34 days until golf: Inaugural event at Augusta begins annual tradition

The PGA Tour plans to restart its season June 11 after halting due to the coronavirus pandemic. Each day until then, we'll highlight key moments, people, or facts relating to where we are in the countdown.

Following his retirement from golf four years prior, the great Bobby Jones returned to the sport when he founded the Augusta National Invitational in 1934.

In his final year playing competitive golf in 1930, Jones won the U.S. Open, Open Championship, U.S. Amateur, and British Amateur, which were then considered golf's four major championships. He retired at the height of his career to begin designing Augusta National alongside renowned architect Alister MacKenzie.

Augusta officially opened in 1933 and hosted its first event over a year later. Jones came out of retirement to play in the tournament's debut and finished in a tie for 13th. The inaugural Augusta National Invitational, which was played in March, was won by 25-year-old Horton Smith. He took home $1,500 for his efforts.

From then on, the only time Jones played competitive golf was at his event in Augusta until his final appearance in 1948. His first result was his best out of 12 career attempts.

As for Mackenzie, he never witnessed the world-famous course he built ever host a tournament. He died in January 1934, two months before the first invitational.

The Augusta National Invitational was renamed the Masters Tournament in 1939 and the tradition of awarding a green jacket to the winner didn't start until 1949.

Here are some photos from the 1934 tournament: