The Masters Tournament is golf’s top spring event, played every year at the beautiful Augusta National Golf Club in Georgia. Since it began in 1934, this famous major has crowned winners who join a special group, marked by getting the famous Green Jacket.
Recent Masters Champions (2021-2025)
The last five years have witnessed both breakthrough performances and historic achievements:
| Year | Champion | Country | Score to Par |
| 2025 | Rory McIlroy | Northern Ireland | -11 |
| 2024 | Scottie Scheffler (2nd win) | USA | -11 |
| 2023 | Jon Rahm | Spain | -12 |
| 2022 | Scottie Scheffler | USA | -10 |
| 2021 | Hideki Matsuyama | Japan | -10 |
Rory McIlroy’s 2025 victory completed his career Grand Slam, while Scottie Scheffler joined the elite group of multiple Masters champions with wins in 2022 and 2024.
Most Successful Masters Champions
Six golfers have claimed the Green Jacket at least three times:
- Jack Nicklaus: 6 victories (1963, 1965, 1966, 1972, 1975, 1986)
- Tiger Woods: 5 victories (1997, 2001, 2002, 2005, 2019)
- Arnold Palmer: 4 victories (1958, 1960, 1962, 1964)
- Phil Mickelson: 3 victories (2004, 2006, 2010)
- Gary Player: 3 victories (1961, 1974, 1978)
- Nick Faldo: 3 victories (1989, 1990, 1996)
Nicklaus’s six Masters titles remain unmatched, spanning an incredible 23 years from his first in 1963 to his last in 1986.
Complete Masters Winners List (1934-2025)
| Year | Champion | Country | Score to Par |
| 2025 | Rory McIlroy | Northern Ireland | -11 |
| 2024 | Scottie Scheffler (2nd win) | USA | -11 |
| 2023 | Jon Rahm | Spain | -12 |
| 2022 | Scottie Scheffler | USA | -10 |
| 2021 | Hideki Matsuyama | Japan | -10 |
| 2020 | Dustin Johnson | USA | -20 |
| 2019 | Tiger Woods (5th win) | USA | -13 |
| 2018 | Patrick Reed | USA | -15 |
| 2017 | Sergio Garcia | Spain | -9 |
| 2016 | Danny Willett | England | -5 |
| 2015 | Jordan Spieth | USA | -18 |
| 2014 | Bubba Watson (2nd win) | USA | -8 |
| 2013 | Adam Scott | Australia | -9 |
| 2012 | Bubba Watson | USA | -10 |
| 2011 | Charl Schwartzel | South Africa | -14 |
| 2010 | Phil Mickelson (3rd win) | USA | -16 |
| 2009 | Ángel Cabrera | Argentina | -12 |
| 2008 | Trevor Immelman | South Africa | -8 |
| 2007 | Zach Johnson | USA | 1 |
| 2006 | Phil Mickelson (2nd win) | USA | -7 |
| 2005 | Tiger Woods (4th win) | USA | -12 |
| 2004 | Phil Mickelson | USA | -9 |
| 2003 | Mike Weir | Canada | -7 |
| 2002 | Tiger Woods (3rd win) | USA | -12 |
| 2001 | Tiger Woods (2nd win) | USA | -16 |
| 2000 | Vijay Singh | Fiji | -10 |
| 1999 | José María Olazábal (2nd win) | Spain | -8 |
| 1998 | Mark O’Meara | USA | -9 |
| 1997 | Tiger Woods | USA | -18 |
| 1996 | Nick Faldo (3rd win) | England | -12 |
| 1995 | Ben Crenshaw (2nd win) | USA | -14 |
| 1994 | José María Olazábal | Spain | -9 |
| 1993 | Bernhard Langer (2nd win) | Germany | -11 |
| 1992 | Fred Couples | USA | -13 |
| 1991 | Ian Woosnam | Wales | -11 |
| 1990 | Nick Faldo (2nd win) | England | -10 |
| 1989 | Nick Faldo | England | -5 |
| 1988 | Sandy Lyle | Scotland | -7 |
| 1987 | Larry Mize | USA | -3 |
| 1986 | Jack Nicklaus (6th win) | USA | -9 |
| 1985 | Bernhard Langer | West Germany | -6 |
| 1984 | Ben Crenshaw | USA | -11 |
| 1983 | Seve Ballesteros (2nd win) | Spain | -8 |
| 1982 | Craig Stadler | USA | -4 |
| 1981 | Tom Watson (2nd win) | USA | -8 |
| 1980 | Seve Ballesteros | Spain | -13 |
| 1979 | Fuzzy Zoeller | USA | -8 |
| 1978 | Gary Player (3rd win) | South Africa | -11 |
| 1977 | Tom Watson | USA | -12 |
| 1976 | Raymond Floyd | USA | -14 |
| 1975 | Jack Nicklaus (5th win) | USA | -12 |
| 1974 | Gary Player (2nd win) | South Africa | -10 |
| 1973 | Tommy Aaron | USA | -5 |
| 1972 | Jack Nicklaus (4th win) | USA | -2 |
| 1971 | Charles Coody | USA | -9 |
| 1970 | Billy Casper | USA | -9 |
| 1969 | George Archer | USA | -7 |
| 1968 | Bob Goalby | USA | -11 |
| 1967 | Gay Brewer | USA | -8 |
| 1966 | Jack Nicklaus (3rd win) | USA | E |
| 1965 | Jack Nicklaus (2nd win) | USA | -14 |
| 1964 | Arnold Palmer (4th win) | USA | -12 |
