Eighty-five Masters tournaments. Fifty-four different winners. And last year, a first.
When Hideki Matsuyama put his arms through the green jacket last April, he not only joined an exclusive company, he started one. His victory was the first major victory by a Japanese male golfer, and the significance was not lost on him.
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“I hope it will affect golf in Japan in a good way,” he said in his winner’s press conference. “Not only those who are golfers already, but hopefully the youngsters who are playing golf or thinking about playing golf. I hope they will see this victory and think it’s cool and try to follow in my footsteps.
“Up until now, we haven’t had a major champion in Japan, and maybe a lot of golfers or younger golfers, too, thought, well, maybe that’s an impossibility. But with me doing it, hopefully that will set an example for them that it is possible and that, if they set their mind to it, they can do it, too.”
As this year’s Masters enters its final round, below is a list of all 54 winners. Starting with the first from Japan.
Previous Masters winners
2021 — Hideki Matsuyama
2020 — Dustin Johnson
2019 — Tiger Woods
2018 — Patrick Reed
2017 — Sergio Garcia
2016 — Danny Willett
2015 — Jordan Spieth
2014 — Bubba Watson
2013 — Adam Scott
2012 — Bubba Watson
2011 — Charl Schwartzel
2010 — Phil Mickelson
2009 — Angel Cabrera
2008 — Trevor Immelman
2007 — Zach Johnson
2006 — Phil Mickelson
2005 — Tiger Woods
2004 — Phil Mickelson
2003 — Mike Weir
2002 — Tiger Woods
2001 — Tiger Woods
2000 — Vijay Singh
1999 — Jose Maria Olazabal
1998 — Mark O’Meara
1997 — Tiger Woods
1996 — Nick Faldo
1995 — Ben Crenshaw
1994 — Jose Maria Olazabal
1993 — Bernhard Langer
1992 — Fred Couples
1991 — Ian Woosnam
1990 — Nick Faldo
1989 — Nick Faldo)
1988 — Sandy Lyle
1987 — Larry Mize
1986 — Jack Nicklaus
1985 — Bernhard Langer
1984 — Ben Crenshaw
1983 — Seve Ballesteros
1982 — Craig Stadler
1981 — Tom Watson
1980 — Seve Ballesteros
1979 — Fuzzy Zoeller
1978 — Gary Player
1977 — Tom Watson
1976 — Raymond Floyd
1975 — Jack Nicklaus
1974 — Gary Player
1973 — Tommy Aaron
1972 — Jack Nicklaus
1971 — Charles Coody
1970 — Billy Casper
1969 — George Archer
1968 — Bob Goalby
1967 — Gay Brewer Jr.
1966 — Jack Nicklaus
1965 — Jack Nicklaus
1964 — Arnold Palmer
1963 — Jack Nicklaus
1962 — Arnold Palmer
1961 — Gary Player
1960 — Arnold Palmer
1959 — Art Wall Jr.
1958 — Arnold Palmer
1957 — Doug Ford
1956 — Jack Burke Jr.
1955 — Cary Middlecoff
1954 — Sam Snead
1953 — Ben Hogan
1952 — Sam Snead
1951 — Ben Hogan
1950 — Jimmy Demaret
1949 — Sam Snead
1948 — Claude Harmon
1947 — Jimmy Demaret
1946 — Herman Keiser
1945 — No tournament, WWII
1944 — No tournament, WWII
1943 — No tournament, WWII
1942 — Byron Nelson
1941 — Craig Wood
1940 — Jimmy Demaret
1939 — Ralph Guldahl
1938 — Henry Picard
1937 — Byron Nelson
1936 — Horton Smith
1935 — Gene Sarazen
1934 — Horton Smith