<P> The day after the tournament closes, The Bobby Jones Scholars from The University of St Andrews in Scotland play a four - ball round on the course--the last people to do so before the greenkeepers start the process of repairing and restoring the course to pre-tournament standard . </P> <P> The Masters is the first major championship of the year . Since 1948, its final round has been scheduled for the second Sunday of April, with several exceptions . It ended on the first Sunday four times (1952, 1957, 1958, 1959) and the 1979 and 1984 tournaments ended on April 15, the month's third Sunday . The first edition in 1934 was held in late March and the next ten were in early April, with only the 1942 event scheduled to end on the second Sunday . </P> <P> Similar to the other majors, the tournament consists of four rounds at 18 holes each, Thursday through 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 . The tournament is unique in that it is the only major tournament conducted by a private club rather than a national golf organization like the PGA . </P> <P> Originally, the Masters was the only tournament to use two - man pairings during the first two rounds . It was also the only event to re-pair based on the leaderboard before Friday's round, as most tournaments only do this on the weekend . This practice ended in the early 2000s, when the Masters switched to the more standard three - man groups and the groups are now kept in - tact on Friday, with players sharing the same playing partners in both of the first two rounds . </P>

How many holes of golf are played in the masters