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Golf Monthly
Golf Monthly
Sport
Nick Bonfield

This Masters Champion Is The Only Winner In 50 YEARS To Not Shoot Under-Par On Augusta National's Par 5s

The 2nd hole at augusta.

As the adage goes, if you want to win The Masters at Augusta National, you have to play the par 5s well. It’s a statement that’s virtually always true, but as in any walk of life, there’s often an exception that proves the rule.

I’ve looked at every winner’s scorecard since 1974 – when Gary Player won his second Green Jacket – and of the 50 players to have reigned supreme since then, 49 of them were under-par for the week on the par 5s. 

There’s potential for disaster on all of Augusta’s long holes, but all of them are in reach in two – especially the 13th and 15th, which have always been short for par 5s. 

Some 16 of the last 50 winners played the 2nd, 8th, 13th and 15th in ten-under-par or better, while only five of 50 were four-under-par or worse. The mean average of the last 50 winners’ under-par scores on the par 5s is 8.16. 

The overwhelming evidence is that you have to be under-par – and generally considerably under-par – on the par 5s at Augusta to have a chance of winning The Masters. 

Enter Danny Willett.

In 2016, Willett seemingly came from nowhere to post a bogey-free final-round 67 and win by three strokes from Jordan Spieth. He actually made two par-5 birdies during the final round, which means he was two-over-par for the long holes from rounds one to three. 

Given data and trends, it’s stunning he was able to get the job done with such indifferent par-5 performance. Interestingly, he only made 13 birdies as well – the fewest by a winner in the last ten years. 

However, he only made eight bogeys and, crucially, he was able to keep a double-bogey off the scorecard. Only 20% of Masters winners from the last 25 years have made a double and gone on to claim the title. 

The best par-5 performance over the last 50 years came from American Ray Floyd in 1976, when he negotiated Augusta National’s three-shotters in an incredible 14-under-par. He finished the event on 17-under and eight shots clear of Ben Crenshaw in second place. 

In 2008, Zach Johnson played the par 5s in 11-under-par despite famously laying up on every one of them. The winning score that year was +1, underlining the importance of par-5 scoring at The Masters. 

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