10 Perks Of Winning The Masters
Winning the Masters opens up a whole world of new perks...
When you become a Major champion, lots of doors open.
However, the perks of winning The Masters, and the extras that come with pulling on the Green Jacket, are something else. From coming back each year to hosting your own Champions Dinner, here are some of the amazing things that come with winning the annual Augusta National showpiece...
Perks Of Winning The Masters
1. The Masters Trophy
Let's be honest, some golf trophies don't look all that. The Masters Trophy, which depicts the Augusta National clubhouse, is different. The winner gets a sterling silver replica to keep.
The actual trophy, that the winner sadly doesn't get to take home, was made in England and is made of more than 900 separate pieces of silver. The winner does get their name engraved on it, though.
2. A Gold Medal
The medal is 3.4 inches in diameter and features a view of the clubhouse from behind the Founders Circle.
So, if you win the Masters, you receive a silver trophy, a gold medal and, should you make an eagle, a bit of crystal - and that's before you get your prize money.
3. A Big Winner's Check
The prize fund for The Masters is ever-increasing so the winner's check continues to rise year after year. This year's Masters prize money was a whopping $18m - up $3m on last year - and for the first time the winner banked over $3m.
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This year's first prize paycheck was a cool $3.24m, up $524,000 on the $2.7m Scottie Scheffler won in 2022.
4. The Green Jacket
Of course, the winner gets to pull on the coveted Green Jacket itself.
With millions in the bank, the Masters champion can afford to go on a shopping spree, but no amount of money can buy you this item of clothing- a custom fit, members-and-winners only green jacket.
The Green Jacket was first awarded in 1949, when Sam Snead won his first Masters. The champion gets to keep it for their first year before returning it to the club in the following year's tournament. The iconic garment is then kept at the club, where the owner can wear it during future Masters tournament weeks as well as whenever they happen to be on-site.
If you win multiple Masters titles, you don't win more Green Jackets - once you win, your Green Jacket is your Green Jacket for life.
5. Choosing The Champions Dinner
Was perhaps best @TheMasters Club Dinner I recall. Great company & conversation. Food was sensational! Best part was when Hideki Matsuyama, who doesn’t speak English well, gave a 3-min speech in English—without a single note. @GaryPlayer then responded. In Japanese. With notes.😉 pic.twitter.com/AShWaaZzvkApril 6, 2022
When you're a Masters winner, you get to set the menu the following year for the Champions Dinner.
The Champions Dinner, also known as 'The Masters Club', takes place every Tuesday evening of Masters week and features past champions, whether they're playing in the tournament or not, and club chairman Fred Ridley.
Each year, the defending champion selects the food, and drink, and acts as host for the evening. They also receive an inscribed gold locket in the form of the Augusta National Golf Club emblem as certificate of their membership in the Masters Club.
6. A Special Invite
We're not talking about television invites, although you'll certainly get those too. No, the Green Jacket winner receives an invitation to attend The Masters every year after that.
It's why we've still been able to watch the likes of Fred Couples, Bernhard Langer and Sandy Lyle roll back the years at Augusta.
7. Exemptions
Winning The Masters sets you up nicely, both in the short term and further down the line.
As well as a lifetime of Masters starts, the winner gets a five-year exemption on the PGA Tour, a spot in January's Sentry Tournament of Champions in Hawaii, and a place in the US Open, Open Championship, and PGA Championship for the next five years.
8. Honorary Membership
Not only do you receive a lifetime exemption into the tournament, you are welcomed into the club as an honorary member. Now, surely that's the best perk of the lot.
9. A spot in the champion's locker room
An unprecedented peek inside the Champions Locker Room, during the intimate moments immediately following Tiger's Masters victory. #MastersRewind pic.twitter.com/j3YDwVzSG9April 12, 2020
The Champion's Locker Room is just that, an exclusive locker room where only Masters champions have access.
The winner gets a locker to use during their time at the club. Each locker features a plaque engraved with the champion's name and the year, or years, that they won The Masters. The room is located on the second floor of the clubhouse and features a veranda that overlooks Magnolia Lane and Founders Circle.
10. Points
The Masters champion, just like all Major winners, receives 100 Official World Golf Ranking points. They also earn 600 FedEx Cup points.
Michael has been with Golf Monthly since 2008. As a multimedia journalist, he has also worked for The Football Association, where he created content to support the men's European Championships, The FA Cup, London 2012, and FA Women's Super League. As content editor at Foremost Golf, Michael worked closely with golf's biggest equipment manufacturers, and has developed an in-depth knowledge of this side of the industry. He's now a regular contributor, covering instruction, equipment and feature content. Michael has interviewed many of the game's biggest stars, including six world number ones, and has attended and reported on many Major Championships and Ryder Cups. He's a member of Formby Golf Club.
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