Short description
Unlike the three other major tournaments that define the golf season, the Masters is not run by a national governing body, but by a private club. This book tells the story of the development of the tournament, and of the influence of the founding chairman, Clifford Roberts.
Long description
The first full history of the most prestigious golf tournament of the year, based on unprecedented access to the archives of the Augusta National Golf Club. The Masters is the one tournament, Sam Snead said, that every golfer wants to win. Played on the magnificent Augusta National Course, with the dogwoods and azaleas in dazzling bloom, the Masters has become the dividing line between winter and spring, and the hallmark of greatness for the pros who walk its fairways. The story of the tournament and the club are inseparable from that of its founding chairman, Clifford Roberts. David Owen was given unprecedented, unlimited access to the archives, records, and memories of the Augusta National Golf Club and its members, to write a full, thorough look at Roberts and the world he created. Robert's meticulous attention to detail helped build the Masters into a tradition like no other, and Augusta National into every golfer's view of what heaven should be. The Making of the Masters tells the full story of how the club struggled through its early years; how the course has changed to remain a challenge for the world's best players; and how the Roberts legacy is still alive in the most impeccably run event on the golfing calendar.
Review
The Wall Street JournalOwen makes us wish we had known Roberts, if only to judge him for ourselves -- no small achievement. He writes beautifully...meandering through the familiar byways, enveloping us in the Augusta-ness of it all.