GOLF / MAL FLORENCE : Memories in Bloom Again at Augusta

Here are some facts, anecdotes and trivia about the Masters tournament that begins Thursday at the Augusta National Golf Club:

--Robert Tyre (Bobby) Jones Jr., who is famed for winning golf’s “Grand Slam” in 1930--Open and amateur championships of the United States and Great Britain--wanted to fashion a golf course to his liking, according to the Associated Press.

With the help of Clifford Roberts, a Wall Street financier, he chose a tree and plant nursery on the outskirts of Augusta. They bought 367 acres for $70,000 and hired a noted architect, Alister Mackenzie, to design the course.

To underwrite the project, Roberts recruited wealthy friends, forming the Augusta National Club, whose members were the original green jacket brigade.

Members teed off for the first time in 1932, and in 1934, the Augusta National Invitational tournament made its debut. It officially became known as the Masters five years later, thanks in large part to some famous sportswriters of that era. Grantland Rice, Damon Runyan and Paul Gallico, among others, all liked that name better.

Jones, who retired at 28 after his “Grand Slam,” finished 13th in the the first tournament, which was won by Horton Smith.

--The Masters site gained some stature when President Dwight D. Eisenhower, an avid golfer, made it his winter home.

--And the tournament gained additional national stature in 1960 when it was televised by CBS, reportedly the first full coverage of a major golf event by a TV network.

Arnold Palmer, who is credited with stimulating national interest in the game, won the second of his four Masters titles that year.

--In 1965, a young player named Jack Nicklaus won the second of his record six Masters championships with a record score of 271, prompting Jones to observe: “He plays a game with which I am unfamiliar.”

--Jones, crippled by arthritis, died in December, 1971.

--The course, with its magnificent magnolia and dogwood trees and flowers of every description, retains its nursery heritage.

There is no rough on the course. It’s not a tricked-up layout with island greens and pot bunkers. Water comes into play on only five holes.

The fairways are wide, and the course favors long hitters off the tee, especially the par-five 13th and 15th holes. Yet, Nick Faldo, who won the Masters in 1989 and 1990, is not regarded as an exceptionally long hitter.

The course seemingly would suit John Daly if the rest of his game is sound.

The difficulty factor at Augusta National is increased by the lightning-fast greens, which cover 101,000 square feet, double that of most courses.

--What is regarded as the most famous shot in any golf tournament occurred in 1935. It was Gene Sarazen’s double eagle on the 15th hole, a four-wood from 220 yards.

The shot in the fourth round of the tournament enabled him to tie Craig Wood, and Sarazen eventually won in a playoff.

Not as famous is Bruce Devlin’s double eagle on the par-five, 530-yard eighth hole in the first round of the 1967 Masters. Devlin finished in a tie for 10th place.

--Then there are the horror stories such as Tom Weiskopf’s score of 13 in 1980 on the par-three 12th hole, the centerpiece of “Amen Corner.”

In 1978, Tommy Nakajima took a 13 at the par-five 13th hole.

--Turnaround honors go to Craig Wood, who shot an 88 in the first round of the 1936 tournament, then came back with a 67 in the second.

--In the heartbreak category, Scott Hoch missed a two-foot putt that would have beaten Faldo on the first hole of a playoff in 1989. Faldo then won on the next hole.

Some writers coldly reported that Hoch rhymes with choke.

--Larry Mize, who chipped in from 140 feet to win the 1987 Masters in a sudden-death playoff with Greg Norman and Seve Ballesteros, is high in the memorable shot category.

--Ballesteros was the youngest winner of the Masters at 23 years 4 days in 1980.

--Nicklaus won by the widest margin, nine strokes in 1965.

--Nick Price holds the record for the lowest round, a 63 in 1986.

--As an invitational event, the Masters’ field--86 this year--is considerably smaller than those of the other majors, the U.S. and British Opens and the PGA Championship. Selected amateurs and old-timers are included.

--The grounds are immaculate, with no smoke rising from concession stands because fire is prohibited. Because hot dogs and hamburgers are not available, hungry patrons must be content to buy green-wrapped egg and chicken sandwiches.

--Leader boards are manually operated, in contrast to electronic boards at other tournaments.

--Television commercials are kept at a minimum, compared to other tournaments, with only four commercial minutes an hour split between two sponsors.

--The Masters has resisted corporate sponsorship despite escalating prize money. “We’re not going to become the Pizza Hut Masters,” former chairman Hord Hardin said.

Hardin has been succeeded by Jackson Stephens, an Arkansas millionaire with political impact.

--The tournament is so popular that there is an approximate eight-year waiting list to buy admission badges.

--Fred Couples is generally regarded as the favorite to win this year’s tournament. If so, he would be the first American to win since Mize in 1987.

Foreign players have won six of the last nine Masters.

Golf Notes

The 42nd annual Boys and Girls Los Angeles City Junior tournament will be held Saturday through April 13 at the Wilson, Harding and Roosevelt courses in Griffith Park. Tiger Woods, the defending boys’ champion, isn’t competing in this year’s tournament. Leanne Wong will defend her girls’ title. The tournament is open to boys and girls 12-17. . . . An unusual hole in one was scored by Fred Williams on the 98-yard seventh hole at Rancho Park’s nine-hole course. Williams, playing with his broken right arm in a cast, got his ace while swinging with his left arm.

Mike Garrett’s inaugural tournament benefiting the East Los Angeles Youth Activities Foundation will be held April 21 at Brookside. . . . Junior Seau, former USC linebacker, now with the San Diego Chargers, will hold a celebrity tournament April 27 at StoneRidge Country Club in Poway. Proceeds will go to charity.

Darren Humphrey, 17, of Newbury Park High, was the boys’ champion in the 16-and-older division of the recently concluded junior tour. . . . The Burbank-Magnolia Park Optimist Club will hold a charity tournament May 1 at the the Debell course in Burbank. . . . The Southern California Section of the PGA of America will hold a junior golf clinic April 16 at the Fullerton golf course.