Rory McIlroy joined an exclusive club when he rolled in a birdie putt to win the Masters and complete a career Grand Slam on Sunday.
The Northern Irishman also earned himself one of the most iconic prizes in all of sports: the Green Jacket.
The blazer is awarded to every winner of the Masters and every member of Augusta National. It has become synonymous with the exclusive Georgia club but McIlroy’s Green Jacket will actually come from a company based 500 miles away.
Since 1967, they have been made by Hamilton Tailoring Co., a mysterious clothing company based in Avondale, a neighborhood of Cincinnati, Ohio.
Not much is known about Hamilton and Mail Sport’s attempts to contact the company failed.
The tailors are shrouded in secrecy, despite their producing one of the most recognizable pieces of clothing in sports.
Rory McIlroy won the coveted Green Jacket with victory at the Masters in Augusta National
The Northern Irishman was awarded the prize by defending champion Scottie Scheffler
Since 1967, they have been made by Hamilton Tailoring Co., a mysterious Ohio-based company
Hamilton’s longtime chairman, Edward A. Heimann, died in 2021. He was a ‘Master golfer’ who once beat Jack Nicklaus at a very young age, according to his obituary.
Heimann turned down repeated interview requests and always stayed tight-lipped about their relationship with Augusta.
‘It’s a really big deal because of the tradition and prestige associated with owning one,’ Heimann previously told the Cincinnati Enquirer.
‘(But) they like to keep things low-key… they don’t like us talking too much about this sort of thing. It’s a club of highly disciplined people who like to keep certain things private. It adds to the mystique.’
The jacket that McIlroy slipped on at Augusta – with the help of Scottie Scheffler – did not belong to the Northern Irishman. It is owned by an existing member with a similar frame.
Instead, McIlroy’s Green Jacket will be made by the tailors in Ohio and the reigning champion can wear it outside of the gates of Augusta for one year. After that, it must remain at the club.
According to the PGA of America, Augusta first bought green jackets from the Brooks Uniform Company in New York back in 1937 – three years after the club opened.
But members reportedly felt the material was too thick and uncomfortable in hot weather.
So Augusta turned to Hamilton. The Ohio company reportedly uses around 2.5 yards of tropical-weight wool from a mill in Dublin, Georgia. The name of the owner is stitched into the inside label and the ‘Masters Green’ color is officially known as ‘Pantone 242’.
Sam Snead (L) was the first Masters champion to be awarded the Green Jacket back in 1949
McIlroy poses in his iconic Green Jacket alongside Augusta National chairman Fred Ridley
The brass buttons are sourced from Connecticut, while the breast-pocket patch – carrying the iconic Augusta logo – is made in North Carolina.
Each jacket reportedly takes around a month to make, at a reported cost of around $250. Repeat winners of the Masters receive just one jacket.
Initially, only members wore the Green Jacket, with Sam Snead the first Masters winner to be awarded one in 1949.
According to the PGA of America, Nick Faldo – a three-time Masters champion – has his jacket made by Nordstrom.
Hamilton also creates the blue blazers that were once given to the winner of the Arnold Palmer Invitational – at the request of the late, great Palmer.
According to Heimann’s obituary, meanwhile, Frank Sinatra and Bob Hope were among the company’s loyal customers.
