SPORTS JARGON GREEN JACKET

Meaning:The tradition began in 1949 when Sam Snead became the first Masters champion to be awarded the green jacket after he triumphed at Augusta National.

Winners are supposed to return the jacket after a year, at which point it is stored in a cedar closet at the club, but when Gary Player won his first Masters in 1961 he thought the jacket was his to keep.

He said: “I got a call from Clifford Roberts (co-founder of the Augusta National) and he said, ‘Gary, I believe you’ve taken the Masters jacket home. You’re not supposed to do that. And I said, ‘Mr Roberts, if you want it, you better come and fetch it’. He appreciated the humour and told me I must never wear it around. It’s in a plastic bag in my closet.”

Bobby Jones, co-founder with Roberts of the club, is generally credited with coming up with the idea of the green jacket, inspired by a trip to the 1930 British Open at Hoylake. While attending the official tournament dinner he spotted 15 captains of the club wearing dapper red jackets with brass buttons. One of the captains offered to give Jones his jacket if he won the tournament, which he did.

The Augusta National, which Jones helped design, opened for business in 1933 and four years later Jones and Roberts introduced green jackets for members. It wasn’t until Snead’s victory in 1949, though, that the tradition of awarding a jacket to the Masters winner began, a prize that signifies the awarding of honorary membership of the club. The colour, naturally enough, is described as “Masters Green”.