The green jacket wasn’t given to the Masters champion until the 13th edition of the tournament in 1949, when Sam Snead won the championship. Before that, only Augusta National members wore the jackets. The first 12 winners were given a jacket once the tradition began.

Every year, the winner of the previous Masters puts the green jacket on that year’s winner. This can lead to some awkward moments in Butler Cabin.

Neal Shipley, who was the low amateur in 2024, played with Tiger Woods in the final round. He became a meme as he navigated some questions about his round during the Butler Cabin ceremony.

But this isn’t about meme-able moments in the waning evening hours of the second Sunday in April. This is about either an interesting (maybe awkward…) dynamic between champions or a cool stretch of time when two or three men dominated the ceremony with alternating wins.

So here are some green jacket ceremonies that might have been a bit awkward or highlight how two players dominated during certain stretches.

Possibly the most awkward green jacket ceremony in history. It looked like Spieth was going to defend his 2015 title and earn a second Masters title before turning 23. Instead, he collapsed early on the back nine. Playing hole Nos. 10-12 in six-over par, including a 7 the 12th hole; Danny Willett won with a 67 on Sunday. It’s incredible to think that Spieth had to stick around after his loss and sit in Butler Cabin with Willett and congratulate him on the victory.

It’s also incredible to think that Willett waltzed to the win by three shots at 5-under par.

The rest of this article is for paid subscribers. It includes five more examples of green jacket ceremonies.

This is an incredible stretch. In 1952 Sam Snead won his second green jacket. Hogan gave the green jacket to Snead that year. Then in 1953, Snead gave a green jacket to Hogan.

The 1954 Masters is a superb end to Hogan and Snead's run of dominance. The two men faced off in a playoff. Snead beat Hogan in an 18-hole playoff that Monday by a shot. Snead fired a 70. Then, Hogan had to gather himself for a jacket ceremony with the guy who just beat him.

Another dominant stretch here. From 1962 to 1966, Palmer (1962 and 1964) and Nicklaus (1963, 1965, 1966) were the only Masters champions. Exchanging the green jacket back and forth before Nicklaus stopped the rhythm and defended his title.

The friendship between Mark O’Meara and Tiger Woods was well documented when Woods came onto the scene. O’Meara mentored the younger Woods, and his 1998 win was attributed to playing with and being around Woods. O’Meara was 41 when he won. Tiger was 22.

For Woods and O’Meara to win back-to-back Masters and have the green jacket ceremony is cool. Their friendship cooled over the years. O’Meara still says they are friendly, but through the 2010s, they weren’t as close. Seems to be a trend with Woods.

Golf.com had a short article about this particular ceremony.

“I’ve got Tiger Woods — who is kind of like my little brother — putting the green jacket on me at 41 years of age,” O’Meara told GOLF.com. “Tiger’s a little bit taller than I am, and he had it up, and I couldn’t get my left arm into the jacket. And it was kind of an awkward situation, and finally, I turn around and looked at Tiger, and I’m like, ‘Hey, you gotta lower the jacket.’ And so he did, and I got my arms in there and he gave me a hug.”

From one lefty to another. Mike Weir became the first left-handed golfer to win The Masters in 2003. The following year Phil Mickelson broke through and won his first major in dramatic fashion. It’s cool that the first left-handed winners of the Masters came in consecutive years, which means they were part of the green jacket ceremony. Bubba Watson is the third lefty to win The Masters.

The rivals never had a memorable duel in the majors, which is a shame. But they did share the spotlight in back-to-back years during the green jacket ceremony. Mickelson slipped the jacket onto Woods in 2005 and then in 2006, Mickelson won his second jacket and Woods was the one to help him put it on.

It’s wild to think that both of these two greats won’t be at Augusta National this year. It will mark the first time since 1994 that at least one of them isn’t in the field.

Are there are green jacket ceremonies that stand out to you? Drop them in the comments.

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