Clifford Roberts, investment dealer and co-founder of Augusta National who first thought of the name for what is now one of the most well known tournaments in golf.
“The Masters”, Roberts suggested, would be shorthand for “the masters of golf”. The name would denote the event’s importance as a contest of the world’s top players.
But there is only one man who, if we follow Roberts’ logic, can be described as the Master.
Jack Nicklaus is the only person to win as many 6 Masters titles in his lifetime.
Nicklaus picked up his first Masters win in 1963 at the age of 23 after turning pro just two years earlier in 1961.
In an incredible finish, he beat out Tony Lema with a 0.9m put on the final hole, finishing just one stroke ahead.
The first of Nicklaus’ six green jackets was awarded by Arnold Palmer. Palmer had won the previous year’s tournament and was at that point already a role model for Nicklaus.
More from the countdown series: Is Golf Getting Younger?
In 1963, Nicklaus won a total of $20,000 dollars for winning the Masters. That’s equivalent to roughly $170,000 dollars in today’s money.
If you think that sounds like a lot, think again: Dustin Johnson earned himself more than $2 million for winning in 2020.
In 1966, he took home his third green jacket and became the first of only three players to successfully defend his title at the Masters.
Nick Faldo (‘89,’90) and Tiger Woods (‘01,‘02) are the only people since then to have matched this feat.
Could Dustin Johnson be next at this year’s event?
Born in Ohio in 1940, Nicklaus has won a whopping 18 major titles in his lifetime, making him the most accomplished golfer of all time.
His major-winning career spanned from 1962 at the PGA Championship at Oakmont Country Club in Oakmont, Pennsylvania until his final Masters win in 1986.
This article is part of our Countdown to The Masters series. Join us every day between now and April 7 for fun facts and interesting stories about golf and The Masters tournament.