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Masters winners: Who has won the most Green Jackets at Augusta National?

Steve Gardner, USA TODAY
·4 min read
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Editor's note: Follow live coverage of the Masters, leaderboard, highlights and more.

Tiger Woods still has his sights set on catching the Golden Bear.

Woods, a five-time Masters champion, is looking to make his fifth attempt to match Jack Nicklaus' record of six Green Jackets when he tees it up this year at Augusta National Golf Club.

The 88th Masters Tournament gets underway on Thursday, April 11, at the storied course in Augusta, Georgia.

From the moment the legendary Bobby Jones found the gorgeous parcel of land, hired legendary course designer Alister MacKenzie and established the first "Augusta National Invitation Tournament," what later became known as The Masters has been the site of some of golf's most memorable moments.

Here's a look at some of the many golfers who have made The Masters so special:

Four-time Masters champion Arnold Palmer, left, and six-time champ Jack Nicklaus served together as honorary starters from 2010 to 2015. Nicklaus, three-time champion Gary Player and two-time champ Tom Watson currently share the honor.
Four-time Masters champion Arnold Palmer, left, and six-time champ Jack Nicklaus served together as honorary starters from 2010 to 2015. Nicklaus, three-time champion Gary Player and two-time champ Tom Watson currently share the honor.

Who has won most Masters titles?

  • Jack Nicklaus leads the way with six Masters victories. He won his first Green Jacket in 1963. Nicklaus won back-to-back titles in 1965 and 1966, prevailed again in 1972 and 1975, then pulled off one of golf's greatest final-round comebacks in 1986.

  • Tiger Woods is second with five Masters titles. Woods burst onto the scene as a 21-year-old in 1997, winning that year by a record 12 strokes. He also claimed consecutive titles in 2001 and 2002, added another in 2005, and authored a career comeback of his own by winning for the fifth time in 2019.

  • Arnold Palmer is right behind with four Masters championships (1958, 1960, 1962, 1964).

  • Tied with three Masters wins: Jimmy Demaret, Gary Player, Sam Snead, Nick Faldo and Phil Mickelson.

Back-to-back Masters winners

In addition to Jack Nicklaus (1965, 1966) and Tiger Woods (2001, 2002), Nick Faldo (1989, 1990) is the only other golfer to successfully defend his Masters title.

Best players to never win The Masters

The golfer with the most major titles that doesn't include The Masters is Walter Hagen with 11. Hagen won the British Open four times, U.S. Open twice and the PGA Championship five times from 1914-29.

Bobby Jones and Harry Vardon each won seven majors, but those all came before the first Masters in 1934.

Lee Trevino won the British Open, U.S. Open and PGA twice each, but never donned the Green Jacket at Augusta.

Perhaps the most famous non-winner at Augusta is Greg Norman. The Australian was the foil to Nicklaus' miraculous comeback in 1986, losing by one stroke. The following year, he lost in a three-way playoff with Seve Ballesteros and eventual champion Larry Mize. His greatest disappointment at Augusta came in 1996, when he began the final round with a six-stroke lead, but shot a 6-over 78 and finished second to Nick Faldo.

Among active golfers, Brooks Koepka (5 majors) and Rory McIlroy (4 majors) are the most prominent players who have yet to win at Augusta National.

Who won the 2023 Masters?

Jon Rahm became just the second Spanish player to win two different majors, joining Seve Ballesteros, when he won last year's Masters.

Rahm, who entered the final round trailing Brooks Koepka by two strokes, shot a 3-under 69 in the final round to finish 12-under for the tournament and claim his Green Jacket. It was Rahm's first Masters win and second major tournament victory, the first coming at the 2021 U.S. Open.

Masters winners, year by year

  • 2023 Jon Rahm

  • 2022 Scottie Scheffler

  • 2021 Hideki Matsuyama

  • 2020 Dustin Johnson

  • 2019 Tiger Woods

  • 2018 Patrick Reed

  • 2017 Sergio Garcia

  • 2016 Danny Willett

  • 2015 Jordan Spieth

  • 2014 Bubba Watson

  • 2013 Adam Scott

  • 2012 Bubba Watson

  • 2011 Charl Schwartzel

  • 2010 Phil Mickelson

  • 2009 Angel Cabrera

  • 2008 Trevor Immelman

  • 2007 Zach Johnson

  • 2006 Phil Mickelson

  • 2005 Tiger Woods

  • 2004 Phil Mickelson

  • 2003 Mike Weir

  • 2002 Tiger Woods

  • 2001 Tiger Woods

  • 2000 Vijay Singh

  • 1999 Jose Maria Olazabal

  • 1998 Mark O'Meara

  • 1997 Tiger Woods

  • 1996 Nick Faldo

  • 1995 Ben Crenshaw

  • 1994 Jose Maria Olazabal

  • 1993 Bernhard Langer

  • 1992 Fred Couples

  • 1991 Ian Woosnam

  • 1990 Nick Faldo

  • 1989 Nick Faldo

  • 1988 Sandy Lyle

  • 1987 Larry Mize

  • 1986 Jack Nicklaus

  • 1985 Bernhard Langer

  • 1984 Ben Crenshaw

  • 1983 Seve Ballesteros

  • 1982 Craig Stadler

  • 1981 Tom Watson

  • 1980 Seve Ballesteros

  • 1979 Fuzzy Zoeller

  • 1978 Gary Player

  • 1977 Tom Watson

  • 1976 Raymond Floyd

  • 1975 Jack Nicklaus

  • 1974 Gary Player

  • 1973 Tommy Aaron

  • 1972 Jack Nicklaus

  • 1971 Charles Coody

  • 1970 Billy Casper

  • 1969 George Archer

  • 1968 Bob Goalby

  • 1967 Gay Brewer Jr.

  • 1966 Jack Nicklaus

  • 1965 Jack Nicklaus

  • 1964 Arnold Palmer

  • 1963 Jack Nicklaus

  • 1962 Arnold Palmer

  • 1961 Gary Player

  • 1960 Arnold Palmer

  • 1959 Art Wall Jr.

  • 1958 Arnold Palmer

  • 1957 Doug Ford

  • 1956 Jack Burke Jr.

  • 1955 Cary Middlecoff

  • 1954 Sam Snead

  • 1953 Ben Hogan

  • 1952 Sam Snead

  • 1951 Ben Hogan

  • 1950 Jimmy Demaret

  • 1949 Sam Snead

  • 1948 Claude Harmon

  • 1947 Jimmy Demaret

  • 1946 Herman Keiser

  • 1942 Byron Nelson

  • 1941 Craig Wood

  • 1940 Jimmy Demaret

  • 1939 Ralph Guldahl

  • 1938 Henry Picard

  • 1937 Byron Nelson

  • 1936 Horton Smith

  • 1935 Gene Sarazen

  • 1934 Horton Smith

Note: The Masters did not take place from 1943-45 because of World War II.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Who has won most Masters titles? Augusta National champions history