sports

Masters: Augusta National's botanical beauty

Augusta National is renowned not just for its golf, but for its stunning array of over 350 species and approximately 80,000 flowering plants.

Before Bobby Jones built the course on the former Fruitland Nurseries, the grounds were a garden. Now, it features 80,000 plants, including iconic azaleas and dogwoods, as well as unique flora like the Golden Bell and Pampas grass.

Players like Dustin Johnson recognize the specific botanical names associated with holes, though some like Rory McIlroy admit to limited encounters with the late-blooming Golden Bell. The course's design honors the native trees and shrubs that make it a unique landscape.