Format
The Masters is the first acknowledged major golf championship of the year and since 1940 has been played so that the final round is always played on the second Sunday of April with the exception of 1979 when Fuzzy Zoeller won on the third Sunday in April.
The tournament comprises four "rounds"; each round comprises 18 holes. Round One play commences on Thursday, Round Two on Friday, Round Three on Saturday, and the tournament comes to an end with Round Four on Sunday (when there are no delays). The Masters has a relatively small field of contenders, when compared with other golf tournaments, so the competitors play in groups of three for the first two rounds (36 holes) and the field is not split to start on the 1st and 10th tees unless weather shortens the available playing time.
After 36 holes of play, a cut-off score is calculated and eliminations are made, thereby reducing the field. Typically, to "make the cut", players must be either within 44 places of the lead (ties counting), or within 10 strokes of the leader's score. These criteria have applied since the 1961 tournament. From 1957 to 1960, the top 40 scores (including ties) and all of those within 10 strokes of the leader made the cut. Before 1957, there was no 36-hole cut.
Following the cut, an additional 36 holes are played over the final two days. Should the final round fail to produce a winner, all players who are tied for the lead enter a sudden-death round. Play then alternates, between the 18th hole and the 10th, until one player is left.
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