“An entertaining read that enthusiasts will enjoy.” — Library Journal Revered as the most prestigious tournament in golf, the Masters commands international attention, even among nongolfers. The first and second editions of  The Masters: A Hole-by-Hole History of America’s Golf Classic took the unique approach of tackling Augusta National hole by hole. Each hole had its own chapter, with colorful stories on the greatest shots, biggest disasters, and most amazing events that took place on each. David Sowell returns to Augusta now with the third edition of The Masters , adding more history and updating each hole with additional stories of greatness and tales of woe for a new generation of golfers led by Jordan Spieth, Rory McIlroy, and Patrick Reed, as well as from an older guard represented by Bubba Watson, Adam Scott, and Sergio García. The legends of the Masters are in full force in this lively look at America’s golf classic. From Bobby Jones and Gene Sarazen to Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus to Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson to Bubba Watson and Jordan Spieth, all the greatest Masters moments of the greatest—and not so great—golfers are here in one book. This third edition provides a rich historical view of the course where success breeds legends and where failure can haunt even the most brilliant golfer’s career.  "It is often said that the real Masters doesn't begin until the back nine on Sunday. Mr. Sowell's nuanced descriptions of those holes make it clear why the chase on Sunday afternoons is so often thrilling."—John Paul Newport,  Wall Street Journal Published On: 2019-04-12 “Sowell gives us the Masters in full flower.”— Booklist “An entertaining read that enthusiasts will enjoy.”— Library Journal "This third edition provides a rich historical view of the course where success breeds legends and where failure can haunt even the most brilliant golfer’s career. . . . If you are a golf fan or enjoy watching this tournament that is the unofficial start of spring, The Masters is one of the best books on the sport and this tradition."—Jason Schott,  Brooklyn Digest Published On: 2019-04-11 "Using a unique format in which the history of events that happened at each hole is described, Sowell will inform readers about golfers in every era."—Lance Smith,  Guy Who Reviews Sports Books Published On: 2019-03-08 “Every kind of book on the Masters that could be written had been written, until David Sowell came along. He takes a route previously not taken, giving each of the eighteen holes of Augusta National its own fifteen minutes of fame.”—Furman Bisher, the late legendary sports columnist for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution who covered the Masters for more than sixty years “We have always wondered why the Masters is a tradition unlike any other. David Sowell has an answer. . . . He covers the magical moments of the good, the grand, and the also-ran on a course that itself is a memorial to Bobby Jones.”—Sidney L. Matthew, author and producer of Life and Times of Bobby Jones Published On: 2018-09-14 David Sowell has written about golf and golf history for numerous golf publications, including the United States Golf Association Golf Journal and Links Magazine . The Masters A Hole-by-Hole History of America's Golf Classic By David Sowell UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA PRESS Copyright © 2019 David Sowell All rights reserved. ISBN: 978-1-4962-1283-2 CHAPTER 1 Par Four — 445 Yards
Tea Olive For fifty-one weeks of the year, the first tee at Augusta National is a serene and idyllic setting, but Thursday of Masters week, and for the following three days, it becomes the center of the golf universe. Whether you are playing in your first Masters or your twenty-first, the first-tee jitters here are like the tournament itself, as big as they get. When the players arrived for the 2006 Masters, they had to make an adjustment for the fact that the center of the golf universe had shifted slightly. The first tee had been moved back 10 yards, increasing the hole's distance from 435 to 445 yards. The change at the first hole was part of a package of changes made at Augusta National that also involved the lengthening and toughening of five other holes: 4, 7, 11, 15, and 17. This was the second time in four years there had been a host of changes at Augusta National. Before the 2002 Masters three of the holes that were updated for the 2006 Masters — 1, 7, and 11 — along with 8, 9, 10, 13, 14, and 18 had their tees pushed back in addition to other modifications. These changes were dictated by the increased length achieved by today's golfers, assisted greatly by their high-tech clubs and improved long-distance golf balls. As in 2002 the 2006 changes stirred up quite a bit of discussion and debate in the media, among the players, and among golf fans. Many believed this wonderful national treasure was being defiled. Others thought the changes were long overdue. As each hole's history will chronicle, t