The first golf major of the year is one of sport's great spectacles as the world's best players vie for the coveted Green Jacket at Augusta National. Like the course itself, getting in to watch the Masters at the notoriously exclusive club is fiendishly difficult. The waiting list for tickets is famously long, but many patrons who do make it inside the hallowed grounds flaunt their accreditations (old and new) with pride.
(CNN) -- In the golf world, springtime means only one thing: the Masters.
The opening major of the season is one of sport's great spectacles, as the best golfers pit their wits against each other and the unique challenges of the Augusta National Golf Club.
Despite being the youngest of the major tournaments -- it was co-founded by the legendary Bobby Jones in 1934 -- the Masters is arguably the most revered of all four.
The 365 acres of Augusta National seem to throw up drama on an annual basis -- see the above gallery for some of the tournament's greatest moments.
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Last year was no different as South Africa's Charl Schwartzel claimed his first Green Jacket, but the tournament will be remembered for Rory McIIroy's capitulation on the back nine on Sunday.
He started the final round four shots clear, but walked off the 18th green having carded an 80 to slip into a tie for 15th.
"It was a huge learning experience. I took a lot from it and took some of the things and put them into practice very quickly," the Northern Irishman said Tuesday.
"The first time I played the back nine last week, I had these memories that come back and memories you don't want. That's fine. I got them out of the way."
With Tiger Woods back in form and installed as favorite to claim a fifth title, the 76th edition of the Masters is poised to add another thrilling chapter to the history books.
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Three men have finished runner-up on four occasions: double Masters champion Ben Hogan, multiple winner Jack Nicklaus and Tom Weiskopf. The latter won the 1973 British Open but never got his hands on a Green Jacket, becoming Augusta's ultimate nearly man, finishing second in 1969, '72, '74 and '75. 
Five holes on Augusta's back nine have water waiting to snare any errant shots. Raes Creek runs behind the 11th, in front of the par-three 12th and onto the par-five 13th. More water awaits at 15 and 16 (pictured) where many players' Masters challenge have met a watery end.
Jack Nicklaus has won the Masters an incredible six times -- more than any other player. His last, and most famous, victory came in 1986 when, at the age of 46, he rolled back the years to produce one of the most heroic back-nine charges in the tournament's history.
Tiger Woods' recent win at the Arnold Palmer Invitational tournament has 
This year's purse is a whopping $8 million, with the champion taking home nearly $1.5 million -- the same amount as last year's winner, South Africa's Charl Schwartzel.
Golf's bright new star Rory McIlroy was four shots clear of the field heading into the final round in 2011, but a nervy opening nine holes was followed by disaster at the 10th, where his ball twice clattered into Augusta's famous pines. He eventually holed out for a triple-bogey seven. It started a nightmare sequence of dropped shots which saw him finish with an eight-over 80 to finish in a tie for 15th.
Augusta has perhaps the most feared stretch of holes in golf. "Amen Corner" was coined by Sports Illustrated writer Herbert Warren Wind in 1958 to describe the perils that lay in wait for players playing the 11th, 12th and 13th holes -- a place where many a promising round has been ruined.
Arguably the most famous par-three in golf, Augusta's 155-yard 12th hole (Golden Bell) sees players fire a short iron to a green guarded by Raes Creek at the front and bunkers at the back. The green is wide but only 10 paces deep, making club selection vital. Tom Weiskopf conspired to make 13 here in 1980.
The final hole of "Amen Corner" has seen many a round hit the buffers, none more so than Japan's Tommy Nakajima -- who experienced the ignominy of penciling 13 onto his scorecard after attempting to play his ball out of Raes Creek in 1978.
The Masters has gone to a playoff on 14 occasions, none more dramatic than Larry Mize's sensational victory over Greg Norman in 1987. At the second extra hole (the 11th), the Australian was in pole position having found the green while Mize was facing a lightning-fast chip from well off the putting surface. The American famously drained his shot, Norman missed his putt and another remarkable chapter in Masters history was written.
The Masters champion earns a lifetime invite to return, but each year the next 15 finishers are also guaranteed a starting place 12 months later. Otherwise, golfers must be ranked in the world's top 50 the week before tee-off, or rely on special invites for performances in selected events.
In 2010, Matteo Manassero became the youngest golfer to ever play at the Masters. At 16 years, 11 months and 22 days, the Italian teenager also became the youngest player to make the cut as he went on to win the Silver Cup for top amateur.
President-in Perpetuity of Augusta National, founder of the Masters and co-designer of the course, Bobby Jones is synonymous with golf's opening major. Born on March 17 1902, Jones was 
In 1997, Tiger Woods set the record for lowest winning score in the tournament's history as he won it for the first time. His four-round total of 18-under-par 270 beat Jack Nicklaus's 1965 record by one stroke. Woods also smashed the record for the biggest winning margin, coasting home by 12 strokes ahead of nearest rival Tom Kite. At the tender age of 21 years, three months and 14 days, he was the youngest winner of a Green Jacket. 
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