Winning the Masters isn't just about a trophy. Honestly, it’s about that heavy, slightly oversized green wool jacket that honestly looks a bit dated but represents the absolute peak of the sport. Every April, the world turns its eyes to Augusta National, a place where the grass is suspiciously green and the pimento cheese sandwiches are still incredibly cheap.
But behind the azaleas, there’s a brutal list of Masters golf tournament winners who had to survive what many call the most stressful back nine in golf. You’ve got legends like Jack Nicklaus, who seems to own the place, and modern titans like Scottie Scheffler, who makes winning look like a casual Sunday stroll.
The history of this tournament is basically a collection of "how did he do that?" moments.
The Recent Dominance of Scottie Scheffler and Rory's Big Breakthrough
If you’ve been watching golf lately, you know Scottie Scheffler is essentially a human cheat code. In 2024, he snagged his second Green Jacket, finishing at 11-under par. He didn't just win; he dismantled the field by four strokes. It’s wild because he was dealing with the stress of his wife being pregnant back home, yet he stayed focused enough to make Augusta look like a local muni.
Then came 2025. This was the one everyone talked about for a decade. Rory McIlroy finally did it.
After years of "close but no cigar" finishes and that infamous 2011 collapse, Rory secured the career Grand Slam by winning the 2025 Masters. He finished at 277 (-11) and had to take down Justin Rose in a playoff. Seeing him finally slip on that jacket was a massive relief for golf fans everywhere. It proved that at Augusta, patience is just as important as a 330-yard drive.
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Why Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods Are the Real Kings of Augusta
You can't talk about the winners without mentioning the "Big Two."
Jack Nicklaus has six jackets. Six. His 1986 win is still the stuff of legends. He was 46 years old, and a local sportswriter had basically called him "washed up" before the tournament started. Jack pinned that article to his fridge, went out, and shot a 65 on Sunday. When he birdied 17 and raised his putter in the air, it became the most iconic image in golf history.
Then there's Tiger.
Tiger Woods changed the game in 1997. He won by 12 shots. Twelve! He was 21 years old and making a mockery of a course that was supposed to be impossible. But honestly, his 2019 win was even more impressive. After four back surgeries and years of personal struggles, watching him hug his kids behind the 18th green was probably the most emotional moment the sport has ever seen. He finished at 13-under, proving that the Masters golf tournament winners circle is sometimes about redemption.
The Guys Who Won More Than Once
It’s a short list. Getting one jacket is hard; getting two makes you a legend.
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- Arnold Palmer: The King won four times between 1958 and 1964. He’s the reason the tournament became a TV sensation.
- Phil Mickelson: "Lefty" has three jackets. His 2010 win, where he hit that crazy shot from the pine needles on 13, is still terrifying to watch.
- Nick Faldo: He won three times, including back-to-back in '89 and '90. He was a machine.
- Jon Rahm: The Spaniard took it home in 2023. He started the tournament with a four-putt double bogey and still won by four. Talk about mental toughness.
The Weird and Wild Side of Winning
Not every win is a blowout. Sometimes, the tournament is won because someone else fell apart.
Remember 1996? Greg Norman had a six-shot lead going into Sunday. He shot a 78. Nick Faldo just sat back, played steady golf, and watched the Shark sink. It was painful to watch, but that’s Augusta. The course doesn't care about your feelings.
And we can't forget the "Shot Heard 'Round the World." In 1935, Gene Sarazen holed a 4-wood from the fairway on the 15th hole for a double eagle. That one shot wiped out a three-stroke deficit and led him to a playoff win. Without that albatross, the Masters might have just been another forgotten tournament in Georgia.
Scoring Records That Still Stand
People always ask who went the lowest. For a long time, it was Tiger and Jordan Spieth at -18. Then 2020 happened. Because of the pandemic, the tournament was played in November. The course was soft, the air was heavy, and Dustin Johnson absolutely destroyed it. He finished at 20-under par (268), a record that might never be broken if the club keeps making the course longer and harder.
What Most People Get Wrong About Winning at Augusta
A lot of folks think you just need to be a long hitter to win here. Sure, it helps. But look at Mike Weir (2003) or Zach Johnson (2007).
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Zach Johnson famously didn't go for a single par-5 in two the entire week he won. He just laid up, hit his wedges close, and made putts. He finished at 1-over par, which is actually tied for the highest winning score in history. It proves there’s more than one way to get a Green Jacket. You don't need to be a bomber if your short game is made of steel.
The Actionable Truth: How to Track Future Winners
If you want to keep up with the history of Masters golf tournament winners or even try to predict the next one, you need to look at "Strokes Gained: Tee to Green."
Augusta rewards players who can miss in the right spots. If you're looking at the leaderboard this coming April, keep an eye on the guys who aren't necessarily leading the putting stats but are hitting every green in regulation. The course is a second-shot golf course.
Check the official Masters website for the historical "Media Guide" if you want the raw data. It’s a massive PDF that lists every single score from every player since 1934. It's the ultimate resource for anyone who wants to see how the scoring averages have shifted as the equipment has changed.
Keep an eye on the "Amateur" leaderboard too. No amateur has ever won the Masters, but guys like Bryson DeChambeau and Viktor Hovland showed they belonged there years before they turned pro. Watching the next generation of potential Masters golf tournament winners is half the fun of the Thursday and Friday rounds.