1963 Masters Tournament Winner and Scores
The 1963 Masters was the 27th edition of the tournament. And it was the first victory in this major for Jack Nicklaus, who ultimately won it a record six times.
Winner: Jack Nicklaus, 286
Where it was played: Augusta National Golf Club, Augusta, Georgia
Tournament dates: April 4-7, 1963
Leader after first round: Bo Wininger and Mike Souchak, 69
Leader after second round: Mike Souchak, 139
Leader after third round: Jack Nicklaus, 214
What Happened in the 1963 Masters
The first professional victory for Jack Nicklaus was a major, the 1962 U.S. Open, where Nicklaus defeated Arnold Palmer in an 18-hole playoff. After that playoff Palmer said, "Now that the big guy's out of the cage, everybody better run for cover."The 1963 Masters was the fifth PGA Tour win for Nicklaus, and his second major. The "big guy" was definitely out of the cage. He would go on to dominate golf over the next 12 years, and continue winning well after that, not claiming his final Masters win until 23 years after this first one, in 1986.
Nicklaus entered the final round of the 1963 Masters with a 1-stroke lead, and he ended it with a 1-stroke victory over "Champagne Tony" Lema. Nicklaus secured the win with a 3-foot par putt on the final hole. At age 23, Nicklaus became the youngest Masters winner to this point.
Nicklaus held off a sterling group of challengers — Lema, Julius Boros, Sam Snead, Dow Finsterwald, Ed Furgol, Don January, Palmer, Billy Casper — all of whom were, or would become, major champions. Snead, age 50, finished tied for third, the last of his nine career Top 5 finishes at The Masters.
Gene Sarazen, age 61 and winner of the second Masters played (1935), made the cut here, his final cut made in this tournament. Sarazen later became one of The Masters' honorary starters, a tradition that began right here at the 1963 Masters with Jock Hutchison and Fred McLeod the very first "ceremonial starters."
Herman Keiser, 1946 Masters winner, also made his final cut in the tournament this year.
And this Masters was the final playing appearance by Horton Smith, the very first Masters champion. Smith won the inaugural tournament in 1934 and then, in 1936, became the event's first 2-time champ. Requiring the help of a golf cart on some holes, Smith died of Hodgkin's disease six months after missing the cut. He had played in every Masters Tournament through this point.
1963 Masters Final Scores
| Jack Nicklaus | 74-66-74-72—286 |
| Tony Lema | 74-69-74-70—287 |
| Julius Boros | 76-69-71-72—288 |
| Sam Snead | 70-73-74-71—288 |
| Dow Finsterwald | 74-73-73-69—289 |
| Ed Furgol | 70-71-74-74—289 |
| Gary Player | 71-74-74-70—289 |
| Bo Wininger | 69-72-77-72—290 |
| Don January | 73-75-72-71—291 |
| Arnold Palmer | 74-73-73-71—291 |
| Billy Casper | 79-72-71-70—292 |
| Bruce Crampton | 74-74-72-72—292 |
| Doug Ford | 75-73-75-69—292 |
| Mike Souchak | 69-70-79-74—292 |
| Bob Charles | 74-72-76-71—293 |
| Chen Ching-Po | 76-71-71-75—293 |
| Billy Maxwell | 72-75-76-70—293 |
| Dick Mayer | 73-70-80-70—293 |
| Mason Rudolph | 75-72-72-74—293 |
| Dan Sikes | 74-76-72-71—293 |
| Stan Leonard | 74-72-73-75—294 |
| Johnny Pott | 75-76-74-69—294 |
| Art Wall Jr. | 75-74-73-72—294 |
| Wes Ellis | 74-72-79-70—295 |
| Gene Littler | 77-72-78-68—295 |
| Bobby Nichols | 76-74-73-72—295 |
| Jay Hebert | 70-70-81-75—296 |
| George Bayer | 71-75-84-67—297 |
| Tommy Jacobs | 78-74-73-72—297 |
| Doug Sanders | 73-74-77-73—297 |
| Alvie Thompson | 79-72-75-71—297 |
| a-Labron Harris Jr. | 79-71-73-75—298 |
| Dave Ragan | 74-75-76-73—298 |
| Ken Venturi | 77-74-77-71—299 |
| a-Bill Hyndman | 74-72-80-74—300 |
| Kel Nagle | 75-74-76-75—300 |
| Tommy Bolt | 75-76-76-74—301 |
| a-Charlie Coe | 72-75-79-75—301 |
| a-Homero Blancas | 75-77-76-74—302 |
| Antonio Cerda | 75-71-78-78—302 |
| Lionel Hebert | 75-74-77-76—302 |
| Jack Fleck | 74-77-77-75—303 |
| Walter Burkemo | 75-77-78-74—304 |
| Jimmy Demaret | 75-75-81-73—304 |
| Herman Keiser | 75-77-79-74—305 |
| a-Downing Gray | 73-76-81-76—306 |
| a-R.H. Sikes | 76-76-77-77—306 |
| a-Billy Joe Patton | 80-72-74-81—307 |
| Gene Sarazen | 74-73-81-80—308 |
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