Why does The Masters winner wear a green jacket? Reason Augusta champ is given blazer - origins explained

The 2022 Masters Tournament got underway at the Augusta National Golf Club yesterday as Hideki Matsuyama looks to defend his title after becoming the first Japanese man to win the event last year.

The championship runs for ten days and will come to an end next Sunday (April 10) when a winner is crowned and, if Matsuyama’s purse is anything to go by, they will be awarded over $2 million.

As well as the money, the winner is also gifted the famous August National green jacket.

Why is the winner awarded a green jacket?

The green jacket was originally introduced by Augusta National Director Clifford Roberts and co-founder Bobby Jones to be worn only by members of the club at the Masters so that visitors could pick them out and ask them for directions.

Twelve years after the jacket’s introduction to Augusta, Sam Snead became the first winner of the tournament to be awarded one in 194 and it has become a tradition ever since.

What is the jacket made from?

Despite the importance of the green jacket to golf, it wouldn’t cost you thousands like you might imagine.

The jacket is supplied by the Hamilton Tailoring Company of Cincinnati and each blazer costs just $250.

It is cut and stitched in Dublin, with each one made from a mix of wool and polyester - lined with Bemberg rayon, with the buttons made of polished brass.

While the actual jacket has a fairly low price tag, they have become a collectable, with Green Jacket Auctions selling former winner Horton Smith’s for $682,229 in 2013.

Can the winner keep the jacket?

The current champion is allowed to keep the jacket in their possession for a year before they must return it for the tournament the following year.

You are only able to take the jacket off the golf club’s premises if you are the current winner - past winners can only wear it when they are at the club.

The only golfer who has failed to comply with the rules is Gary Player.

After winning the Masters in 1961, Player had left his jacket in his native South Africa and informed Roberts to “come and fetch it”.