The importance of being called Scott Stallings must have come to mind for the 60-year-old real estate agent, namesake of the PGA Tour golfer, who on New Year’s Eve received the unmistakable green envelope, with the map of the United States and the flag in the state of Georgia .
Masters, situation
He, an occasional golfer, had just been invited by mistake to the most exclusive tournament in the world, to be held in the second week of April, after being confused with the player who is currently ranked 54th in the world and who has already played in two occasions (2012 and 2014) the green jacket tournament.
“What a fun way to start 2023!” Wrote this real estate agent on his Instagram account, while the real thing, the PGA Tour member, despaired by opening the mailbox at his home in Knoxville (Tennessee) without the expected success, “up to five times a day,” as he told The New York Times.
Finally, the agent sent the professional player his invitation and he has invited him to play a practice round at Augusta National and to dinner. “It was like receiving one of Willy Wonka’s chocolates for his chocolate factory,” joked the surprised lucky man.
The tournament began in 1934 as the Augusta National Invitation Tournament on the initiative of Bobby Jones, who was also the designer of the course with Alister Mackenzie, and Clifford Roberts, a New York investor. In 1939 the tournament changed its name to the current one and since 1940 it has been held every year in the first full week of April.
The best professionals from all over the world participate, as well as amateurs who hold the title of champions of the United States and Great Britain. The selection criteria are very strict, even more than other majors. This means that the number of participants is around 100, against the approximately 160 of the other major tournaments.
In fact, in addition to the past winners of the Masters, the winners of the last five editions of the other majors, of the last three editions of the Players Championship, the first four classified of each major of the previous year (but the first 12 of the last Masters) are admitted.
, the top 50 of the previous year’s Official World Golf Ranking and the top 50 of the current year (as of the week preceding the tournament), the qualifiers of the Tour Championship of the previous year and the champions of the Amateur tournaments.
Among the multiple winners of this tournament are Jack Nicklaus, who won it 6 times (most recently in 1986, at the age of 46), and Tiger Woods, who won it 5 times (first in 1997 , at 21 years and 3 months, thus becoming the first black player and the youngest to win in the history of the tournament).
In 2017 Sergio García manages, after having participated in 73 majors without a victory, to win the Masters by beating the English Justin Rose in the playoffs.
