Golf’s Most Iconic Trophy Has Ties To North Carolina
On Sunday afternoon, Scottie Sheffler won his second Masters championship in three years. Sure, he won $3.6 million. Sure, he got a beautiful silver trophy that is a replica of Augusta National Golf Club’s clubhouse. None of those things matter. You see, to The Masters champion receipt of the most iconic of trophies in sports is bestowed: the green jacket.
Even the most casual sports fan knows of The Masters green jacket. Only two kinds of people have access to them: members of the club and past champions of the tournament. The jackets must be kept on site at Augusta National at all times with one exception. For the tournament’s winner, he has the right to take the jacket off property for one year. After which it must be returned and kept in his champions’ locker.
HOW DID THE MASTERS GREEN JACKET COME TO BE?
According to pga.com, there are two different origins as to how the green blazers became associated with Augusta National. The first story is Augusta National co-founder and one of golf’s greatest champions, Bobby Jones, attended a dinner at 12-time Open Championship venue Royal Liverpool in England where club captains were wearing matching jackets to denote their position. Jones liked that. The other story is that Augusta National co-founder Clifford Roberts figured it was a way to identify club members as “reliable sources of information” to visiting non-members — and to let waiters know who got the check at dinner.
WHERE ARE THE MASTERS GREEN JACKETS MADE?
The first jackets the club had come from a New York clothier. However, the members were not fond of the fit or how uncomfortable the coats became in warm weather. In 1967, the Hamilton Tailoring Co. of Cincinnati has been the exclusive manufacturer of the Masters green jacket. Don’t get any ideas though, you can’t get one. No private orders from the general public are accepted. Interestingly though, you can get the color any time you want. It’s officially “Pantone 342.” You also know it as “John Deere Green.”
WHAT IS THE MASTERS GREEN JACKET’S TIE TO NORTH CAROLINA?
Even more interesting to North Carolinians is the iconic club logo patch on the left breast pocket. It is made by A&B Emblem Co. in Weaverville, N.C. So, the next time you see a Masters champion put on his green jacket, admire the breast patch with Tar Heel State pride.