The U.S. Open was always no. 1 for me. I’m an American, and it’s the championship of my country. Of the majors, the British Open was No. 2 because it entailed the rest of the world. The PGA was No. 3 because I’m a professional, and to be the best of what I do for a living, that stands for a lot. That leaves the Masters in an interesting position. It always was my favorite tournament to play. Bob Jones was my hero, and I’ve had too many great experiences there to count. But it isn’t a championship exactly, so on that count it doesn’t surpass the other three. It doesn’t even have the word “championship” in its name. The Masters is unique in that it performs the greatest service to the game of all the majors and stands for far more than just crowning a winner. It has a small international field. So it’s hard to fit into a ranking. I’ll say this: If you conducted a poll among players now on tour, they’d rate the Masters the No. 1 tournament in golf.
