Sports

4 Things to Know About the Masters Tournament at Augusta

Is there a Par 3 jinx? How many former Georgia collegiate players are in this year's Masters field?

The sun is shining and play is under way at the Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club.

Whether you are going as a spectator, or watching from your couch on TV, here are 4 things to know about the Masters.

Georgia players on the links: Eight former Georgia collegiate players teed off Thursday in the first round of the Masters. Georgia Tech grads Roberto Castro, Stewart Cink, Matt Kuchar and Larry Mize are in the Masters. Meanwhile, former Georgia Bulldog Bubba Watson, Harris English, Chris Kirk and Russell Henley are also vying for the champion green jacket. Watson had the best finish out of the group on day one, finishing tied for second at three under par.

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Odds of winning: Las Vegas oddsmakers have picked Rory McIlroy and Adam Scott as the best shots at winning the tourney, both with 10-1 odds.

Matt Kuchar is at 15-1, along with Jason Day and Phil Mickelson.

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Par-3 Jinx: Legend has it – and there are lots of legends tied to the Masters – that winning the pre-tourney Par 3 Contest is a jinx. No golfer who has won it has gone on to win the Masters that year. This week’s winner, Ryan Moore, is hoping to break that streak. Maybe having his wife caddy for him will help. "My wife caddied for me, and I knew I'd get in trouble if I didn't hit it right at every hole," Moore said at the Par-3 event.

What’s in a name: Masters founders Bobby Jones and Clifford Roberts decided to host an annual tournament at Augusta National, the club they founded in 1933. Roberts wanted to call it the Masters Tournament, but Jones considered it presumptuous. So, the Augusta National Invitation Tournament was coined and used for five years. In 1939 the name was officially changed to the Masters after Jones gave in.


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