The Masters golftournament weaves a hypnotic spell. Success at Augusta National breeds legends, while failure can overshadow even the most brilliant ofcareers. But as Curt Sampson, author of the bestseller Hogan, reveals in The Masters,a cold heart beats behind the warm antebellum façade of this famous Augustacourse.
The Mastersis an amazing slice of history. Sampson takes us inside the presidency ofDwight D. Eisenhower, Augusta's most famous member. He explores the relationshipsbetween races, between Southerners and Northerners, between rich and poor—withsuch characters as famous soul musician James Brown, the great boxer BeauJack, and Frank Stranahan, the only white professional golfer ever banned from thetournament.
Club and tournamentfounder Clifford Roberts, who killed himself on the grounds two decades ago,still seems to run the place from his grave. An elusive and reclusive figure,Roberts pulled the strings that made the Masters one of the greatest golf tournaments in the world. Roberts's relationship with presidents, power brokers, and thegreat golf champions of the time—Bobby Jones, Arnold Palmer, and Jack Nicklaus,to name a few—are brought to light in this spellbinding portrait of a tournamentunlike any other.