Ranking The 25 Best Players in Masters History
By: Kieran Clark | Wed 10 Apr 2024
It's now been 90 years since the first Masters (then officially entitled the Augusta National Invitation Tournament) was contested back in 1934. That was the start of an event that has grown into something timeless, with many a legendary career being defined by what they accomplished in this magical corner of Georgia.
Given that we return to the same venue each year, the course has become instantly recognisable and the symbols of the tournament (especially the Green Jacket) enjoy an iconic place in sporting culture.
Marking this anniversary year, we have been thinking about the greatest players in Masters history. You could justifiably simply glance down the roll of champions and take your pick from there, but it seemed appropriate to adopt a more considered and scientific approach to adjudging this ranking.
Consequently, I have devised a wonderfully basic points system that rewards those who achieved the ultimate success, but also offers a complimentary nod to individuals who consistently found themselves on the leaderboard year after year.
(Points System)
- Wins - 20 Points
- Runner-Up - 10 Points
- Third Place - 5 Points
- Other Top 10 Finish - 2 Points
You may be surprised to see four non-winners among the top 25, but the reliability of their play deserves to be recognised, with tie-breakers being determined by each category in the natural order, with victories above all taking prominence.
Having counted up the points, here are - arguably (just for a bit of fun) - The 25 Best Players in Masters History!
1. Jack Nicklaus
Wins - 6
Runner-Up - 4
Third Place - 2
Other Top Tens - 10
Points - 190
2. Tiger Woods
Wins - 5
Runner-Up - 2
Third Place - 1
Other Top Tens - 6
Points - 137
3. Phil Mickelson
Wins - 3
Runner-Up - 2
Third Place - 5
Other Top Tens - 6
Points - 117
4. Arnold Palmer
Wins - 4
Runner-Up - 2
Third Place - 1
Other Top Tens - 5
Points - 115
5. Sam Snead
Wins - 3
Runner-Up - 2
Third Place - 3
Other Top Tens - 7
Points - 109
6. Gary Player
Wins - 3
Runner-Up - 2
Third Place - 1
Other Top Tens - 9
Points - 103
7. Ben Hogan
Wins - 2
Runner-Up - 4
Third Place - 0
Other Top Tens - 11
Points - 102
8. Tom Watson
Wins - 2
Runner-Up - 3
Third Place - 1
Other Top Tens - 9
Points - 93
9. Byron Nelson
Wins - 2
Runner-Up - 2
Third Place - 1
Other Top Tens - 9
Points - 83
10. Ben Crenshaw
Wins - 2
Runner-Up - 2
Third Place - 2
Other Top Tens - 5
Points - 80
11. Jimmy Demaret
Wins - 3
Runner-Up - 0
Third Place - 1
Other Top Tens - 4
Points - 73
12. Seve Ballesteros
Wins - 2
Runner-Up - 2
Third Place - 1
Other Top Tens - 3
Points - 71
13. Raymond Floyd
Wins - 1
Runner-Up - 3
Third Place - 0
Other Top Tens - 7
Points - 64
14. Jose Maria Olazabal
Wins - 2
Runner-Up - 1
Third Place - 1
Other Top Tens - 4
Points - 63
15. Nick Faldo
Wins - 3
Runner-Up - 0
Third Place - 0
Other Top Tens - 0
Points - 60
16. Bernhard Langer
Wins - 2
Runner-Up - 0
Third Place - 0
Other Top Tens - 7
Points - 54
17. Jordan Spieth
Wins - 1
Runner-Up - 2
Third Place - 2
Other Top Tens - 1
Points - 52
18. Cary Middlecoff
Wins - 1
Runner-Up - 2
Third Place - 1
Other Top Tens - 3
Points - 51
19. Fred Couples
Wins - 1
Runner-Up - 1
Third Place - 1
Other Top Tens - 8
Points - 51
20. Greg Norman
Wins - 0
Runner-Up - 3
Third Place - 3
Other Top Tens - 3
Points - 51
21. Tom Kite
Wins - 0
Runner-Up - 3
Third Place - 1
Other Top Tens - 8
Points - 51
22. Tom Weiskopf
Wins - 0
Runner-Up - 4
Third Place - 0
Other Top Tens - 3
Points - 46
23. Lloyd Mangrum
Wins - 0
Runner-Up - 2
Third Place - 2
Other Top Tens - 8
Points - 46
24. Horton Smith
Wins - 2
Runner-Up - 0
Third Place - 0
Other Top Tens - 1
Points - 42
25. Bubba Watson
Wins - 2
Runner-Up - 0
Third Place - 0
Other Top Tens - 1
Points - 42
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