Historical stats for the Masters including largest comeback and biggest winning margin

Further down, you'll find historical statistics from the Masters, including key scoring holes, course records, and more.

First, we provide some key stats and pointers to help narrow down those in-play options.

How far back can a player be after round one and still be considered a realistic winner?

Seven, according to history. Nick Faldo was that far behind in 1990 and so was Tiger Woods in 2005. Both needed play-offs to win.

That said, Jack Burke was eight shots behind after rounds two, three and four when he captured the 1956 renewal, so in reality we ought to be open-minded to a player coming from further back after just 18 holes.

Woods, for the record, was the last champion to shoot over-par in round one. That has been done five times since 1970, with 75 the very worst score anyone has overcome.

Since Woods (2005), all 18 champions broke par on day one, and 13 of them broke 70. There have been five wire-to-wire winners in history, and Jordan Spieth (2015) was the first since 1976.

How far back can a player be after round two and still be considered a realistic winner?

Just one of the last 28 Masters champions was outside the top 10 at halfway. That player, Charl Schwartzel (2011), was six strokes behind, as was Woods in 2005, though Woods sat third on the leaderboard.

Twenty-three of the last 28 champions shot par or better in round three. Note that 10 of them were tied for the lead or alone in front.

In total, 44 players have been T1 or better at halfway since 1996. Among clear leaders, the strike-rate is eight-from-20 (40%), with Chad Campbell, Chris DiMarco and Greg Norman those to have surrendered leads of three or more shots.

How far back can a player be after round three and still be considered a realistic winner?

Faldo's infamous 1996 comeback, when he reeled in Norman, came from six behind with a round to go. It has been bettered twice – by Gary Player (1978) and by Burke.

Since Faldo's 11-shot turnaround (he won by five), only Schwartzel has overturned a deficit of four shots. Nine of the 27 subsequent champions trailed into the final round, but the telling numbers relate not to shots, but to leaderboard position: each was T5 or better.

Note that there has been some particularly late drama, most recently when Danny Willett (2016) trailed by five with just six holes of his final round remaining. Fuzzy Zoeller, when winning on debut in 1979, had been three behind with three to play.

How do 54-hole leaders fare?

Pretty well, in short. Since 1996, half of the 34 players to lead or share the lead have gone on to win, and in cases where there was a tie, clearly one or more of those players had to lose.

Those holding a clear lead, of which there have been 22 during this period, have all finished in the top five bar Rory McIlroy following his 2011 collapse. Thirteen of the 22 won, but only five broke 70 in the final round.

Five of the 13 champions extended their lead and, given the small, exclusive, elite field, it's not uncommon to see a thinned-out leaderboard with very few potential winners come the back-nine on Sunday.

On the PGA Tour, clear leaders have won at a strike-rate of 47.3% since 1996. Augusta's 54.5% represents a slight upgrade, therefore, but perhaps not a significant one when we account for the generally superior ability of leaders of the Masters.

How often is there a play-off?

There have been 17 in total, most recently in 2017, and six this century at a rough strike-rate of 25%.

Since that most recent play-off, three of the six renewals have been decided by a single shot, but the last two champions were both able to walk up 18 knowing they would soon slip on a Green Jacket.

Masters champions

How old is the average Masters champion?

Roughly 32. The last two winners were 25 and 28 respectively; before them came winners aged 43, 36 and 29.

Who is the youngest winner?

Tiger Woods, aged 21 years and 104 days when he won by 12 shots in 1997.

Jack Nicklaus is the oldest, having been 46 when capturing the 1986 renewal, while the oldest man to win it for the first time is Mark O'Meara (1998).

How many debutants have won the Masters?

Just three: Horton Smith (1934), Gene Sarazen (1935), and Fuzzy Zoeller (1979).

Five players have won on their second attempt, including three in five years from 2011 and 2016. Defending champion Jon Rahm took seven tries, and Hideki Matsuyama won on his 10th in 2021.

What's the record number of unsuccessful attempts before winning?

Sergio Garcia had played in 18 Masters before winning via a play-off at the 19th attempt. Only four players in history won after 13 or more. Rory McIlroy will be making his 16th attempt this year.

Augusta scoring stats

How many holes-in-one have there been?

In total, 34, with 24 of them made at the 16th hole. There have been just three at the famous 12th, and none since 1988, while Jeff Sluman remains the only player to have carded an ace at the fourth.

How many albatrosses have been made?

Four, one at each par-five. Louis Oosthuizen completes the set with a four-iron from 253 yards at the second hole in 2012, on his way to a play-off defeat.

Who holds the course record?

It is jointly held by Nick Price and Greg Norman, who shot matching 63s, 10 years apart. Both were out in 33, home in 30, to shoot nun-under. Norman's came in round one, Price's in round three.

What are the other key scoring statistics?

The lowest final round is 64, which has been done eight times, each within the last 50 years. Most recently, Rory McIlroy managed it in 2022, finishing second.

The best weekend score belongs to Johnny Miller, who shot 65-66 to finish runner-up in 1975. Tiger Woods holds the record for the lowest final 54 holes, having defied a slow start to shoot 66-65-69 and win by 12 shots in 1997.

The 72-hole scoring record belongs to Dustin Johnson, but that came in the softer November renewal of 2020, where there were a record number of par-or-better rounds.

Tiger Woods and Jordan Spieth share the April record of 270 strokes.

As yet, nobody has played the first nine holes in 29 or better, which has been done twice on the back nine.

Anthony Kim holds the record for most birdies in a round, having carded 11 in 2009.

Which holes are the hardest?

Historically, holes 11 and 10 are ranked first and second, followed by the fourth and the 12th, the latter standing out on account of how short it is.

Holes one and 18 also figure highly. For more, read our course guide.

Which holes are the easiest?

The four par-fives, holes two, eight, 13 and 15, rank 17th, 15th, 18th and 16th respectively. They are the four easiest holes, while among the par-fours, holes three, seven, nine and 14 tend to offer up most birdie chances.