The first Masters Tournament was held in 1934 at Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia.
The inaugural event ran from March 22 to 25, 1934, and was officially called the Augusta National Invitation Tournament. The word “Masters” was used informally from the beginning, but the tournament did not officially adopt that name until 1939. Horton Smith won the first edition with a score of 284, finishing one stroke ahead of Craig Wood.
The tournament was founded by amateur champion Bobby Jones and investment banker Clifford Roberts. Jones helped design Augusta National with architect Alister MacKenzie after acquiring the former Fruitland Nurseries property. The course opened in 1933, shortly before the first tournament.
Readers sometimes confuse the Masters’ founding year with its modern April tradition. The 1934 event was played in late March, and the tournament’s familiar scheduling pattern developed later. The Masters was canceled from 1943 through 1945 during World War II, but has otherwise remained at Augusta National.