The 1979 Masters, the 43rd playing, ended on this date with Fuzzy Zoeller beat all kinds of odds to win in a playoff in his first appearance at Augusta National. There shouldn’t have been a playoff. Ed Sneed was three ahead with three to go but bogeyed all three holes. Jack Nicklaus missed the playoff by one. Sneed, Zoeller and Tom Watson went into the first sudden-death playoff in Masters history, with Zoeller winning on the second playoff hole, No. 11, with a birdie.
The 1974 Masters, the 38th playing, ended on this date with Gary Player winning his second of three green jackets. Tom Weiskopf and Dave Stockton finished two shots behind.
Of the Masters results on this date, a few are among the most memorable golf events in history. In 1975, Jack Nicklaus won what many consider in the top five best Masters ever, a one-shot victory over Johnny Miller and Tom Weiskopf, highlighted by a 40-foot birdie putt on 16. That Masters was the year Lee Elder broke the color barrier at Augusta as he became the first African-American to play in it. That was Jack’s fifth Masters, and he won his sixth in 1986 in the 50th playing for his record 18 majors. At age 46 it was his final major and his final-round score was a 65, beating Greg Norman and Tom Kite by one. And lastly, Tiger Woods won in 1997 for his first major with a record 18-under score that won by 12, also with Kite second.
Of the many Masters that were completed on this date, two stand out. In 1953, Ben Hogan won the 17th playing with a record score of 274. And in 1964, Arnold Palmer won his final major championship in a rout, winning by six over Dave Marr and Jack Nicklaus.
One of the legendary Masters finishes took place on this date in 1965 at the 28th playing. Jack Nicklaus won his second green coat, shooting a tournament record of 271, 17 under par. He was nine strokes ahead of Arnold Palmer and Gary Player, one of the few times The Big Three finished 1-2-3.
Of the many Masters that concluded on this date, the most memorable was in Arnold Palmer’s sensational 1960 season when he won the 24th Masters at Augusta National Golf Club. He birdied the final two holes to win by one shot over Ken Venturi.
Of the many Masters to finish on this date, a couple standouts are Arnold Palmer’s playoff victory in 1962 at the 26th Masters when he won his third of four and Jack Nicklaus’ fourth of six victories in 1972. Jack finished three shots in front of Tom Weiskopf, Bruce Crampton, and Bobby Mitchell. Of special note, Spanish legend Seve Ballesteros was born on this date in 1957 and would win two Masters, in 1980 and 1983. He died on May 7, 2011.
On this date in 1935, the 2nd Masters concluded with Gene Sarazen beating Craig Wood by five shots in a 36-hole playoff to win, 144-149, the day after Sarazen’s infamous double eagle on the 15th had gotten him into a tie after regulation.
In one of the biggest shockers in Masters history, the 10th playing was won on this date in 1946 by Herman Keiser by one shot over legendary Ben Hogan.
Of the many Masters that ended on this date, the one in 1936 was only the third playing but it gave the tournament its first two-time winner with Horton Smith, who had won the first Masters in 1934. Smith was a shot ahead of Harry Cooper, with defending champion Gene Sarazen third.
On this date in 1956, amateur Ken Venturi shot a 66 to lead by one shot in the first round of the Masters. He would be four up with one round to go but shot an 80 in the final round to lose by one shot to Jack Burke Jr.
On this date in 1937, Byron Nelson won the 4th Masters and his first, by two shots over Ralph Guldahl.
In the ANA Inspiration finish on this date in 1983 when it was called the Nabisco Dinah Shore, Amy Alcott won by two shots over Beth Daniel and Kathy Whitworth at Mission Hills. This was the first year the event was considered a major championship.
With the ANA Inspiration being played this week, among tournament history moments was Juli Inkster winning the then named Nabisco Dinah Shore in 1989 at Mission Hills C.C. She won by five shots in a wire-to-wire victory.
On this date in 1990, it was no fooling when Jack Nicklaus won his first senior tour event at The Tradition at Desert Mountain, a Nicklaus design. Nicklaus won by four shots over Gary Player
On this date in 1996, Fred Couples had a final-round 64 to win the Players Championship for the second time, four shots in front of Tommy Tolles and Colin Montgomerie.
On this date in 1997, the Nabisco Dinah Shore Women's Golf major (now the ANA Inspiration) was won at Mission Hills C.C. by 41-year old Betsy King, a member of the World Golf Hall of Fame. She won it for the third time, this time by two shots over Kris Tschetter and Amy Fruhwirth.
On this date in 1992, Dottie Pepper won the Nabisco Dinah Shore (now the ANA Inspiration) at Mission Hills CC. She defeated Juli Inkster in a sudden-death playoff on the first hole with a par.
On this date in 1993, Nick Price won The Players Championship with a score of 270 and a five-shot victory over Bernhard Langer.
On this date in 1994, Greg Norman finished off a record score of 264, 24 under par, to win the Players Championship by four shots over Fuzzy Zoeller at the Stadium Course in Ponte Vedra Beach.