaments. The first draw took place in 1895, making it one of the “classic tournaments.” The tournament was organized by the United States Golf Association and is often held in mid-June. Provided there are no delays, the tournament begins on the third Sunday of the month. This year, however, because of the pandemic, the tournament was postponed and ran from Sept. 17-20.
The first tournament was held at a golf club called – Newport Country Club in Rhode Island, on a nine-hole golf course. The first winner was Horace Rawlins, he won $150 of the total prize pool of $335 and plus a gold medal worth $50. In 2021, the tournament’s total prize pool was $12.5 million, when John Rahm, the tournament winner, won $2.25 million.
The leaders in tournament wins are Will Anderson of Scotland, Ben Hogan and Jack Nicklaus they each have four tournament titles.
“The British Open.”
The next tournament in our top 10 is “The British Open” aka “The Open Championship” or “The Open”, was founded in 1860. In its early years, the tournament was the Prestwick Golf Club in Scotland. Eventually the tournament began to be held on the finest golf courses in the entire United Kingdom. It is the only major tournament held outside the United States.
Like many other sporting events held in 2020, The British Open was cancelled. It was announced that the next tournament will not be held until 2021 and will kick off with a grand opening tournament on the courses of the Royal St. George’s Golf Club.
The winner of the tournament is awarded a cup made in the shape of a pitcher. Harry Vadon is the record holder in the number of victories in this tournament, having in his possession six wins. The youngest winner was Tom Morris, who won in 1868, at that time he was 17 years old. Interestingly, the oldest champion was a Scottish golfer with the same surname and name as Tom Morris. He won in 1867, at which time he was 49 years old.
“PGA Tour.”
Founded in 1929, the PGA Tour is a collection of the most prestigious golf tournaments in the world. It is an annual series of tournaments held throughout the golf season. Golfers travel across the United States to compete among the best golfers, if not the world. It’s a long tournament that makes the game even more exciting.
For the 2020-2021 season, the official PGA Tour includes 50 “FedEx Cup” tournaments in addition to the Olympic golf tournament. The tour features 94 golfers from 29 countries in addition to the United States. The top 30 players from 2021 will compete in the Tour Championship Tournament at the East Lake Golf Club in Georgia. The winner of this tournament will add $15 million to his account. Meanwhile, the prize money for second place will be $5 million and $4 million for third place. In addition to the Tour prize money, the Jack Nicklaus Player of the Year Award and the Arnold Palmer Rookie of the Year Award are presented.
Throughout PGA Tour history, Sam Snell and Tiger Woods have won the most PGA Tour tournaments, with 82 wins apiece. Jack Nicklaus is next on the list with 73 wins, followed by Ben Hogan with 64.
“PGA Championship.”
This is an annual tournament, also known as the “PGA Championship” or “USPGA” and is hosted by the American Professional Golf Players Association. It is one of the four largest tournaments. Founded in 1916, it was held before Labor Day. In 2019, however, the tournament was held in May, before Memorial Day.
The tournament is held at various famous golf courses across the United States. In 2020, the tournament was held in San Francisco at Harding Park Golf Club, the fifth time the tournament has been held in California and the first time in San Francisco.
The winner of the tournament is awarded the “Wanamaker Trophy,” which is approximately 2.5 feet tall. After the year is over, an exact copy of the trophy is presented to the winner, and the original is presented to the next tournament winner.
Walter Hagen and Jack Nicklaus hold the record for the most tournament wins. They have each won the tournament five times. Tiger Woods was able to win four times. At the 2020 tournament, Collin Morikawa was able to win a record amount for the time, he added $2 million to his account out of a total of $11 million in prize money.
