Man, Augusta National has come a long since chairman Clifford Roberts, along with golfer Bobby Jones, founded the club in 1931. During Roberts' tenure there were no black members, and it wasn't until 1975 – a year before he retired, and two years before he killed himself – that Lee Elder became the first black golfer to compete in the Masters Tournament.
One of the great things about the Masters – other than the start of the majors season ... and the history of the course – is that by contract, each hour of television coverage includes only four minutes of commercials. Of course, we have to listen to announcers refer to the gallery as "patrons" and other such southern-gentlemanly silliness, but that's easily overlooked in the grand scheme of things.
In previous years – and unlike other majors – television coverage has been restricted, but that will change this April:
The Masters will have one hour of coverage on its Web site before the telecast begins, an example of how new Augusta National chairman Billy Payne wants to see how new media can expand the tournament's audience.So now, in addition to March Madness, you have another reason to goof off at work this spring.
