Jones and Mackenzie wished to build a course that would challenge the pro without overwhelming the weekend golfer. At the time, the concept was a radical one. Punitive sand traps were the contemporary vogue, but August National originally had only 29 bunkers.

The pair placed a new stress on approach shots and strategical golf. They revolutionized play around the green by mapping out 126,000 square feet of sculptured, undulating greens on their new course.

The peculiar design of Augusta National allows both sizzling scoring streaks and unmitigated debacles. Since the Masters began, every hole has been eagled during the tournament. On the other hand, Frank Walsh needed 12 strokes on the eighth hole, Herman Barron took an 11 on the 16th, and Dow Finsterwald carded a 12 on the par three 12th in 1951.

The heart of the Augusta National lies in the 11th through 13th holes, the so-called Amen Corner, which is crisscrossed by meandering Rae's Creek. No one knows who coined the name Amen Corner, but former pro Dave Marr remarked, "It's called that because if you get around it in par, you believe a little bit more in God."

Watson did better than that on Sunday, going around in one under by getting a birdie on 13. Nicklaus applied the pressure by birdieing the 12th, a 155-yard par three that he calls "the most demanding tournament hole in the world." In the previous five Masters, however, Nicklaus's average score for the 12th was a phenomenal shade under par.

Over the years, the lethal 12th has been the site of countless tragedies. In the 1937 Masters, Ralph Guldahl, a stolid Norwegian, had a four stroke lead coming up to the 12th. His tee shot rolled into Rae's Creek for a double bogey and Byron Nelson went on to win by shooting a birdie on the same hole and an eagle on the 13th. In 1959, Arnold Palmer also met a watery grave as Art Wall birdied six of the final seven holes to catch him from behind.

The Masters has had very few dark horse winners. Between 1955-1967, Palmer, Nicklaus, and Player won eight out of nine. Ben Hogan and Sam Snead both won three times. After winning with a tournament record of 274 in 1953, Hogan said, "I hope I can come back next year and play the same caliber of golf." Byron Nelson, his playing partner, replied, "If you do, you'll be playing here all by yourself."

Perhaps the most famous shot ever hit in the Masters was a 4-wood hit by Gene Sarazen on the par five 15th in 1935. Craig Wood was the leader in the clubhouse and was already accepting congratulations. Bobby Jones had ambled down from the clubhouse just in time to watch Sarazen's second shot take two hops and dive into the cup for a double eagle that enabled him to snatch away the victory.

Exactly 30 years later Bobby Jones was once again on hand when Jack Nicklaus set the current Masters record of 271. In the winner's circle, Bobby declared: "Palmer and Player played superbly. As for Nicklaus, he plays a game with which I am not familiar."