The Green Jacket is one of the most prestigious trophies in all of sports, but why has a simple jacket become a staple of the tournament?
The Masters returns for 2026 this week, meaning golf’s biggest stars in the world are all looking to get their hands on the coveted green jacket.
Rory McIlroy is the defending champion after he achieved the career grand slam at Augusta National last year, becoming just the sixth golfer in history to complete it.
Jack Nicklaus has won this tournament the most throughout history with six wins at Augusta – his last triumph came in 1986, 23 years after his first.
Tiger Woods has won five Masters tournament, the latest of which in 2019 after an 11-year hiatus from winning major titles.
With the iconic tournament starting this week, fans have been asking about golf’s most famous article of clothing, and SunSport has all the details.
Why does the Masters winner wear a green jacket?
The idea for the jacket first came in the 1920’s.
Bobby Jones, founder and co-designer of Augusta National Golf Club, went to the Royal Liverpool Golf Club in 1927, where he won the Open Championship, and noticed that the former captains of the club all wore red hunting jackets.
He felt it looked smart and offered gravitas that American golf lacked at the time.
Six years later, when Augusta National opened, Jones suggested it to business partner Clifford Roberts, who also liked it.
They took some time picking out a colour, with ideas such as red, yellow and ‘Georgia peach’ all dismissed.
Eventually, ‘verdant green’ was chosen when Roberts noticed the leaves on the azalea bushes around the course.
From here, the jacket has become one of sport’s most iconic prizes.
Rules around the green jacket
Along with everything at Augusta National, there are rules surrounding the green jacket and what the winners are allowed to do with theirs.
Jackets are reserved for club members and Masters winners, and only the winner of the most recent tournament is allowed to take the jacket out of the golf club.
Previous winners, such as Scottie Scheffler, only get to wear the jacket when they come back to the club, or if they happen to be representing the Masters outside of the premises.
South African Gary Player, who became the first international winner of the Masters in 1961, declined to bring the jacket back to the club when requested by Clifford Roberts, which eventually led to players being issued a replica they could keep.
Rory McIlroy also said on the ‘Stick to Football’ podcast that the players have to sign a legal document before they are allowed to take the jacket away from Augusta.
He said: “There’s do’s and don’ts with it. You have to wear a certain shirt, a club tie, and certain trousers… only dress shoes, you can’t wear trainers.”
