1961 Masters Tournament

The 1961 Masters Tournament was the 25th Masters Tournament, held April 6–10 at Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia.

1961 Masters Tournament
Tournament information
DatesApril 6–10, 1961
LocationAugusta, Georgia
Course(s)Augusta National Golf Club
Organized byAugusta National Golf Club
Tour(s)PGA Tour
Statistics
Par72
Length6,980 yards (6,383 m)[1]
Field88 players, 41 after cut
Cut149 (+5)
Prize fund$109,100
Winner's share$20,000
Champion
Gary Player
280 (−8)
Augusta 
Location in the United States
Augusta 
Location in Georgia

Due to heavy rains and flooding of several greens, Sunday's final round was halted before 4 p.m. and the scores were erased, even though ten players had completed their rounds. Third round leader Gary Player was even par through eleven holes, and defending champion Arnold Palmer was two-under through nine. The entire round was replayed the next day.[2][3]

In the final round on Monday, Player defeated Palmer and amateur Charles Coe by one stroke to become the first international champion at the Masters.[4][5] Player made an up and down from the bunker on the final hole but thought he had lost the tournament, after carding a disappointing 40 (+4) on the back nine. In the final pairing with a one-shot lead, Palmer needed a par on the final hole for the win. From the fairway, his approach shot also landed in the bunker right of the green. With a poor lie, Palmer's bunker shot went past the hole and off the green and down a hillock.[6] Using his putter from off the green, he failed to get the fourth shot close, then missed the 15-foot (4.5 m) bogey putt which would have forced a playoff.[7][8]

It was the first of three green jackets for Player, age 25, and the second of his nine major titles. His other wins at Augusta came over a decade later in 1974 and 1978. Jack Nicklaus, 21, recorded the first of his 22 top-10 finishes at the Masters, his last as an amateur. He tied for seventh, but the low amateur honors went to Coe. Nicklaus regained the U.S. Amateur title in September at Pebble Beach and turned professional in November.

A field of 88 players entered the tournament and 41 of them made the cut at five-over-par (149).

Amateur Deane Beman won the Par 3 contest with a score of 22; he turned pro in 1967 and later became the second commissioner of the PGA Tour, from 1974 to 1994.

Field
1. Masters champions

Jack Burke Jr. (4,8,11), Jimmy Demaret, Doug Ford (4,10,11), Claude Harmon (8), Ben Hogan (2,3,4,8,9), Herman Keiser, Cary Middlecoff (2,11), Byron Nelson (2,4), Arnold Palmer (2,8,9,10), Gene Sarazen (2,3,4), Horton Smith, Sam Snead (3,4,8,10,11), Craig Wood (2)

The following categories only apply to Americans
2. U.S. Open champions

Tommy Bolt (8), Julius Boros (8,9,11), Billy Burke, Billy Casper (8,9), Jack Fleck (9), Ed Furgol, Tony Manero, Lloyd Mangrum, Dick Mayer, Fred McLeod, Sam Parks Jr., Lew Worsham

3. The Open champions

Jock Hutchison (4), Denny Shute (4)

4. PGA champions

Walter Burkemo, Dow Finsterwald (8,9,11), Vic Ghezzi, Chick Harbert, Chandler Harper, Jay Hebert (10,11), Lionel Hebert (8), Johnny Revolta, Bob Rosburg (8,11), Jim Turnesa

5. U.S. Amateur and Amateur champions

Deane Beman (6,7,a), Dick Chapman (a), Charles Coe (6,a), Jack Nicklaus (6,8,9,a), Robert Sweeny Jr. (a)

6. Members of the 1959 U.S. Walker Cup team

William C. Campbell (a), Bill Hyndman (7,a), Chuck Kocsis (a), Billy Joe Patton (8,a), Bud Taylor (8,a), Ward Wettlaufer (a)

  • Tommy Aaron had turned professional. Campbell and Kocsis were reserves for the team. Harvie Ward did not play.
7. 1960 U.S. Amateur quarter-finalists

