1961 Masters Tournament Explained

1961 Masters Tournament
Dates:April 6–10, 1961
Location:Augusta, Georgia
Course:Augusta National Golf Club
Org:Augusta National Golf Club
Tour:PGA Tour
Par:72
Yardage:6980yd[1]
Field:88 players, 41 after cut
Cut:149 (+5)
Purse:$109,100
Winners Share:$20,000
Score:280 (−8)
Previous:1960
Next:1962
Map:USA#USA Georgia
Map Relief:yes
Map Label:Augusta National
Coordinates:33.503°N -82.02°W

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.[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 15feet 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 championsJack 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 championsTommy 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 championsJock Hutchison (4), Denny Shute (4)
4. PGA championsWalter 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 championsDeane 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 teamWilliam C. Campbell (a), Bill Hyndman (7,a), Chuck Kocsis (a), Billy Joe Patton (8,a), Bud Taylor (8,a), Ward Wettlaufer (a)
7. 1960 U.S. Amateur quarter-finalistsJohn 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 TournamentFred Hawkins, Don January (10), Ted Kroll (9), Mike Souchak (9,11), Ken Venturi
9. Top 16 players and ties from the 1960 U.S. OpenJerry Barber, George Bayer, Don Cherry (a), Paul Harney, Bob Harris, Dutch Harrison, Johnny Pott
10. Top eight players and ties from 1960 PGA ChampionshipWes 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 championsGene Littler
13. One professional, not already qualified, selected by a ballot of ex-U.S. Open championsBob Goalby
14. One amateur, not already qualified, selected by a ballot of ex-U.S. Amateur championsBob Cochran (a)
15. Two players, not already qualified, from a points list based on finishes in the winter part of the 1961 PGA TourBill Collins, Mason Rudolph
16. Foreign invitationsKeith 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)

Round summaries

First round

Thursday, April 6, 1961

PlacePlayerScoreTo par
T1 68 −4
3 69 −3
4 70 −2
T5 71 −1
T9 72 E
Charles Coe (a)
Gene Littler
Source[9]

Second round

Friday, April 7, 1961

PlacePlayerScoreTo par
T1 68-69=137 −7
69-68=137
3 68-73=141 −3
4 74-68=142 −2
T5 72-71=143 −1
74-69=143
Charles Coe (a) 72-71=143
74-69=143
73-70=143
71-72=143
72-71=143
Source[10] [11] [12]

Third round

Saturday, April 8, 1961

PlacePlayerScoreTo par
1 69-68-69=206 −10
2 68-69-73=210 −6
T3 Charles Coe (a) 72-71-69=212 −4
71-73-68=212
5 74-72-67=213 −3
T6 76-70-68=214 −2
74-68-72=214
68-73-73=214
T9 73-70-72=215 −1
Jack Nicklaus (a) 70-75-70=215
76-71-68=215
72-71-72=215
Source:[13]

Final round

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

Summary

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.

Final leaderboard

Champion
Silver Cup winner (low amateur)
(a) = amateur
(c) = past champion
Top 10!Place!!Player!!Score!!To par!!Money (US$)
1 69-68-69-74=280 −8 20,000
T2 Charles Coe (a) 72-71-69-69=281 −7 0
Arnold Palmer (c) 68-69-73-71=281 12,000
T4 72-71-74-68=285 −3 7,000
74-68-72-71=285
6 71-73-68-74=286 −2 4,800
T7 Jack Burke Jr. (c) 76-70-68-73=287 −1 3,200
72-77-69-69=287
74-72-67-74=287
Jack Nicklaus (a) 70-75-70-72=287 0

Sources:[14] [15]

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
Eagle -->BirdieBogeyDouble bogeyTriple bogey+ -->

External links

Notes and References

  1. News: Player, Palmer tie for Masters lead . Milwaukee Sentinel . Associated Press . April 8, 1961 . 1-part 2 .
  2. News: Rain washes out Masters; finish today . Milwaukee Sentinel . Associated Press . April 10, 1961 . 2-part 2.
  3. News: Masters washed out by rain . Chicago Daily Tribune . Bartlett . Charles . April 10, 1961 . 1, part 4.
  4. News: Palmer flops on 18th, Player takes Masters . Chicago Daily Tribune . Bartlett . Charles . April 11, 1961 . 1, part 3.
  5. News: Player wins Masters (280) . Milwaukee Sentinel . Associated Press . April 11, 1961 . 3-part 2 .
  6. News: Palmer played it like a duffer . Miami News . Bisher . Furman . April 11, 1961 . 1C .
  7. A duel golfers will never forget . Sports Illustrated . Wright . Alfred . April 17, 1961 . 18.
  8. News: Player wins as Palmer blows lead . Pittsburgh Post-Gazette . Gundelfinger . Phil . April 11, 1961 . 1.
  9. News: Palmer, Rosburg fire 68s, lead Masters . Pittsburgh Post-Gazette . Gundelfinger . Phil . April 7, 1961 . 20.
  10. News: Second-round Masters golf scores . Pittsburgh Post-Gazette . April 8, 1961 . 14 .
  11. News: Masters golf tourney scores . Youngstown Vindicator . (Ohio). Associated Press . April 8, 1961 . 8 .
  12. News: Gary Player catches Palmer at 137 . Chicago Daily Tribune . Bartlett . Charles . April 8, 1961 . 1, part 5.
  13. News: Player pulls ahead of Palmer in Masters golf . Chicago Sunday Tribune . Bartlett . Charles . April 9, 1961 . 1, part 2.
  14. Web site: Masters – Past Winners & Results . Augusta National Inc. . April 20, 2021.
  15. Web site: Past results – Masters tournament . PGA Tour . April 20, 2021.

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