There have been 57 winners of the green jacket, signifying a Masters champion. The first winner of the iconic tournament was Horton Smith in 1934. He did it again in 1936.
The player with the most green jackets is Jack Nicklaus, who won six times between 1963 and 1986. Tiger Woods has collected five Masters’ victories, with his first coming in 1997 and his most recent in 2019 – a 22 year span, one shy of Jack’s record 23 (between first and last).
In a seven-year span, from 1958 and 1964, Arnold Palmer picked up four green jackets, one more than Jimmy Demaret, Gary Player, Sam Snead, Nick Faldo and Phil Mickelson, who each won three titles.
Two-time champions include Byron Nelson, Ben Hogan, Tom Watson, Seve Ballesteros, Bernhard Langer, Ben Crenshaw, Jose Maria Olazabal, Bubba Watson, and Scottie Scheffler.
In total, there are 18 Masters champions with multiple victories, and so we could easily choose the top 20 or so and rank the 20 Greatest Masters Champions of All-Time. But instead, we wanted to do something a little different and select the three greatest Masters performers of each decade. The guys who dominated their era.
The Masters’ tenth decade is halfway done and Scheffler is easily the top dog, but we’ll revise the current decade in five years.
Greatest Masters Champions: 1930s
The Masters Tournament debuted in 1934, so there were only six editions in this decade. Horton Smith won two of the first three editions, yet he didn’t post a single top 10 in his other four starts, so despite claiming two victories, he doesn’t get the decade’s top spot. That goes to Byron Nelson, who in five starts, compiled a win, another top 5 and two additional top 10s. A T13 was Nelson’s worst showing in a six pack of starts.
Gene Sarazen hit the “shot heard ’round the world” en route to victory in 1935. He also posted two additional top-5s.
Ralph Guldahl had a relatively short career but made the most of it: in just three starts at Augusta in the 30s, he picked up a win, and two runner ups. And the two years of his Augusta runner up (1937-38), Guldahl won back-to-back U.S. Opens. He was basically the Brooks Koepka of his time.
1. Byron Nelson
Starts: 5 (1935-1939)
Wins: 1 (1937)
Top 5s: 1 (1938)
Top 10s: 2 (1935, 1939)
Order: 9, 13, 1, 5, 7
2. Horton Smith
Starts: 6 (1934-1939)
Wins: 2 (1934, 1936)
Top 5s: 0
Top 10s: 0
Order: 1, 19, 1, 19, 22, 26
3. Gene Sarazen
Starts: 5 (1935-1939)
Wins: 1 (1935)
Top 5s: 2 (1936, 1939)
Top 10s: 0
Order: 1, 3, 24, 13, 5
3. Ralph Guldahl
Starts: 3 (1937-1939)
Wins: 1 (1939)
Runner-ups: 2 (1937-38)
Order: 2, 2, 1
Greatest Masters Champions: 1940s
The 1940s was the Masters’ second decade, but due to the second world war, the Georgia tournament was played just seven times, with a three-year pause between 1943 and 1945.
And as was the case in the first decade, Byron Nelson is our player of the decade, although this time he shares honors with Jimmy Demaret, who won two titles to Lord Byron’s lone victory.
The Texan did not win as many as Demaret, but was more consistently great over the span of his seven starts in the decade, finishing 3rd, 2nd, 1st, 7th, 2nd, 8th, 8th.
Still, Demaret – one of the most unsung Masters champions – was absolutely impressive: along with two wins, he scored a top-5 and two top-10s.
At 39, Craig Wood was nearing the end of his prime when he won his maiden major at the 1941 Masters. He followed it up with a second major at the U.S. Open two months later. When tour golf returned following a pause for World War 2, Wood was in his mid-40s, and no longer a serious threat.
As for the great Ben Hogan? The Texas legend made six starts, and finished inside the top-10 each time (10, 4, 2, 2, 4 6), highlighted by back-to-back runner-ups in the two editions before and after the war (1942 and 1946).
