“Tradition” is a word you hear a lot in relation to The Masters. So when someone wears something that breaks from tradition in any sort of way on the grounds of Augusta National during the year’s first major, it’s likely to cause a stir.
Just ask 2011 runner-up Jason Day, who apparently sent tournament officials into a tizzy last year when he wore a particularly eye-catching Malbon Golf sweater vest on the course. At the time, Day said Augusta National officials asked him to remove it between finishing out his first round on Friday morning and playing his second round that afternoon, which he did. The vest was later sold in a charity auction, with the winning bid reaching $17,300 and Day agreeing to match that amount with a donation of his own.
This year, Day said tournament organizers wanted to know the plan for what he would wear over the four days of the tournament (called “scripting”) ahead of time.
“We had to send it in,” Day said on Tuesday. “I think I’m on the short list of guys that have to send their scripting in now. I get it.”
And according to Day, they asked that some changes be made to what he planned to wear.
“We kind of cut everything in half,” said Day. “With what we’re supposed to wear, they said that’s a little bit much, but that’s OK.”
On Thursday, Day wore a shirt with a Dan Flashes-style complicated pattern, which was supposed to extend to his pants, too (if you’re wondering what that would look like, Malbon sells the shirt and matching shorts for $128 each on its website). Instead, Day wore black pants, showing the “cut everything in half” compromise that was made.
Jason Day during the first round of the 2025 Masters. (Photo: Peter Casey-Imagn Images)
Meanwhile, 2017 Masters winner Sergio Garcia showed up to the course on Thursday looking like Ronald McDonald. Garcia inspired a steady stream of social media wisecracks by pairing the red hat and shirt for his LIV Golf team, Fireballs GC, with bright yellow pants. Of course, Garcia is from Spain and those are also the colors of his nation’s flag, but there are less jarring ways to show national pride. After seeing this, it would not be surprising if Augusta National threatens to incinerate his green jacket unless he agrees to never wear this color combination again.
It isn’t just the more wild fashion choices that get people talking, though. On Wednesday, Cameron Smith became the center of attention by playing a practice round while wearing a $500 blue blazer made by golf apparel company Greyson. He later confirmed that, yes, drinking was involved in this decision.
“I met Charlie, the Greyson guy, at teams week this week, and we had a couple of beers and maybe even a couple too many beers, and we got to talking about fashion,” Smith told reporters on Thursday. “He said, it would be great if you wore a blazer at the Masters. I think it’s the place to do it, and I agreed to it. I’m a man of my word, so I did it. It was actually good, though. I mean, for how a sport coat or a blazer should feel, that one I was able to swing in pretty easy. It was a bit chilly, so it kind of worked out.”
Cam Smith is wearing a suit jacket to warm up at the Masters today. pic.twitter.com/L0bxNFgvyR
— Golf Digest (@GolfDigest) April 9, 2025
Another thing that can apparently inspire debate between golf fans: backwards lettering on a hat.
2024 U.S. Amateur champion Jose Luis Ballester made his Masters debut on Thursday in a grouping with defending champion Scottie Scheffler and since he doesn’t have an apparel sponsor, he represented his university, Arizona State, instead. Except the hat he wore, made by a company called No Rivals, spelled “Sun Devils” backwards. Compared to what the likes of Day and Garcia have worn in recent years, this was as subtle as it gets, but still an affront to Augusta National in the eyes of some.
Any discussion about his hat quickly died down when he admitted after his round that he peed in Rae’s Creek while playing, though. That’s one way to change the subject.
Ballester during the first round of the 2025 Masters. (Photo: Kyle Terada-Imagn Images)
Ballester wasn’t the only ASU representative at Augusta who has gotten attention for his attire. ASU golf coach Matt Thurmond was asked to leave the driving range on Monday for violating a club policy against wearing shorts in that area.
“I have plenty of pants,” he later told Arizona’s CBS affiliate. “What people often are missing in this story is that all the spectators are wearing shorts, or most of them are wearing shorts. It’s not like there’s a ‘no shorts’ rule at Augusta. No. The only thing is you can’t go onto the driving range or in the course with shorts on. So it’s perfectly fine to wear shorts. I wasn’t breaking any rules until I used my coach badge privilege to walk out onto the driving range. I saw Kevin (Yu, former ASU golfer who is now on the PGA Tour) out there, he was warming up — it was the first time I had seen him and I was so excited to see him, he was playing in his first Masters, there was hardly anybody on the range. It was the first day. And I went out and I started chatting with him, gave him a big hug and they came up and they were like, ‘Sir, you can’t be out here on the range in your shorts.’ And I felt embarrassed and I’m sorry and I walked off.”
So whether it’s tournament officials or fans watching from afar, the fashion police are definitely out in full force this week.
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(Top photo: Peter Casey-Imagn Images)
