If the feel of a green jacket on the champion’s shoulders is the act most associated with victory, the actual Masters Trophy – a depiction of the Augusta National clubhouse weighing almost 60 kilograms and attached to 1.2 metres wooden base – is the real physical proof.
Just as the British Open has the claret jug, the PGA has the Wanamaker Trophy and the US Open has, well, the US Open Trophy, the Masters has a distinctive and unique piece of silverware. The permanent Masters Trophy was introduced in 1961 and consists of 900 pieces of silver with a band around it on which the champions’ names are engraved.
Not surprisingly, winners don’t walk away with the actual trophy. Rather, they are presented with a replica . . . . as well as a champion’s gold medal that features Augusta National’s clubhouse on one side and the winner’s name and year of victory beneath the Masters logo. The 14-karat piece weighs 65 grams.
Replica trophy
So, where would a champion be likely keep his replica trophy? In the case of
Adam Scott
, the 2013 champion has his safely housed in a trophy room at his home in Australia. “It sits centre stage with a little shrine around it,” said Scott.
Nick Faldo, a three-time champion, has one of his trophies at his home in Florida and another two in his office in Windsor. "The one in Florida is right next to the TV so I can see it all the time. I don't have a lot of trophies, I just have a couple of big ones, so it's always nice to see them."
Tiger Woods keeps all four trophies at his home in Florida and Phil Mickelson's three are features in his home office, while Jordan Spieth – the most recent winner – has his in a trophy case at his new home in Dallas. "It's with the US Open trophy, the FedEx Cup and the Ryder Cup bags. It's in the same display case Hunter (Mahan) had built," explained Spieth, who purchased the house and the bespoke unit from his fellow tour player.
A number of replica trophies have actually found their way to museums: Tommy Aaron, a surprise winner in 1973, has his silver trophy on display in the Northeast Georgia History Museum along with his Ryder Cup coat. His trophy, though, is not the three-dimensional one awarded to winners since 1992.
And the World Golf Hall of Fame regularly acts as temporary home to Masters trophies. At the present time, the museum in Florida has the trophies from Sandy Lyle and Mark O’Meara on display.
As for the Big Three? Their successes came before replicas of the Masters Trophy were given out. For example, when Arnold Palmer won in 1958, he was presented with a silver box engraved with his name as champion along with the "signatures" of every other player in the field.
However, Palmer, Gary Player and Jack Nicklaus were given an option to acquire replicas from the club and all took up the offer. Palmer's four are placed around the US: two of them are in his hometown of Latrobe, one in the reception area of his office and the other in the lobby of a hotel in which he is a part-owner. The other two are in California, one in a restaurant in La Quinta and the fourth in Bel Air Country Club.
Player’s three replicas span the Atlantic: he has one in his home in Florida, another at the Gary Player Group headquarters in South Carolina, and the third at his family farm in South Africa.
Interestingly, Nicklaus, winner of six Masters, chose to get only four replicas. He keeps one at his home, one at the Bear’s Club in Florida, and the other two in his hometown of Colombus, Ohio. One is at Muirfield Village (which plays host to the Memorial Tournament) and the other is at the Jack Nicklaus Museum.