1. Byron Nelson
Starts: 5 (1935-1939)
Wins: 1 (1937)
Top 5s: 1 (1938)
Top 10s: 2 (1935, 1939)
Order: 3, 2, 1, 7, 2, 8, 8
1. Jimmy Demaret
Starts: 7 (1940-42, 1946-49)
Wins: 2 (1940, 1947)
Top 5s: 1 (1946)
Top 10s: 2 (1942, 1949)
Order: 1, 12, 6, 4, 1, 18, 8
3. Sam Snead
Starts: 7 (1940-42, 1946-49)
Wins: 1 (1949)
Top 5s: 0
Top 10s: 4 (1940-42, 1946)
Order: 7, 6, 7, 7, 22, 16, 1
3. Craig Wood
Starts: 7 (1940-42, 1946-49)
Wins: 1 (1941)
Top 5s: 0
Top 10s: 1 (1940)
Order: 7, 1, 23, WD, 53, 43, 34
Greatest Masters Champions: 1950s
The 1950s was a booming time in America, and the vibe at the Masters was a perfect match. It was the heyday of American golf, with legends such as Byron Nelson, Sam Snead and Ben Hogan owning the early part of the decade, then giving way to a telegenic swashbuckler named Arnold Palmer.
While Palmer cemented himself as the face of golf with a maiden green jacket (1958), it was still the decade of Hogan and Snead, who tag-teamed on four wins, and three runner-ups, in a seven-year span (1951-1957).
The era also gave us one of the most underrated Masters champs of all-time: Cary Middlecoff, a former dentist, who for about 10-12 years was money in the bank at Augusta.
1. Ben Hogan
Starts: 10 (1950-1959)
Wins: 2 (1951, 1953)
Runner-ups: 2 (1954-55)
Top 5s: 1 (1950)
Top 10s: 2 (1952, 1956)
Order: 4, 1, 7, 1, 2, 2, 8, MC, 14, 30
1. Sam Snead
Starts: 10 (1950-1959)
Wins: 2 (1952, 1954)
Runner-up: 1 (1957)
Top 5s: 3 (1950, 1955-56)
Top 10s: 1 (1951)
Order: 3, 8, 1, 16, 1, 3, 4, 2, 13, 22
3. Cary Middlecoff
Starts: 10 (1950-1959)
Wins: 1 (1955)
Runner-up: 1 (1959)
Top 5s: 1 (1956)
Top 10s: 3 (1950, 1954, 1958)
In Order: 7, 12, 11, 27, 9, 1, 3, MC, 6, 2
3. Arnold Palmer
Starts: 5 (1955-1959)
Wins: 1 (1958)
Runner-up: 0
Top 5s: 1 (1959)
Top 10s: 2 (1955, 1957)
In Order: 10, 21, 7, 1, 3
Greatest Masters Champions: 1960s
While the 50s saw Ben Hogan and Sam Snead give way to a younger Arnold Palmer, the 60s had a similar handoff between Palmer and Jack Nicklaus. Yet, Palmer still won the decade, due to his consistency: both legends won three times, but “The King” also posted two runner-ups, and another pair of top-5s.
Meanwhile, poor Gary Player had to play third wheel despite producing a win, two runner ups, two other top-5s, and three more top-10s… in a single decade.
1. Arnold Palmer
Starts: 10 (1960-1969)
Wins: 3 (1960, 1962, 1964)
Runner-ups: 2 (1961, 1965)
Top 5s: 2 (1966-67)
Top 10s: 1 (1963)
Order: 1, 2, 1, 9, 1, 2, 4, 4, MC, 27
2. Jack Nicklaus
Starts: 10 (1960-1969)
Wins: 3 (1963, 1965-66)
Runner-up: 1 (1964)
Top 5s: 1 (1968)
Top 10s: 1 (1961)
Order: 13, 7, 15, 1, 2, 1, 1, MC, 5, 24
3. Gary Player
Starts: 10 (1960-1969)
Wins: 1 (1961)
Runner-up: 2 (1962, 1965)
Top 5s: 2 (1963-64)
Top 10s: 3 (1960, 1967-68)
Order: 6, 1, 2, 5, 5, 2, 28, 6, 7, 33
Greatest Masters Champions: 1970s
The 1970s at Augusta National was pretty much owned by Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player, with a young Tom Watson making his name known around Georgia too… and across the pond.
