1970 Masters Tournament

1970 Masters Tournament
Front cover of the 1970 Masters Guide
Tournament information
DatesApril 9–13, 1970
LocationAugusta, Georgia
33°30′11″N 82°01′12″W / 33.503°N 82.020°W / 33.503; -82.020
Course(s)Augusta National Golf Club
Organized byAugusta National Golf Club
Tour(s)PGA Tour
Statistics
Par72
Length6,980 yards (6,383 m)[1]
Field83 players, 48 after cut[2]
Cut150 (+6)[1]
Winner's share$25,000
Champion
United States Billy Casper
279 (−9), playoff
Location map
Augusta National is located in the United States
Augusta National
Augusta National
Location in the United States
Augusta National is located in Georgia
Augusta National
Augusta National
Location in Georgia
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The 1970 Masters Tournament was the 34th Masters Tournament, held April 9–13 at Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia. A field of 83 players started the tournament and 48 made the 36-hole cut at 150 (+6).

Billy Casper defeated Gene Littler 69 to 74 in an 18-hole playoff on Monday to win his third major championship. It was the last 18-hole playoff at the Masters; the format was changed to sudden-death in 1976 and first used in 1979.[3] To get into the playoff, Casper scored a final round of 71 (−1), while Littler shot a 70 to tie at 279 (−9).[4]

Jack Nicklaus shot 69-69 on the weekend, but was hampered by a second round 75 and finished in 8th place. It was the final Masters tournament as a player for 1938 champion Henry Picard, who withdrew without finishing the first round.[5] Three-time Masters champion Sam Snead finished in a tie for 23rd place at the age of 57. It was the Masters debut of two-time champion Tom Watson, then a 20-year-old amateur from Stanford who shot 77-76 and missed the cut by three strokes.[6]

Harold Henning won the eleventh Par 3 contest on Wednesday with a score of 21.

Dick Schaap's The Masters: The Winning of a Golf Classic covered in detail the 1970 tournament.[7]

  1. ^ a b "Scoreboard: Masters (second round)". Eugene Register-Guard. Associated Press. April 11, 1970. p. 2B.
  2. ^ "Masters scores (second round)". Youngstown Vindicator. Associated Press. April 11, 1970. p. 10.
  3. ^ "Masters playoff format is changed". CNN.com. April 7, 2004. Retrieved February 26, 2013.
  4. ^ Jenkins, Dan (April 20, 1970). "All yours, Billy boy". Sports Illustrated. p. 14.
  5. ^ "Aaron leads first round". Palm Beach Post. Associated Press. April 10, 1970. p. C1.
  6. ^ "Yancey, Littler deadlock". Palm Beach Post. Associated Press. April 11, 1970. p. B2.
  7. ^ Schaap, Dick (1970). The Masters: The Winning of a Golf Classic. Random House.