1955 Masters Tournament Winner and Scores
Winner: Cary Middlecoff, 279
Where it was played: Augusta National Golf Club, Augusta, Georgia
Tournament dates: April 7-10, 1955
Leader after first round: Jack Burke Jr., 67
Leader after second round: Cary Middlecoff, 137
Leader after third round: Cary Middlecoff, 209
What Happened at the 1955 Masters Tournament
Cary Middlecoff took control of the 1955 Masters in the second round, when he carded a 65, and then cruised to the victory. His 7-stroke margin of victory was a new tournament record, one that lasted until the 1965 Masters. The 31 that Middlecoff scored on the front nine during that second-round 65 was also a Masters Tournament record at the time.Middlecoff had a 72 in Round 3 to lead by four, then stretched his margin with a 70 in the final round. He won 40 times on the PGA Tour, including three majors, and this was the middle victory among those three majors. It was the 30th of those 40 wins. Middlecoff had previously won the 1949 U.S. Open and went on to win the 1956 U.S. Open.
Sam Snead and Ben Hogan had alternated winning the previous four Masters, and Hogan was the runner-up here with Snead in third place. Hogan, who began the final round in second place, four shots behind Middlecoff, shot 73 in Round 4 and Snead 70. For Hogan, it was his fourth runner-up finish in The Masters, which established a new record, later tied, for second-places finishes in this major.
The year marked the tournament debut of Arnold Palmer. Palmer was 25 years old and winless on the PGA Tour — but he got win No. 1 just a few months later in the Canadian Open. Palmer finished in a tie for 10th in the 1955 Masters, and went on to become the Masters' first 4-time winner.
Davis Love Jr., the father of Davis Love III, played this Masters as an amateur and finished last. This was the last year the Masters was not televised. The Sarazen Bridge was dedicated this year, the first of the now-famous Augusta National bridges to be dedicated. It was the 20th anniversary of Sarazen's famous double eagle and victory in the 1935 Masters.
1955 Masters Final Scores
| Cary Middlecoff | 72-65-72-70—279 |
| Ben Hogan | 73-68-72-73—286 |
| Sam Snead | 72-71-74-70—287 |
| Julius Boros | 71-75-72-71—289 |
| Bob Rosburg | 72-72-72-73—289 |
| Mike Souchak | 71-74-72-72—289 |
| Lloyd Mangrum | 74-73-72-72—291 |
| Stan Leonard | 77-73-68-74—292 |
| a-Harvie Ward Jr. | 77-69-75-71—292 |
| Dick Mayer | 78-72-72-71—293 |
| Byron Nelson | 72-75-74-72—293 |
| Arnold Palmer | 76-76-72-69—293 |
| Jack Burke Jr. | 67-76-71-80—294 |
| Skee Riegel | 73-73-73-75—294 |
| Walt Burkemo | 73-73-72-77—295 |
| Jay Hebert | 75-74-74-72—295 |
| Frank Stranahan | 77-76-71-71—295 |
| a-Joe Conrad | 77-71-74-75—297 |
| Billy Maxwell | 77-72-77-71—297 |
| Johnny Palmer | 77-73-72-75—297 |
| Peter Thomson | 74-73-74-76—297 |
| Tommy Bolt | 76-70-77-75—298 |
| Gene Littler | 75-72-76-75—298 |
| Pete Cooper | 73-73-78-75—299 |
| Ed Furgol | 74-72-78-75—299 |
| a-Hillman Robbins | 77-76-74-72—299 |
| Max Evans | 76-75-75-76—302 |
| a-William Goodloe Jr. | 74-73-81-75—303 |
| Claude Harmon | 77-75-78-73—303 |
| a-Don Cherry | 79-75-78-72—304 |
| Marvin Ward | 77-73-77-77—304 |
| a-Charlie Coe | 74-77-76-78—305 |
| Pat Fletcher | 76-75-77-77—305 |
| Chick Harbert | 76-80-73-76—305 |
| Al Mengert | 79-71-78-77—305 |
| Billy Burke | 75-78-77-76—306 |
| a-Bill Campbell | 77-73-80-76—306 |
| a-Bruce Cudd | 75-74-79-78—306 |
| Shelley Mayfield | 77-73-80-76—306 |
| Denny Shute | 78-71-77-80—306 |
| Henry Picard | 78-79-75-75—307 |
| Bob Toski | 78-71-79-79—307 |
| Marty Furgol | 79-74-79-76—308 |
| Leland Gibson | 81-75-75-77—308 |
| Rudy Horvath | 79-77-76-76—308 |
| a-James Jackson | 79-75-77-77—308 |
| Earl Stewart | 78-80-72-78—308 |
| Jim Turnesa | 77-75-79-78—309 |
| a-Billy Joe Patton | 79-76-77-78—310 |
| Johnny Revolta | 75-78-79-78—310 |
| John Weitzel | 78-80-78-74—310 |
| Lew Worsham | 80-75-79-76—310 |
| a-Dick Chapman | 74-79-73-85—311 |
| Vic Ghezzi | 78-79-77-77—311 |
| Ed Oliver | 77-76-81-77—311 |
| Jerry Barber | 75-77-77-83—312 |
| Herman Keiser | 82-79-75-76—312 |
| a-Rex Baxter Jr. | 74-76-80-83—313 |
| a-Ted Lenczyk | 77-80-77-81—315 |
| Horton Smith | 81-81-79-74—315 |
| Sam Parks Jr. | 80-80-78-78—316 |
| Craig Wood | 81-81-79-76—317 |
| Al Besselink | 80-75-80-83—318 |
| a-Dale Morey | 82-77-81-78—318 |
| Lawson Little | 81-77-77-84—319 |
| Bo Wininger | 81-74-81-84—320 |
| a-Ed Meister Jr. | 86-87-74-77—324 |
| a-Davis Love Jr. | 82-85-83-77—327 |
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