Who is the oldest golfer to win the Augusta Masters? And oldest to make the cut?

Some people say that age is just a number. “You’re only as old as you feel,” they’ll confidently say, clearly not struggling with the pains of many years holding them back. And although some sports don’t really suit those that have passed 30 or so, there are still some in the world of golf that just don’t know when they’re beat.

One of the big stories from last year’s Augusta Masters was that of then 63-year-old veteran Fred Couples, who impressed everyone with his strong iron play and short game. The 1992 Masters champion managed to make the cut at 1-over par and showed the young guns that he still had something in the tank. Following the completion of the first two rounds in the 2024 edition, Couples’ impressive feat remains a record at the Masters tournament, him being the oldest player to ever make the cut at Augusta, taking over from Bernhard Langer’s record by four months.

Unfortunately for the American legend, he was unable to extend the bar, with back pain restricting his play in what were challenging conditions. He shot an opening eight-over-par 80 on Thursday and then a 76 on Friday, leaving him at 12 over and missing the cut line. Asked if that was the end of his Masters career, Couples was clear:

“No, no, and I’m planning on being healthy and making the cut and telling Fred [Ridley, Augusta National chairman] I’m coming back the next year, too.” So, we may need to update this article 12 months from now!

What golfers have won the Masters over the age of 40?

Couples had also held the joint record of making 23 consecutive cuts at Augusta, along with Gary Player and Tiger Woods, but the latter has just taken that accomplishment all to himself in 2024. The five-times Masters champion scored an even-par 72 despite the windy conditions and now sits alone on 24 in a row. But after the cut, we focus on the tournament winners, and so how old have they been?

The oldest golfer to win the Masters was Jack Nicklaus, who won in 1986 at the age of 46 years, 2 months and 24 days. The ‘Golden Bear’ won here six times between 1963 and 1986.

The second oldest golfer to win was the aforementioned Woods, who won in 2019 at the age of 43 years, 3 months and 15 days. Tiger also holds the record of the youngest golfer to win at Augusta National when he was 21 years old. Clearly, after making the cut in 2024, and now aged 48, he has a chance, albeit very slim, to bookend the winning age records.

Ben Crenshaw comes in third place in this category. He won the Masters in 1995 at the age of 43 years, 2 months and 30 days. Crenshaw was one of the best putters in golf history, which is such an important skill on the slick, rolling greens at Augusta National.

To finish out the list we have some legends of the game: Gary Player, Sam Snead, Mark O’Meara and Ben Hogan all won the Masters after turning 40 years old.