Every Low Amateur Winner in The Masters Tournament
Below you'll find the list of all the golfers who have earned low amateur honors at The Masters Tournament, one of the major championships of men's professional golf. Amateur golfers have always had a place in The Masters, not surprising given that tournament co-founder Bobby Jones competed as an amateur throughout his tournament career.
In the early days of the tournament, Jones simply invited many amateur golfers into the field. Today, there are exemption categories through which about a half-dozen amateurs per year get into the Masters field.
What does the Masters low amateur receive? The low amateur receives the Silver Cup trophy, and the low amateur runner-up gets a silver medal. (Only golfers who make the cut are eligible for low amateur honors. If "none" follows a year below, that means no amateur golfers made the cut that year.) The low amateur is recognized during the Green Jacket ceremony, and appears in Butler Cabin on the television broadcast when the Masters champion is interviewed.
A few facts and figures about the Masters low amateurs:
- So far there have been seven golfers who earned low amateur honors and later won The Masters: Cary Middlecoff, Jack Nicklaus, Ben Crenshaw, Phil Mickelson, Tiger Woods, Sergio GarcÃa and Hideki Matsuyama.
- Who was low amateur the most? Charles Coe earned the honor six times, Charlie Yates five times; Harvie Ward, Frank Stranahan, Billy Joe Patton and Jay Sigel, three times each.
- No amateur has ever won The Masters. But Stranahan (1947), Ken Venturi (1958) and Coe (1961) each finished second.
The List: Every Low Amateur at The Masters
Low ams are listed along with their scores and their placement in the tournament ("none" means no amateur made the cut). Click on a year to read more about that Masters Tournament, including the final scores.
2024 — Neal Shipley, 300, tied 53rd
2023 — Sam Bennett, 286, tied 16th
2022 — none
2021 — none
2020 — Andy Ogletree, 286, tied 34th
2019 — Viktor Hovland, 285, tied 32nd
2018 — Doug Ghim, 296, tied 50th
2017 — Stewart Hagestad, 294, tied 36th
2016 — Bryson DeChambeau, 293, tied 21st
2015 — none
2014 — Oliver Goss, 298, 49th
2013 — Guan Tianlang, 300, 58th
2012 — Patrick Cantlay, 295, tied 47th
2011 — Hideki Matsuyama, 287, tied 27th
2010 — Matteo Manassero, 292, tied 36th
2009 — none
2008 — none
2007 — none
2006 — none
2005 — Ryan Moore, 287, tied 13th
2004 — Casey Wittenberg, 288, tied 13th
2003 — Ricky Barnes, 291, 21st
2002 — none
2001 — none
2000 — David Gossett, 303, tied 54th
1999 — Sergio Garcia, 295, tied 38th
1998 — Matt Kuchar, 288, tied 21st
1997 — none
1996 — none
1995 — Tiger Woods, 293, tied 41st
1994 — John Harris, 305, tied 50th
1993 — none
1992 — Manny Zerman, 294, tied 59th
1991 — Phil Mickelson, 290, tied 46th
1990 — Chris Patton, 297, tied 39th
1989 — none
1988 — Jay Sigel, 300, tied 39th
1987 — Bob Lewis, 309, 54th
1986 — Sam Randolph, 293, tied 36th
1985 — Sam Randolph, 290, tied 18th
1984 — Rick Fehr, 288, tied 25th
1983 — Jim Hallet, 297, tied 40th
1982 — Jodie Mudd, 294, tied 20th
1981 — Jay Sigel, 294, tied 35th
1980 — Jay Sigel, 289, tied 26th
1979 — Bobby Clampett, 290, tied 23rd
1978 — Lindy Miller, 286, tied 16th
1977 — Bill Sander, 299, 49th
1976 — Curtis Strange, 291, tied 15th
1975 — George Burns, 292, tied 30th
1974 — none
1973 — Ben Crenshaw, 295, tied 24th
1972 — Ben Crenshaw, 295, tied 19th
1971 — Steve Melnyk, 292, tied 24th
1970 — Charles Coe, 292, tied 23rd
1969 — Bruce Fleisher, 300, 44th
1968 — Vinny Giles, 288, tied 22nd
1967 — Downing Gray, 297, tied 36th
1966 — Jimmy Grant, 299, tied 28th
1965 — Downing Gray, 294, tied 31st
1964 — Deane Beman, 288, tied 25th
1963 — Labron Harris Jr., 298, tied 32nd
1962 — Charles Coe, 288, tied ninth
1961 — Charles Coe, 281, tied second
1960 — (tie) Jack Nicklaus and Billy Joe Patton, 293, tied 13th
1959 — Charles Coe, 288, sixth
1958 — Billy Joe Patton, 288, eighth
1957 — Harvie Ward, 288, fourth
1956 — Ken Venturi, 290, second
1955 — Harvie Ward, 290, tied eighth
1954 — Billy Joe Patton, 290, third
1953 — (tie) Frank Stranahan and Harvie Ward, 291, tied 14th
1952 — Chuck Kocsis, 297, tied 14th
1951 — Charles Coe, 293, tied 12th
1950 — Frank Stranahan, 297, tied 14th
1949 — (tie) Charles Coe and Johnny Dawson, 295, tied 16th
1948 — Skee Riegel, 293, tied 13th
1947 — Frank Stranahan, 283, tied second
1946 — Cary Middlecoff, 293, tied 12th
1943–45: Masters not played due to World War II
1942 — Charlie Yates, 304, tied 28th
1941 — Dick Chapman, 297, tied 19th
1940 — Charlie Yates, 293, tied 17th
1939 — (tie) Chick Harbert and Charlie Yates, 294, tied 18th
1938 — Tommy Suffern Tailer, 298, tied 18th
1937 — Charlie Yates, 301, tied 26th
1936 — Johnny Dawson, 294, tied ninth
1935 — Lawson Little, 288, sixth
1934 — Charlie Yates, 298, tied 21st
See also: Low amateurs in the U.S. Open
Photo credit: