So, you prefer beauty over feast. In Round 1 of the Masters Traditions Match Play, voters chose 11th-seeded Magnolia Lane over sixth-seeded Champions Dinner, 51.9 percent to 48.1 percent.
It was the lone upset of the opening round of our mock tournament, which features match-ups of the greatest traditions (including natural features) of the Masters Tournament.
Check out the full voting percentages for the opening round below:
| (1) Green jacket | 93.6% | (16) Old oak tree | 6.4% |
| (8) The menu | 54.3% | (9) Skipping balls on 16 | 45.7% |
| (5) Par-3 Contest | 50.5% | (12) Azaleas | 49.5% |
| (4) Ceremonial tee shots | 61.9% | (13) Caddie jumpsuits | 38.1% |
| (6) Champions Dinner | 48.1% | (11) Magnolia Lane | 51.9% |
| (3) Amen Corner | 89.7% | (14) Rae’s Creek | 10.3% |
| (7) Limited commercial interruption | 67% | (10) Amateurs in the field | 33% |
| (2) Former champions in the field | 72.2% | (15) Crow’s Nest | 27.8% |
Round 2 results and Round 3 match-ups will be revealed April 8. The finals will take place April 10, with final results on April 12. Here are the Elite Eight matches. You can vote below:
Match 9: (1) Green jacket vs. (8) The menu
• Green jacket: The tradition of the green jacket at Augusta National Golf Club dates to 1937. That year, members of the club wore green jackets during the tournament so that patrons in attendance could easily recognize them if they needed to ask questions. Slipping a jacket onto the winner of the Masters began in 1949.
• The menu: Limited, like commercial interruptions, and ridiculously affordable and tasty. Pimento cheese sandwiches, egg salad sandwiches, chicken sandwiches, Coke, sports drinks and beer. Sandwiches are $1.50. A dollar-fifty, people.
Match 10: (4) Ceremonial tee shots vs. (5) Par-3 Contest
• Ceremonial tee shots: Jock Hutchison and Fred McLeod hit the first ceremonial opening tee shots in 1963. For many years the trio of Sam Snead, Gene Sarazen and Byron Nelson filled the role. The much-loved tradition now has Arnold Palmer, Gary Player and Jack Nicklaus.
• Par-3 Contest: Since 1960, a semi-social event on Augusta National’s par-3 course has been played the day before the first round of the Masters Tournament. No players that has won the nine-hole event has ever gone on to win the actual tournament the same year.
Match 11: (3) Amen Corner vs. (11) Magnolia Lane
• Amen Corner: The second shot at the par-4 11th, all of the par-3 12th, and the tee shot at the par-5 13th at Augusta are nicknamed Amen Corner. This term was first used in print by author Herbert Warren Wind in his April 21, 1958 Sports Illustrated article about the Masters.
• Magnolia Lane: The road to the Augusta National clubhouse is 330 yards long and is lined with a canopy of magnolia trees that date back to the mid-1800s. According to the Augusta Chronicle, there are 61 magnolia trees on each side of Magnolia Lane. Those trees’ branches meet overhead, creating a tunnel effect that is particularly striking when they are in bloom.
Match 12: (2) Former champions in the field vs. (7) Limited commercial interruption
• Former champions in the field: Jones thought of the Masters as a gathering of his friends and extended a lifetime exemption to the tournament to past winners. Past champions also get their own locker room.
• Limited commercial interruption: The Masters, by design, has fewer commercial breaks than any other golf tournament. While we’d love to never be taken away from coverage, seeing 57 out of every 60 minutes isn’t too bad.