Most Times Finishing The Masters Below Par

Which golfers have finished below par for 72 holes in The Masters most frequently? One can answer that question by saying, "the usual suspects." And, yes, this is another Masters tournament record held by Jack Nicklaus.

Augusta National Golf Club is a par-72 golf course for The Masters. That means that a golfer must finish the tournament in fewer than 288 strokes to finish under-par.

Most Masters Tournaments Finishing Under-Par

22 times — Jack Nicklaus
19 times — Phil Mickelson
17 times — Tom Watson
16 times — Raymond Floyd
15 times — Fred Couples
15 times — Tiger Woods

Nicklaus first finished under-par in the 1961 Masters, when he scored 1-under 287 and placed seventh as an amateur. And he last finished under-par in the 1998 Masters, when he was 58 years old and tied for sixth place.

Of Nicklaus' 22 below-mar Masters Tournaments, 10 of them were consecutive: He finished in fewer than 288 strokes in every Masters played during the 1970s. He started the streak in 1970, and he was under-par in each Masters through 1979.

And 10 in a row below par is another Masters record for Nicklaus, although one he shares:

Consecutive Masters Finishing Below Par

10 — Jack Nicklaus, 1970-79
10 — Tom Kite, 1975-1984
10 — Tom Watson, 1977-1986

What if we expand consideration to golfers who finished at 288 or lower? Yep, another record held by Nicklaus:

Most Times Finishing Masters at Par or Better

24 times — Jack Nicklaus
20 times — Phil Mickelson
19 times — Fred Couples
19 times — Raymond Floyd
18 times — Tom Watson
15 times — Ben Crenshaw
15 times — Gary Player
15 times — Tiger Woods

One thing that might surprise some readers about these lists is that Arnold Palmer, 4-time Masters champ, does not appear on either the most-times-under-par or most-times-par-or-better lists. He really doesn't come close, either. Palmer finished below par in 10 Masters tournaments, and his longest streak of consecutive below-par finishes was five (1958-1962). Palmer had 12 par-or-better finishes.

Related articles:

Sources:
Augusta National Golf Club. The 2024 Masters Media Guide, All-Time Records, Augusta National Inc.
Brenner, Morgan. The Majors of Golf (affiliate link), Volume 3, 2009, McFarland and Company.

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