Has An Amateur Ever Won The Masters Tournament?

No, an amateur golfer has never won The Masters Tournament. A few have come close, including three who finished runner-up. But it has been a very long time since any amateur even finished in the Top 5 at this major championship.

The Masters, one of the four majors in men's professional golf, has always included top amateurs in its field. The tournament was founded in 1934 by the greatest amateur of them all, Bobby Jones. In the early years, a dozen or more amateurs were invited. Today, amateurs are still invited to play in The Masters, although a smaller number.

In the tournament's history, five amateurs have finished in the Top 5: three placed second, one was third and another fourth. But no amateur has finished in the Top 5 since 1961. And only one time since 1961 has an amateur finished in the Top 10 — and that was in 1962 (Charles Coe, the same guy who was in the Top 5 in 1961).

These are the five amateurs who finished in the Top 5 in a Masters Tournament:

• Frank Stranahan, 2nd, 1947 Masters: Five off the lead going into the final round, scored a tournament-best 68 for that round. Finished tied with Byron Nelson, two strokes behind the winner, Jimmy Demaret.

• Ken Venturi, 2nd, 1956 Masters: Held the first-, second- and third-round leads, taking a 4-shot edge into the final round. In a windswept fourth round, with high scores all around, scored 80. Finished second by one to Jack Burke Jr., who started the last round eight shots behind Venturi.

• Charles Coe, 2nd, 1961 Masters: Was in second place, six strokes off Gary Player's lead, entering the final round. Scored 69 to Player's 74 and tied Arnold Palmer for second, one stroke behind Player.

• Billy Joe Patton, 3rd, 1954 Masters: Patton shared the first-round lead and was the solo leader after two rounds. And he had the lead after 11 holes of the final round (thanks in part to a hole-in-one on No. 6). But he put balls into the water on the 13th and 15th holes, and finished one stroke out of Sam Snead-Ben Hogan playoff (won by Snead).

• E. Harvie Ward, 4th, 1957 Masters: In the Top 10 the whole tournament, and part of a three-way tie for second, one behind Snead, following the third round. But Doug Ford scored 66 in the last round, racing past Snead to win. Ward's 73 dropped him to solo fourth.

For more about amateurs in The Masters and the majors, see the Yearly List of Low Amateurs in The Masters, plus Amateur Winners in Golf Majors and Best Finishes Since.

Related articles:

• Has an amateur won the U.S. Open?
• Has an amateur won the British Open?