1962 Masters Tournament Winner and Scores
At the 1962 Masters, the 26th time the tournament was played, Arnold Palmer collected his third Green Jacket. Palmer won it by making a comeback over the back nine in an 18-hole playoff against Gary Player and Dow Finsterwald.
Winner: Arnold Palmer, 280
Where it was played: Augusta National Golf Club, Augusta, Georgia
Tournament dates: April 5-9, 1962
Leader after first round: Gary Player, 67
Leader after second round: Arnold Palmer, 136
Leader after third round: Arnold Palmer, 205
What Happened in the 1962 Masters Tournament
Arnold Palmer joined the ranks of 3-time winners at the 1962 Masters, beating Gary Player and Dow Finsterwald in a 3-man playoff.Palmer's third Green Jacket tied him with Sam Snead and Jimmy Demaret for the record at the time for most wins in The Masters. Palmer broke that record with his fourth win at the 1964 Masters. (Palmer won The Masters in every even-numbered year from 1958 through 1964.)
Palmer had a 2-shot lead over Finsterwald and a 4-stroke lead over Player at the start of the final round. But Arnie shot 75 to Player's 71 and Finsterwald's 73. It was a struggle for Palmer throughout the final round; he made three bogeys in the first seven holes, then double-bogeyed the 10th. He was two strokes behind at that point.
But Arnie rallied at the end with birdies on Nos. 16 and 17 to tie Player at 8-under, and Finsterwald bogeyed No. 17 to fall back to 8-under. All three parred No. 18, forcing an 18-hole playoff the following day.
Player had a 3-shot lead over Palmer at the turn of the playoff, but Palmer birdied No. 10 (and Player bogeyed it), the start of a five-birdies-in-seven-holes stretch that gave him the victory. Palmer finished at 68, Player at 71 and Finsterwald at 77.
It was the first three-man playoff in tournament history. Player had been trying to become the tournament's first back-to-back champion, and Palmer's victory got him a measure of revenge against Player. At the 1961 Masters, Palmer double-bogeyed the final hole, handing Player the victory.
This was Jack Nicklaus' first Masters as a pro, and he finished tied for 15th. At the other end of the spectrum, 1938 Masters winner Henry Picard made his final cut in this event. And Demaret tied for fifth, his final Top 10 in The Masters or any of the major championships.
1962 Masters Final Scores
| Arnold Palmer | 70-66-69-75—280 (68) |
| Gary Player | 67-71-71-71—280 (71) |
| Dow Finsterwald | 74-68-65-73—280 (77) |
| Gene Littler | 71-68-71-72—282 |
| Jerry Barber | 72-72-69-74—287 |
| Jimmy Demaret | 73-73-71-70—287 |
| Billy Maxwell | 71-73-72-71—287 |
| Mike Souchak | 70-72-74-71—287 |
| a-Charlie Coe | 72-74-71-71—288 |
| Ken Venturi | 75-70-71-72—288 |
| Julius Boros | 69-73-72-76—290 |
| Gay Brewer | 74-71-70-75—290 |
| Jack Fleck | 72-75-74-69—290 |
| Harold Henning | 75-73-72-70—290 |
| Billy Casper | 73-73-73-72—291 |
| Gardner Dickinson Jr. | 70-71-72-78—291 |
| Paul Harney | 74-71-74-72—291 |
| Jack Nicklaus | 74-75-70-72—291 |
| Sam Snead | 72-75-70-74—291 |
| Jacky Cupit | 73-73-72-74—292 |
| Lionel Hebert | 72-73-71-76—292 |
| Don January | 71-73-74-74—292 |
| Johnny Pott | 77-71-75-69—292 |
| Al Balding | 75-68-78-72—293 |
| Bob Charles | 75-72-73-74—294 |
| Bob Goalby | 74-74-73-73—294 |
| Ted Kroll | 72-74-72-76—294 |
| Dave Ragan | 70-73-76-75—294 |
| Bill Collins | 75-70-75-75—295 |
| Bruce Crampton | 72-75-74-74—295 |
| Cary Middlecoff | 75-74-73-73—295 |
| Lew Worsham | 75-70-78-72—295 |
| Roberto De Vicenzo | 77-72-70-77—296 |
| Lloyd Mangrum | 75-74-71-76—296 |
| Byron Nelson | 72-76-72-76—296 |
| Chi Chi Rodriguez | 72-72-75-77—296 |
| Doug Sanders | 74-74-73-75—296 |
| Ben Hogan | 78-71-75-73—297 |
| Jack Burke Jr. | 78-69-73-78—298 |
| Antonio Cerda | 74-75-75-74—298 |
| Henry Picard | 75-73-76-74—298 |
| a-Don Cherry | 77-72-73-77—299 |
| Chick Harbert | 75-74-74-77—300 |
| George Bayer | 71-76-74-80—301 |
| Doug Ford | 75-72-76-78—301 |
| a-Jose Gonzalez Jr. | 75-74-73-79—301 |
| Brian Wilkes | 74-75-74-78—301 |
| a-Juan Estrada | 75-74-76-77—302 |
| Marion Gonzalez | 73-76-77-76—302 |
| Chandler Harper | 73-76-79-74—302 |
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