The Masters 2026: all the records behind golf’s picture-perfect major

For sports fans across the world, the start of April means only one thing: golf’s US Masters. It is the first of the sport’s four major tournaments to take place in the year, and is always held at the same location: the Augusta National Country Club in the US state of Georgia. A former plant nursery, Augusta is famous for its fast-paced greens and picture-book views. Each hole is named for a local plant, such as “Flowering Peach”, “White Dogwood” and “Camellia”. 

The Masters was the brainchild of former amateur champion Bobby Jones. One of the most famous sportsmen in America at that time, Jones had shocked the country by retiring from competitive sport in 1930, having just completed golf’s first grand major slam – winning the British Amateur, British Open, US Open and US Amateur championships in a calendar year. Jones founded and co-designed the Augusta course.

The first Masters tournament was held in 1934 and was broadcast live on CBS Radio. Horton Smith finished one shot clear of Craig Wood to win $1,500. The second round witnessed the first US Masters hole-in-one, hit by Canada’s Ross Somerville at the seventh hole – which today plays as the sixteenth, “Redbud”. The par-3 has been the site of 24 of the 34 holes-in-one at Augusta to date, with the most recent coming in 2022.

The second Masters, in 1935, catapulted the tournament into the public spotlight thanks to a single shot, which became known as the “shot heard around the world”. During the final round, Gene Sarazen holed out spectacularly from the fairway at the par-5 fifteenth for a double-eagle (or albatross). He went on to win the tournament after a playoff. In 1955, a bridge in front of the 15th green was dedicated to Sarazen in honour of his legendary effort. 

The 1949 Masters saw the winner, Sam Snead, presented with the green jacket for the first time. The jacket has become so iconic that it even has its own standard Pantone colour reference: 342C, “Augusta Green”.

In 1963, the Masters was won by a 23 year-old named Jack Nicklaus, who became the youngest winner of the tournament to date. The “Golden Bear” went on to rack up the most wins of the golf US Masters, donning the green jacket six times, in 1963, 1965–66, 1972, 1975 and 1986. “For some reason, Augusta always brought out the best in me,” Nicklaus said. His final triumph, in 1986, is one of the most memorable in the history of golf. At the age of 46, Nicklaus’s chances of winning another major had been largely written off. After two rounds, he was joint 17th. But Nicklaus went on a charge through the field in his final round, shooting a 7-under-par round of 65 and taking the tournament lead for the first time at the seventeenth. Nicklaus (USA, b. 21 January 1940) became the oldest golfer to win the US Masters, aged 46 years 82 days.  

Nicklaus’s record for the youngest golfer to win the US Masters was broken by Seve Ballesteros in 1980, who in turn lost it in 1997 – when golfing sensation Tiger Woods (USA, b. 30 December 1975) demolished the field aged 21 years 104 years. Woods finished his four rounds in 270 (18 under par), 12 shots clear of Tom Kite in second place. This remains the largest margin of victory in the golf US Masters. Woods went on to win the tournament five times, one behind Nicklaus.

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In 2015, Jordan Spieth (USA) sank the most birdies recorded by a golfer during a single Masters tournament – 28. The 21-year-old beat Phil Mickelson’s previous record by three, winning the first of his three major titles. Spieth holed nine birdies in his first round alone, just two short of the record for the most birdies scored by a golfer in a single round at a US Masters tournament – 11 – by Anthony Kim (USA) during his second round in 2009. 

During the COVID–19 pandemic, the 2020 Masters was moved to November. Dustin Johnson (USA) took full advantage of the softer greens, compiling the lowest total score (72 holes) at the golf US Masters: 268 shots, or 20 under par. He led every round, becoming the Masters’ 11th wire-to-wire champion. The 2021 tournament reverted to its traditional setting in April, although the number of spectators was reduced and social-distancing measures were in place. 

The 2026 Masters will be the 90th in the event’s history. Rory McIlroy will tee off as the defending champion, having won in 2025 following a sudden-death playoff with Justin Rose. Will McIlroy be able to retain the green jacket in 2026 – and will we see any more records fall?

Header image: Rory McIlroy sinks his final putt in the playoff to win the final round of the 2025 Masters Golf Tournament. Credit: Petter Arvidson / Bildbyran / Shutterstock