1961 Masters Tournament


The 1961 Masters Tournament was the 25th Masters Tournament, held April 6–10 at Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, 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.
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. 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 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. Using his putter from off the green, he failed to get the fourth shot close, then missed the bogey putt which would have forced a playoff.
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.
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., Jimmy Demaret, Doug Ford, Claude Harmon, Ben Hogan, Herman Keiser, Cary Middlecoff, Byron Nelson, Arnold Palmer, Gene Sarazen, Horton Smith, Sam Snead, Craig Wood
;The following categories only apply to Americans
;2. U.S. Open champions
Tommy Bolt, Julius Boros, Billy Burke, Billy Casper, Jack Fleck, Ed Furgol, Tony Manero, Lloyd Mangrum, Dick Mayer, Fred McLeod, Sam Parks Jr., Lew Worsham
;3. The Open champions
Jock Hutchison, Denny Shute
;4. PGA champions
Walter Burkemo, Dow Finsterwald, Vic Ghezzi, Chick Harbert, Chandler Harper, Jay Hebert, Lionel Hebert, Johnny Revolta, Bob Rosburg, Jim Turnesa
;5. U.S. Amateur and Amateur champions
Deane Beman, Dick Chapman, Charles Coe, Jack Nicklaus, Robert Sweeny Jr.
;6. Members of the 1959 U.S. Walker Cup team
William C. Campbell, Bill Hyndman, Chuck Kocsis, Billy Joe Patton, Bud Taylor, Ward Wettlaufer
;7. 1960 U.S. Amateur quarter-finalists
John Farquhar, Robert W. Gardner, Charles Lewis III, Steve Spray, Claude Wild
;8. Top 24 players and ties from the 1960 Masters Tournament
Fred Hawkins, Don January, Ted Kroll, Mike Souchak, Ken Venturi
;9. Top 16 players and ties from the 1960 U.S. Open
Jerry Barber, George Bayer, Don Cherry, 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
;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, Al Balding, Phil Brownlee, Antonio Cerdá, Bruce Crampton, Roberto De Vicenzo, Mário Gonzalez, Bill Kerr, Stan Leonard, Sebastián Miguel, Ángel Miguel, Kel Nagle, Gary Player, Chi-Chi Rodríguez, Miguel Sala, Peter Thomson

Past champions in the field

Made the cut

Missed the cut

Source

Round summaries

First round

Thursday, April 6, 1961
PlacePlayerCountryScoreTo par
T1Arnold Palmer68−4
T1Bob Rosburg68−4
3Gary Player South Africa69−3
4Jack Nicklaus 70−2
T5Doug Ford71−1
T5Paul Harney71−1
T5Byron Nelson71−1
T5Johnny Pott71−1
T9Tommy Bolt72E
T9Billy Casper72E
T9Charles Coe 72E
T9Jay Hebert72E
T9Stan Leonard72E
T9Gene Littler72E
T9Ken Venturi72E

Source

Second round

Friday, April 7, 1961
PlacePlayerCountryScoreTo par
T1Arnold Palmer68-69=137−7
T1Gary Player South Africa69-68=137−7
3Bob Rosburg68-73=141−3
4Don January74-68=142−2
T5Tommy Bolt72-71=143−1
T5Walter Burkemo74-69=143−1
T5Charles Coe 72-71=143−1
T5Lionel Hebert74-69=143−1
T5Ted Kroll73-70=143−1
T5Byron Nelson71-72=143−1
T5Ken Venturi72-71=143−1

Source

Third round

Saturday, April 8, 1961
PlacePlayerCountryScoreTo par
1Gary Player South Africa69-68-69=206−10
2Arnold Palmer68-69-73=210−6
T3Charles Coe 72-71-69=212−4
T3Paul Harney71-73-68=212−4
5Bill Collins74-72-67=213−3
T6Jack Burke Jr.76-70-68=214−2
T6Don January74-68-72=214−2
T6Bob Rosburg68-73-73=214−2
T9Ted Kroll73-70-72=215−1
T9Jack Nicklaus 70-75-70=215−1
T9Doug Sanders76-71-68=215−1
T9Ken Venturi72-71-72=215−1

Source:

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. 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 72-71-69-69=281−70
T2Arnold Palmer68-69-73-71=281−712,000
T4Tommy Bolt72-71-74-68=285−37,000
T4Don January74-68-72-71=285−37,000
6Paul Harney71-73-68-74=286−24,800
T7Jack Burke, Jr.76-70-68-73=287−13,200
T7Billy Casper72-77-69-69=287−13,200
T7Bill Collins74-72-67-74=287−13,200
T7Jack Nicklaus 70-75-70-72=287−10

Source:
Cumulative tournament scores, relative to par