John Farquhar (a), Robert W. Gardner (a), Charles Lewis III (a), Steve Spray (a), Claude Wild (a)

8. Top 24 players and ties from the 1960 Masters Tournament

Fred Hawkins, Don January (10), Ted Kroll (9), Mike Souchak (9,11), Ken Venturi

9. Top 16 players and ties from the 1960 U.S. Open

Jerry Barber, George Bayer, Don Cherry (a), Paul Harney, Bob Harris, Dutch Harrison, Johnny Pott

10. Top eight players and ties from 1960 PGA Championship

Wes Ellis, Doug Sanders

11. Members of the U.S. 1959 Ryder Cup team
12. One player, either amateur or professional, not already qualified, selected by a ballot of ex-Masters champions

Gene Littler

13. One professional, not already qualified, selected by a ballot of ex-U.S. Open champions

Bob Goalby

14. One amateur, not already qualified, selected by a ballot of ex-U.S. Amateur champions

Bob Cochran (a)

15. Two players, not already qualified, from a points list based on finishes in the winter part of the 1961 PGA Tour

Bill Collins, Mason Rudolph

16. Foreign invitations

Keith Alexander (a), Al Balding, Phil Brownlee (a), Antonio Cerdá, Bruce Crampton (8), Roberto De Vicenzo, Mário Gonzalez, Bill Kerr, Stan Leonard (8), Sebastián Miguel, Ángel Miguel, Kel Nagle (3), Gary Player (3,8), Chi-Chi Rodríguez, Miguel Sala, Peter Thomson (3)

  • Numbers in brackets indicate categories that the player would have qualified under had they been American.

Nationalities in the field
North America (78)South America (4)Europe (2)Oceania (3)Asia (0)Africa (1)
 Canada (5) Argentina (2) Spain (2) Australia (3) South Africa (1)
 Puerto Rico (1) Brazil (1)
 United States (72) Colombia (1)

Made the cut
PlayerCountryYear(s) wonR1R2R3R4TotalTo parFinish
Arnold Palmer United States1958, 196068697371281−7T2
Jack Burke, Jr. United States195676706873287−1T7
Sam Snead United States1949, 1952, 195474736973289+1T15
Doug Ford United States195771767873298+10T32
Ben Hogan United States1951, 195374737279298+10T32
Byron Nelson United States1937, 194271727877298+10T32

Missed the cut
PlayerCountryYear(s) wonR1R2TotalTo par
Cary Middlecoff United States19557575150+6
Jimmy Demaret United States1940, 1947, 19507578153+9
Gene Sarazen United States19357977156+12
Claude Harmon United States19487681157+13
Craig Wood United States19418080160+16
Herman Keiser United States19468181162+18
Horton Smith United States1934, 19368683169+25

Source[9][10][11]

Round summaries

First round

Thursday, April 6, 1961

PlacePlayerCountryScoreTo par
T1Arnold Palmer United States68−4
Bob Rosburg United States
3Gary Player South Africa69−3
4Jack Nicklaus (a) United States70−2
T5Doug Ford United States71−1
Paul Harney United States
Byron Nelson United States
Johnny Pott United States
T9Tommy Bolt United States72E
Billy Casper United States
Charles Coe (a) United States
Jay Hebert United States
Stan Leonard Canada
Gene Littler United States
Ken Venturi United States

Source[12]

Second round

Friday, April 7, 1961

PlacePlayerCountryScoreTo par
T1Arnold Palmer United States68-69=137−7
Gary Player South Africa69-68=137
3Bob Rosburg United States68-73=141−3
4Don January United States74-68=142−2
T5Tommy Bolt United States72-71=143−1
Walter Burkemo United States74-69=143
Charles Coe (a) United States72-71=143
Lionel Hebert United States74-69=143
Ted Kroll United States73-70=143
Byron Nelson United States71-72=143
Ken Venturi United States72-71=143

