How many wire-to-wire Masters winners have there been at Augusta?

As anyone who has ever tried to play golf will attest to, playing well one day is no guarantee you’ll do the same the next. There are, however, occasional exceptions, which we have seen at the very top level of the sport over the years, including in the Masters at Augusta National.

When was the Masters first played?

The Masters has been on the go since 1934, since when 87 editions have been played. The tournament has taken place every year with the exception of 1943, 1944 and 1945, when it was cancelled due to World War II.

In those 87 tournaments, only five players have ever won wire-to-wire (i.e. from start to finish, leading at the end of each of the four rounds), all of whom are multiple major winners, including two of the greatest players to have ever played the game, most would agree.

Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer head wire-to-wire Masters winners

21-time PGA Tour winner Craig Wood was first to do so in 1941, the year in which he also won the only other major of his career, the US Open. Wood was five shots clear after an opening round 66, which proved to be his best of the week. The rest of the field closed the gap slightly but not enough, with Byron Nelson, who would win the following year, finishing three adrift in second place.

Arnold Palmer won his second Masters, and the second of his seven majors, in 1960, leading the tournament from start to finish. “The King”'s triumph was a rather nervier one, however, as his two-shot lead after round one was the furthest he was ahead at the end of any of the four days. In fact, Palmer needed birdies at the final two holes to win by one stroke from Ken Venturi.

A 20-year-old Jack Nicklaus played in that event and would win his first green jacket three years later. He ended his career with six, and an all-time record of 18 majors. “The Golden Bear” triumphed at Augusta for the fourth time in 1972, leading by a shot at the end of the first three rounds. Despite carding a two-over 74 on Sunday, the rest of the field dropped away and Nicklaus won by three, finishing as the only player under par.

Jordan Spieth and Tiger Woods break Raymond Floyd’s scoring record

Four years later, Raymond Floyd won the second of his four majors in emphatic fashion. Floyd led by just a stroke after the first round but pulled away from the field spectacularly in round two and three, after which he was ahead by eight. He maintained the lead on Sunday, with his 72-hole record of 271 (17-under par) lasting 21 years until Tiger Woods came along in 1997.

We had to wait another 39 years to see another Augusta winner go wire-to-wire. A 21-year-old Jordan Spieth tied Woods’ score of 270 (18-under) to win his first major (he has been stuck on three since 2017).

And his victory was never in doubt from the moment he opened up a three-shot lead on Thursday. Spieth was five ahead after round two and ultimately won by four from past champion Phil Mickelson and Justin Rose.