Nicklaus and Player each won twice but Jack had 10 straight starts of top-10 finishes. And while Player was still sizzling, he had four results outside of the top-10. For this, Jack gets the Player of the 70s, with the South African, once again, medalling – this time the silver instead of the bronze.
Finally, a young Tom Watson picked up the bronze by posting a win and two runner-ups in just five starts.
1. Jack Nicklaus
Starts: 10 (1970-1979)
Wins: 2 (1972, 1975)
Runner-ups: 2 (1971, 1977)
Top 5s: 4 (1973-74, 1976, 1979)
Top 10s: 2 (1970, 1978)
Order: 8, 2, 1, 3, 4, 1, 3, 2, 7, 4
2. Gary Player
Starts: 9 (1970-72, 1974-79)
Wins: 2 (1974, 1978)
Top 5s: 1 (1970)
Top 10s: 2 (1971-72)
Order: 3, 6, 10, 1, 30, 28, 19, 1, 17
3. Tom Watson
Starts: 5 (1975-1979)
Wins: 1 (1977)
Runner-up: 2 (1978-79)
Top 5s: 0
Top 10s: 1 (1975)
Order: 8, 33, 1, 2, 2
Greatest Masters Champions: 1980s
The 1980s brought forth the first decade at Augusta that wasn’t dominated by a few big-name players. While Nelson (40s), Hogan (50s), Snead (50s), Palmer (50s and 60s), Nicklaus (60 and 70s), and Player (60s and 70s) dominated with multiple wins each decade, the 80s saw only one player win more than once: Seve Ballesteros.
With two wins, two runner-ups, and three additional top-5 finishes, the charismatic Spaniard was the easy choice for Player of the 80s.
Tom Watson bookended the decade with a T12 and T14 – his two worst results in the 1980s. In between, though, the Kansas City native posted eight-straight top-10s, highlighted by a second green jacket (1981), a third runner-up finish (1984), and back-to-back top-5s (1982-83). This gave The British Open savant the silver medal of the 80s.
The bronze went to Masters’ legend Ben Crenshaw, who may be one of the most unsung Augusta virtuosos in history. During the Reagan era, the Texas native made 10 starts and finished inside the top-25 in all but one, headlined by a maiden green jacket (1984), a second-place ribbon (1983), three straight (additional) top-5s (1987-89), and two more top-10s (1980-81).
Finally, a bonus copper medal goes out to the great Jack Nicklaus, who turned 40 in 1980, yet finished his final (competitive) decade at Augusta with eight top-25 finishes, including four top-10s, highlighted by a win for the ages in 1986. Looking back, the Golden Bear’s victory was anything but a fluke, as it was sandwiched between a pair of top-10s (T6 in 1985, T7 in 1987).
1. Seve Ballesteros
Starts: 10 (1980-1989)
Wins: 2 (1980, 1983)
Runner-ups: 2 (1985, 1987)
Top 5s: 3 (1982, 1986, 1989)
Top 10s: 0
Order: 1, MC, 3, 1, MC, 2, 4, 2, 11, 5
2. Tom Watson
Starts: 10 (1980-89)
Wins: 1 (1981)
Runner-up: 1 (1984)
Top 5s: 2 (1982-83)
Top 10s: 4 (1985-88)
Order: 12, 1, 5, 4, 2, 10, 6, 7, 9, 14
3. Ben Crenshaw
Starts: 10 (1980-89)
Wins: 1 (1984)
Runner-up: 1 (1983)
Top 5s: 3 (1987-89)
Top 10s: 2 (1980-81)
Order: 6, 8, 24, 2, 1, 57, 16, 4, 4, 3
4. Jack Nicklaus
Starts: 10 (1980-89)
Wins: 1 (1986)
Runner-up: 1 (1981)
Top 10s: 2 (1985, 1987)
Order: 33, 2, 15, WD, 18, 6, 1, 7, 21, 18
Greatest Masters Champions: 1990s
With the likes of Nicklaus, Watson, and Ballesteros no longer in their prime, golf in the first half of the 90s at Augusta National could be called the Seinfeld era – a tournament about nothing: no legends and no historical figures.
