How much is a Masters victory worth? Some numbers are easier to quantify than others. For his breakthrough victory, Zach Johnson earned $1.3 million in prize money. His stable of corporate sponsors received a combined $7.5 million in broadcast exposure time, according to the sponsorship evaluation firm Joyce Julius & Associates, as cited by CNBC.com. But these numbers only begin to tell the story.

"I don't know what it means from a revenue standpoint," says Pat Baird, the CEO of Aegon USA, Johnson' primary sponsor. "All I can tell you is that this has had more impact than anything we could have done as a company. People now identify our company with a major event. We literally have a new face."

Baird still remembers the phone call that started it all. It was late 2003 and on the other end of the line was Larry Gladson, the head pro of  Elmcrest Country Club in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, where Aegon USA is based. Baird was a longtime member at Elmcrest, as was Johnson's family, and Gladson was wondering if Baird might be interested in doing a deal with a soon-to-be rookie on the PGA Tour. Ironically, in certain golf circles Baird was considered a grinch...