| 1963 | Jack Nicklaus | USA | -2 |
| 1962 | Arnold Palmer (3rd win) | USA | -8 |
| 1961 | Gary Player | South Africa | -8 |
| 1960 | Arnold Palmer (2nd win) | USA | -6 |
| 1959 | Art Wall, Jr. | USA | -4 |
| 1958 | Arnold Palmer | USA | -4 |
| 1957 | Doug Ford | USA | -5 |
| 1956 | Jack Burke, Jr. | USA | 1 |
| 1955 | Cary Middlecoff | USA | -9 |
| 1954 | Sam Snead (3rd win) | USA | 1 |
| 1953 | Ben Hogan (2nd win) | USA | -14 |
| 1952 | Sam Snead (2nd win) | USA | -2 |
| 1951 | Ben Hogan | USA | -8 |
| 1950 | Jimmy Demaret (3rd win) | USA | -5 |
| 1949 | Sam Snead | USA | -6 |
| 1948 | Claude Harmon | USA | -9 |
| 1947 | Jimmy Demaret (2nd win) | USA | -7 |
| 1946 | Herman Keiser | USA | -6 |
| 1943-45 | No tournaments (WWII) | ||
| 1942 | Byron Nelson (2nd win) | USA | -8 |
| 1941 | Craig Wood | USA | -8 |
| 1940 | Jimmy Demaret | USA | -8 |
| 1939 | Ralph Guldahl | USA | -9 |
| 1938 | Henry Picard | USA | -3 |
| 1937 | Byron Nelson | USA | -5 |
| 1936 | Horton Smith (2nd win) | USA | -3 |
| 1935 | Gene Sarazen | USA | -6 |
| 1934 | Horton Smith | USA | -4 |
Masters Tournament Records
The rich history of the Masters has produced numerous remarkable achievements:
Scoring Records
- Lowest 72-hole score: 268 (-20) by Dustin Johnson (2020)
- Previous record: 270 (-18) by Tiger Woods (1997) and Jordan Spieth (2015)
- Lowest first round: 63 (-9) by Greg Norman (1996)
- Largest winning margin: 12 strokes by Tiger Woods (1997)
Age Records
- Oldest winner: Jack Nicklaus at 46 years, 82 days (1986)
- Youngest winner: Tiger Woods at 21 years, 104 days (1997)
- Oldest player to make the cut: Bernhard Langer at 63 years, 187 days (2020)
Consecutive Achievements
- Most consecutive wins: 2 by Jack Nicklaus (1965-66), Nick Faldo (1989-90), and Tiger Woods (2001-02)
- Most consecutive cuts made: 23 by Fred Couples (1983-2007)
- Most consecutive appearances: 52 by Arnold Palmer (1955-2004)
International Masters Champions
The Masters has evolved from an American-dominated tournament to a truly global championship:
First International Champions
- First non-American winner: Gary Player (South Africa) in 1961
- First European winner: Seve Ballesteros (Spain) in 1980
- First Asian winner: Hideki Matsuyama (Japan) in 2021
International Winners by Country
- Spain: 5 wins (Ballesteros x2, Olazábal x2, García)
- England: 4 wins (Faldo x3, Willett)
- South Africa: 4 wins (Player x3, Immelman)
- Germany: 2 wins (Langer x2)
- Australia, Canada, Japan, Wales, Scotland, Argentina, Fiji, Northern Ireland: 1 win each
In total, 14 different countries have produced Masters champions, with international players claiming 24 Green Jackets since Player’s breakthrough victory in 1961.
FAQs
Who has won the most Masters tournaments?
Jack Nicklaus holds the record with six Masters wins (1963, 1965, 1966, 1972, 1975, 1986). Tiger Woods follows with five wins (1997, 2001, 2002, 2005, 2019).
What is the meaning of the Green Jacket?
The Green Jacket has been given to Masters winners since 1949. Winners keep their jacket for one year before giving it back to Augusta National, where it stays. Only the current champion may take the jacket off the grounds.
Has any player won back-to-back Masters tournaments?
Yes, three players have won two Masters in a row: Jack Nicklaus (1965-66), Nick Faldo (1989-90), and Tiger Woods (2001-02). No player has won three Masters in a row.
What was the most exciting Masters victory?
Many think Jack Nicklaus’s 1986 win at age 46 was most exciting, as he shot a final-round 65 to become the oldest Masters winner. Other great finishes include Tiger Woods’s first win in 1997 (by 12 strokes) and his comeback win in 2019 after many back surgeries.
When did players from other countries start winning the Masters?
It started with Gary Player’s win in 1961, but players from outside the US really began to win often in the 1980s and 1990s. Between 1980 and 2000, non-US players won 11 of 21 Masters. Since 2000, US and non-US players have won about the same number.
