AUGUSTA, Georgia, April 8 (Reuters) - It has ⁠stood since the 1850s, long before Augusta National Golf Club existed, and every April during Masters week it becomes ⁠something more than just a tree.

The Big Oak Tree, a sprawling live oak situated between the Augusta National clubhouse ‌and the first tee, is the unofficial nerve centre of Masters week — a place where past champions, executives, celebrities and dealmakers converge beneath its vast canopy to network, reminisce and do business.