The most talented and charismatic star was Greg Norman, who finished second or third a half-dozen times but could never quite get the job done. And while there were many other world-class players, there was no dominant force to match Norman’s brand at Augusta who could also win… until the arrival of a young man named Tiger.
Jose Maria Olazbal and Nick Faldo each won twice during the decade of Seinfeld, but neither was what you’d call electric. Both played full time on the European tour as well. The Spaniard was consistently better, year-in, year out, adding six additional top-15 finishes, highlighted by a runner-up (1991) and top-10 (1993).
Faldo, meanwhile, ended the 80s with his first Masters (1989), and then continued his dominance on the big stage of Augusta National, with two more green jackets (1990, 1996). That’s three green jackets in an eight-year span. Yet he was about as exciting as watching paint dry.
The bronze medal of the 90s goes to Fred Couples, who won his only major at the 1992 Masters. Alongside his victory, “Boom Boom” posted four additional top-10 finishes, including a runner-up (1998), top-5 (1990), and two top-10s (1995, 1997).
Finally, the decade ended with the beginning of the Tiger era, which was highlighted by a blowout maiden major win in 1997. The former Stanford All-American followed up his 12-shot victory with a top-10 (1998) and top-20 (1999).
1. Jose Maria Olazbal
Starts: 9 (1990-95, 97-99)
Wins: 2 (1994, 1999)
Runner-ups: 2 (1991)
Top 5s: 0
Top 10s: 1 (1993)
Order: 13, 2, 42, 7, 1, 14, 12, 12, 1
2. Nick Faldo
Starts: 10 (1990-99)
Wins: 2 (1990, 1996)
Runner-ups: 0
Top 5s: 0
Top 10s: 0
Order: 1, 12, 13, 39, 32, 24, 1, MC, MC, MC
3. Fred Couples
Starts: 9 (1990-93, 95-99)
Wins: 1 (1992)
Runner-ups: 1 (1998)
Top 5s: 1 (1990)
Top 10s: 2 (1995, 1997)
Order: 5, 35, 1, 21, 10, 15, 7, 2, 27
3. Tiger Woods
Starts: 3 (1997-99)
Wins: 1 (1997)
Runner-ups: 0
Top 10s: 1 (1998)
Order: 1, 8, 18
Greatest Masters Champions: 2000s
After two decades of parity, the 2000s saw a return to the days of a dominating superstar, ala Hogan, Palmer, and Nicklaus.
In ten starts in the decade, Tiger Woods finished inside the top-5 a mind-blowing seven times, highlighted by three wins (2001-02, 2005), two runner-ups (2007-08), and a top-3 (2006).
Woods’ rival during the decade was Phil Mickelson, who was nearly as dominant, winning twice and matching Tiger’s seven top-5 finishes. (Phil added a third Masters victory in 2010, so if the stretch were expanded by a year, Lefty would’ve scored the gold medal.)
The bronze went to Vijay Singh, who reeled off nine straight top-20 finishes (2000-08) during the decade, punctuated by a win (2000) and five consecutive top-10s (2002-06).
1. Tiger Woods
Starts: 10 (2000-09)
Wins: 3 (2001-02, 2005)
Runner-ups: 2 (2007-08)
Top 5s: 2 (2000, 2006)
Top 10s: 1 (2009)
Order: 5, 1, 1, 15, 22, 1, 3, 2, 2, 6
2. Phil Mickelson
Starts: 10 (2000-09)
Wins: 2 (2004, 2006)
Runner-ups: 0
Top 5s: 5 (2001-03, 2008-09)
Top 10s: 2 (2000, 2005)
Order: 7, 3, 3, 3, 1, 10, 1, 24, 5, 5
3. Vijay Singh
Starts: 10 (2000-09)
Wins: 1 (2000)
Runner-ups: 0
Top 5s: 1 (2005)
Top 10s: 4 (2002-04, 2006)
Order: 1, 18, 7, 6, 6, 5, 8, 13, 14, 30
Greatest Masters Champions: 2010s
Despite injuries and age taking a toll on Woods and Mickelson, respectively, the two icons were able to produce the decade’s bookend victories (Mickelson in 2010, and Woods in 2019) and co-star for a second consecutive era.
