18-Hole Scoring Record in The Masters Tournament
What is the best round ever scored at The Masters Tournament? Only two times in tournament history has a golfer scored 63 for 18 holes. So that is The Masters course record: 63. But we'll also take a look at how that 18-hole scoring record progressed over the years.
Here's something else interesting about the two record rounds: Both were overshadowed by something else that happened in the tournament.
Current 18-Hole Masters Scoring Record: 63
These are the two golfers who've carded 63s for a round during The Masters:- Nick Price, 1986: In the third round of the 1986 Masters, Nick Price became the first golfer ever to score 63 at Augusta National Golf Club during the tournament. He played the front nine in 33 and the back nine in 30. His achievement was just a bit overshadowed by the very next day, however, when Jack Nicklaus surged to his sixth and final Masters win. Price finished in fifth place.
- Greg Norman, 1996: Ten years after Price, the second 63 happened. Norman recorded his 63 in the first round of the 1996 Masters, also shooting 33-30. But Norman's achievement also became overshadowed when, in the final round, Norman blew a 6-stroke lead to Nick Faldo in one of the epic golf collapses. Norman finished second, five behind Faldo.
Progression of The Masters' 18-Hole Scoring Record
Whose record did Nick Price break in 1986? Multiple golfers had recorded 64s prior to that, so let's find out how the tournament's course record improved over time leading up to the first 63.- 69: In the very first Masters Tournament, in 1934, 69 was the lowest score anyone shot. The first 18-hole scoring record-holder was Ed Dudley, whose 69 happened in the second round. Craig Wood had a 69 in the third round, and Jug McSpaden in the fourth round.
- 67: In the second Masters in 1935, Henry Picard lowered the scoring record to 67. He recorded that score in the first round.
- 66: In the first round of the 1937 Masters, Byron Nelson recorded the tournament's first 66. He also went on to win.
- 64: In the 1940 Masters, Lloyd Mangrum lowered Nelson's 66 to a new tournament record of 64. It happened in the first round; Mangrum finished in second place.
- 63: Which brings us to the current Masters 18-hole scoring record, 63, first recorded by Price in 1986. Mangrum held the record for 46 years (although it was tied by other golfers in the interim). Through the 2022 Masters, Price has held or shared the record for 36 years.
Photo credit: 
Largest margins of victory in The Masters
Highest winning score in The Masters
More Masters Tournament records