Source[9][10][11]

Third round

Saturday, April 8, 1961

PlacePlayerCountryScoreTo par
1Gary Player South Africa69-68-69=206−10
2Arnold Palmer United States68-69-73=210−6
T3Charles Coe (a) United States72-71-69=212−4
Paul Harney United States71-73-68=212
5Bill Collins United States74-72-67=213−3
T6Jack Burke Jr. United States76-70-68=214−2
Don January United States74-68-72=214
Bob Rosburg United States68-73-73=214
T9Ted Kroll United States73-70-72=215−1
Jack Nicklaus (a) United States70-75-70=215
Doug Sanders United States76-71-68=215
Ken Venturi United States72-71-72=215

Source:[13]

Final round

Sunday, April 9, 1961
Monday, April 10, 1961

Play on Sunday was washed out due to heavy rain and wind shortly after 4 pm and all scores were erased; the final round was replayed on Monday.[2][3] Although Player was the leader after 54 holes, he finished his round nearly an hour ahead of Palmer's double-bogey at the final hole.

PlacePlayerCountryScoreTo parMoney ($)
1Gary Player South Africa69-68-69-74=280−820,000
T2Charles Coe (a) United States72-71-69-69=281−70
Arnold Palmer United States68-69-73-71=28112,000
T4Tommy Bolt United States72-71-74-68=285−37,000
Don January United States74-68-72-71=285
6Paul Harney United States71-73-68-74=286−24,800
T7Jack Burke, Jr. United States76-70-68-73=287−13,200
Billy Casper United States72-77-69-69=287
Bill Collins United States74-72-67-74=287
Jack Nicklaus (a) United States70-75-70-72=2870

Source:[4][5][8]

Scorecard
Hole  1    2    3    4    5    6    7    8    9   10  11  12  13  14  15  16  17  18 
Par454343454443545344
Player−11−12−12−12−12−12−12−12−12−11−11−11−9−9−8−8−8−8
Palmer−6−7−7−7−7−8−8−9−9−9−9−9−9−9−9−9−9−7
Coe−4−5−5−6−6−5−5−5−5−5−4−4−5−6−7−7−7−7

Cumulative tournament scores, relative to par

Birdie Bogey Double bogey

References
  1. "Player, Palmer tie for Masters lead". Milwaukee Sentinel. Associated Press. April 8, 1961. p. 1-part 2.
  2. "Rain washes out Masters; finish today". Milwaukee Sentinel. Associated Press. April 10, 1961. p. 2-part 2.
  3. Bartlett, Charles (April 10, 1961). "Masters washed out by rain". Chicago Daily Tribune. p. 1, part 4.
  4. Bartlett, Charles (April 11, 1961). "Palmer flops on 18th, Player takes Masters". Chicago Daily Tribune. p. 1, part 3.
  5. "Player wins Masters (280)". Milwaukee Sentinel. Associated Press. April 11, 1961. p. 3-part 2.
  6. Bisher, Furman (April 11, 1961). "Palmer played it like a duffer". Miami News. p. 1C.
  7. Wright, Alfred (April 17, 1961). "A duel golfers will never forget". Sports Illustrated. p. 18.
  8. Gundelfinger, Phil (April 11, 1961). "Player wins as Palmer blows lead". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. p. 1.
  9. "Second-round Masters golf scores". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. April 8, 1961. p. 14.
  10. "Masters golf tourney scores". Youngstown Vindicator. (Ohio). Associated Press. April 8, 1961. p. 8.
  11. Bartlett, Charles (April 8, 1961). "Gary Player catches Palmer at 137". Chicago Daily Tribune. p. 1, part 5.
  12. Gundelfinger, Phil (April 7, 1961). "Palmer, Rosburg fire 68s, lead Masters". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. p. 20.
  13. Bartlett, Charles (April 9, 1961). "Player pulls ahead of Palmer in Masters golf". Chicago Sunday Tribune. p. 1, part 2.

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