In between, we cried with “Bubba,” and cheered for Sergio, but it was a young Texan who scored the decade’s gold medal.
Jordan Spieth made six starts in this era, and finished inside the top-3 four times, highlighted by a victory at the age of 21 in 2015.
Because he was the only two-time winner, Bubba Watson scores the silver, despite less than consistent greatness – year-in, year-out, where he posted finishes outside the top-35 in five of his nine starts.
Woods and Mickelson get share of the bronze, with each producing a win and a handful of top finishes.
1. Jordan Spieth
Starts: 6 (2014-19)
Wins: 1 (2015)
Runner-ups: 2 (2014, 2016)
Top 5s: 1 (2018)
Top 10s: 0
Order: 2, 1, 2, 11, 3, 21
2. Bubba Watson
Starts: 9 (2011-19)
Wins: 2 (2012, 2014)
Runner-ups: 0
Top 5s: 1 (2018)
Top 10s: 0
Order: 38, 1, 50, 1, 38, 37, MC, 5, 12
3. Tiger Woods
Starts: 7 (2010-2013, 2015, 2018-19)
Wins: 1 (2019)
Runner-ups: 0
Top 5s: 3 (2010-11, 2013)
Top 10s: 0
Order: 4, 4, 40, 4, 17, 32, 1
3. Phil Mickelson
Starts: 10 (2010-19)
Wins: 1 (2010)
Runner-ups: 1 (2015)
Top 5s: 1 (2013)
Top 10s: 0
Order: 1, 27, 3, 54, MC, 2, MC, 22, 36, 18
Greatest Masters Champions: 2020s
Despite the global pandemic forcing a November playing in 2020 and various disruptions, the first six years of the decade delivered an era of new stars and long-awaited breakthroughs: Dustin Johnson dominating with a record 20-under score in the delayed 2020 event, and Rory McIlroy finally completing the career Grand Slam in thrilling playoff fashion in 2025.
In between, we celebrated Japan’s first Green Jacket with Hideki Matsuyama in 2021, watched Spain’s Jon Rahm claim his in 2023, and witnessed consistent excellence from the game’s steadiest performer.
Scottie Scheffler made six starts in this era (through 2025) and delivered unmatched dominance, winning twice (2022 and 2024) while never finishing outside the top 20 — highlighted by his composed wire-to-wire threat and final-round control that marked him as the decade’s clear gold medalist.
Scheffler showcased year-in, year-out excellence with elite ball-striking and mental toughness rarely seen since the prime of Woods or Nicklaus.
McIlroy earns the silver for his emotional 2025 triumph — overcoming early final-round trouble and a playoff against Justin Rose — plus multiple near-misses and top finishes that kept him in the conversation throughout the decade.
Rahm edges Matsuyama for bronze honors, due to strong additional top-10 contention that’s defined his impact on the 2020s so far.
1. Scottie Scheffler
Starts: 6 (2020-25)
Wins: 2 (2022, 2024)
Runner-ups: 0
Top 5s: 1 (2025)
Top 10s: 1 (2023)
Order: 19, 18, 1, 10, 1, 4
2. Rory McIlroy
Starts: 6 (2020-25)
Wins: 1 (2025)
Runner-ups: 1 (2022)
Top 5s: 1 (2020)
Top 10s: 0
Order: 5, MC, 2, MC, 22, 1
3. Jon Rahm
Starts: 6 (2020-25)
Wins: 1 (2023)
Runner-ups: 0
Top 5s: 1 (2021)
Top 10s: 1 (2020)
Order: 7, 5, 27, 1, 45, 14
