The Masters has become synonymous with the winner of the tournament being adorned with the green jacket during the presentation ceremony.
Bobby Jones and investment banker Clifford Roberts founded The Masters way back in 1934.
Jones acquired the land in Augusta, Georgia, in 1930, and designed Augusta National alongside famed golf course architect Alister MacKenzie.
Horton Smith was the first winner of the event, and the likes of Gene Sarazen and Byron Nelson were also victorious at Augusta National before World War II.
However, none of them were presented with the fabled green jacket. That privilege wasn’t granted to a winner of the tournament until 1949.
How the green jacket first became a thing at The Masters in 1949
Sam Snead emerged victorious at Augusta National 76 years ago.
He recorded a score of 282 for four rounds to beat Johnny Bulla and Lloyd Mangrum by three strokes.
And Snead was the first man to be handed a green jacket.
The tradition actually began in 1937 at Augusta, when the members started wearing green jackets, made by Brooks Uniform Company in New York City, so that patrons on the property would be able to identify them if they needed any guidance.
After 15 years of Masters tournaments, it was decided that a green jacket would be provided to the winner of the event.
The green jacket was Jones’s idea originally, after he took inspiration from a trip to the Open Championship in 1927.
He was extremely impressed by the tradition at Royal Liverpool whereby former captains adorned red hunting jackets.
Jones wanted to replicate something similar at Augusta National, and he certainly did just that. His brainchild has gone on to become one of the most highly revered symbols of excellence in professional golf.
Do Masters winners get to keep their green jackets?
After winning The Masters, the champion then gets to keep the green jacket forever.
However, they are only allowed to take it off the Augusta National property during the year that they are reigning champion.
The jacket is then kept inside the player’s Champions Locker, and he can then wear it as and when he chooses on property during Masters week.
Interestingly, if a player wins The Masters more than once, he is not awarded a new green jacket, but rather presented with the same jacket each time he wins the tournament.
The jacket is then tailored if needed to fit the winner perfectly.
Jones left an indelible mark on the game of golf with his brilliance on the course, and his contribution to the Masters and the subsequent traditions that followed were equally as important.