And welcome to Masters Thursday. Men’s golf’s biggest event tees off today so, today’s newsletter has everything you need to know about the famed major — the good, the bad and the ugly. Fore!

As of right now, I feel like I am going to play.

The Masters Tournament is the first of four majors in men’s golf, typically held annually during the first full week of April.

• Unlike other majors that are held at different courses each year, the Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia is the permanent host of the Masters and has been since its inception in 1934.

• Augusta National was born out of a plant nursery and is famous for its lush landscapes and rolling hills. Flowers like magnolias and azaleas are so synonymous with the course that 2017 Masters winner Sergio García named his daughter Azalea after the 13th hole.

There are 20 ways players qualify for the Masters, including winning other majors, being a previous Masters champ, winning Olympic gold and qualifying for the season-ending Tour Championship. This year, 91 golfers are expected to participate.

The Masters maintains some of the most steadfast traditions of any global sporting event. But even Augusta National is subject to supply chain issues; the famed Georgia peach ice cream sandwiches won’t make an appearance at this year’s tournament. *single tear*

• However, golf fans can breathe a sigh of relief that the iconic pimento cheese and egg salad sandwich will still only set you back $1.50. Phew.

The green jacket, awarded to the tournament champ (alongside an anticipated $2 million check), is a Masters icon. The winner also walks away with a lifetime invitation to play in the event and an honorary membership at the super-exclusive club.

Wednesday’s Par 3 contest always happens before the tournament even kicks off, with players participating on Augusta’s nine-hole course with kids as caddies. The fun round was back for the first time since 2019 yesterday, with Mike Weir, Mackenzie Hughes and Kevin Na all sharing the victory after two weather delays ended the event early.

The Masters were created by an amateur, the legendary Bobby Jones, and to honor that, the tournament continues to highlight amateur golf. This year’s six amateurs are invited to lodge at the course’s Crow’s Nest while competing at the Masters, and the lowest-scoring amateur is awarded the Silver Cup.

• The reigning U.S. Amateur champ also gets to play his first two rounds with the defending Masters champ, meaning the 2021 U.S. Amateur winner James Piot will (hopefully) tee off with 2021 Masters winner Hideki Matsuyama.

Finally, there’s the Champions Dinner, which is held on the Tuesday night of Masters week. All past Masters champs — and only past Masters champs — gather at the course for a dinner chosen by the most recent winner.

• This year, Matsuyama — the first Japanese player to win the Masters — chose a feast of Japanese food, featuring assorted sushi, miyazaki wagyu and Japanese strawberry shortcake. Delish.

Because Masters winners are invited to play in every future Masters tournament, nearly every living past champion will tee off today. At the time of writing, 18 former winners are set to compete — with a few notable exceptions.

• Three-time champion Phil Mickelson, for the first time since 1995, will be noticeably absent as he continues to take “some time away” from the game after his (very ill-advised) comments in support of a breakaway golf tour backed by Saudi Arabia received backlash.

• Further, Matsuyama is still battling a neck injury and has not finished a tournament since last month’s Arnold Palmer Invitational. If he withdraws, he’d be the first defending champ to do so since 1960.

The biggest story, however, is once again the aforementioned Tiger Woods. Woods hasn’t played an official event in 17 months, and after a serious car accident in February 2021, he even said he would never be a full-time player again.

• That would make a return at the Masters even more incredible. As mentioned above, we’ll know sooner rather than later. Cue the crowds.

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The how: It’s super easy to get involved thanks to FanDuel’s wide array of PGA contests. Check out their offerings, then get ready for your green jacket moment.

The green jacket has proven elusive for some of golf’s greats, but Jon Rahm is ready for his moment. Though Rahm’s lone victory in 2021 was the U.S. Open major, the Spaniard had 15 top-10 finishes last season, and remains the favorite to win it all.

• However, 25-year-old American Scottie Scheffler recently usurped Rahm for the No. 1 overall ranking on the PGA Tour and is riding the momentum of three wins in his past five starts. Could the 2020 PGA Tour Rookie of the Year prove he’s one of the greats?

Apart from the Rahm–Scheffler duel, watch out for Justin Thomas, who’s had five straight top-25 finishes at Augusta National and, for the first time at the Masters, has Jim Bones Mackay as a caddie. Mackay carried the bag for all three of Phil Mickelson’s wins and came out of retirement because he believes in Thomas’s future. No pressure.

• Other golfers to watch? Collin Morikawa, who at just 25 years old already has a 2020 PGA Championship and 2021 Open Championship under his belt, and former champions Jordan Spieth and Dustin Johnson, who will be looking to add another green jacket to their collection.

The history of the Masters is steeped in racism, sexism and classism. Last year, organizers planned to use the event to address the tournament’s racist history and take steps toward reconciliation.

• The 2021 opening ceremony was dedicated to Lee Elder, the first Black man to ever play in the Masters in 1975 (back when caddies still had to be Black).

• Augusta National also began funding two annual Lee Elder scholarships and a fully-funded women’s golf program at Paine College, a HBCU in Georgia. Both the men’s and women’s programs are aiming to start playing this autumn. It’s a start, but there’s still a long way to go.

The Masters officially starts this morning with coverage on TSN in Canada and CBS/ESPN in the U.S. Check out all the tee times and groupings here, and follow the leaderboard here. Let’s get swinging.

Fanny Sunesson, the first (and so far only) female caddie to win at the Masters after she accomplished the feat with Nick Faldo in 1990 and 1996. Swinging for change.

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In honor of the four-time Masters winner, some Arnold Palmer. The PGA legend often requested the half iced tea, half lemonade combo and has been attributed as the inventor of the refreshing beverage.

Part of what makes the Masters so exciting is that the course is always changing. This year, holes No. 11 and No. 15 have been elongated, making the course that much more difficult. Interesting.

The next best thing to a green jacket…GIST merch! We’re running a referral contest throughout the month of April where the first 50 GISTers to refer three friends will receive a t-shirt and the first 50 GISTers to refer five friends will receive a crewneck. Go ahead, get your share on.

*P.S. This is a sponsored post.