 Front cover of the 1996 Masters Journal | |
| Tournament information | |
|---|---|
| Dates | April 11–14, 1996 |
| Location | Augusta, Georgia 33°30′11″N 82°01′12″W / 33.503°N 82.020°W |
| Course(s) | Augusta National Golf Club |
| Organized by | Augusta National Golf Club |
| Tour(s) | PGA Tour |
| Statistics | |
| Par | 72 |
| Length | 6,925 yards (6,332 m)[1] |
| Field | 92 players, 44 after cut |
| Cut | 146 (+2) |
| Prize fund | US$2.5 million |
| Winner's share | $450,000 |
| Champion | |
 Nick Faldo | |
| 276 (−12) | |
| Location map | |
  Augusta National Location in the United States  Augusta National Location in Georgia | |
The 1996 Masters Tournament was the 60th Masters Tournament, held April 11–14 at Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia.
Nick Faldo won his third Masters and his sixth and final major title, five strokes ahead of runner-up Greg Norman.[2][3] Faldo overcame a six-stroke deficit going into the final day as Norman, leader after each of the first three rounds, faltered down the stretch once again at Augusta.[4][5] The win was the seventh by a European in the previous nine Masters. The first win by an Australian at the Masters came seventeen years later when Adam Scott won in 2013.
In the first round, Norman shot the second-ever 63 at the Masters (Nick Price had the first 63, in the third round in 1986). Opening with six pars, Norman birdied nine of the final twelve holes.[6]
Faldo moved into second place with a 67 on Friday and stayed in second, though six shots behind, with a scrambling par on 18 late Saturday afternoon. The par meant that Faldo would be paired with Norman on Sunday which may have proved critical.
In the final round, Norman maintained a four shot lead through 7 holes, and then proceeded to lose five shots to par over the next five holes. Faldo picked up one birdie in that stretch to assume a two shot lead after Norman's tee shot on 12 found the water for a double-bogey. Any thoughts of Norman winning were dashed when his tee shot on the par three 16th also found the water. Faldo's 67 was the best round of the day while Norman's 78 was one of the worst rounds of the day, together yielding the greatest comeback/collapse in Masters history. In addition it tied the largest lead ever blown in a PGA Tour tournament. This record has yet to be broken.[7][8]
None of the five amateurs made the cut, including 20-year-old Tiger Woods, in his second Masters.[9] He returned as a professional the next year and won by 12 strokes.
- ^ "Masters Scoreboard". Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. April 12, 1996. p. 8C.
- ^ Reilly, Rick (April 22, 1996). "Master Strokes". Sports Illustrated. p. 24.
- ^ Bonk, Thomas (April 15, 1996). "Choke artist". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). (Los Angeles Times). p. C1.
- ^ Parascenzo, Marino (April 15, 1996). "Faldo in as Shark plunges". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. p. C1.
- ^ D'Amato, Gary (April 15, 1996). "On final day, Shark goes belly-up". Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. p. 1C.
- ^ Bonk, Thomas (April 12, 1996). "Norman's opening 63 'one of great rounds'". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). (Los Angeles Times). p. C1.
- ^ "Largest 54-hole lead lost in PGA Tour golf history". pga.com. Retrieved November 19, 2019.
- ^ "The Masters 1996: Faldo triumphs as Norman blows six-shot lead - as it happened". The Guardian. April 11, 2020. Retrieved May 7, 2020.
- ^ Parascenzo, Marino (April 13, 1996). "Tiger misses cut, but Nicklaus believes young star will purr". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. p. C2.