| Tournament information | |
|---|---|
| Dates | April 4–7, 1963 |
| 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 | 6,850 yards (6,264 m)[1] |
| Field | 84 players, 50 after cut |
| Cut | 152 (+8) |
| Prize fund | $112,500[2] |
| Winner's share | $20,000 |
| Champion | |
 Jack Nicklaus | |
| 286 (−2) | |
| Location map | |
  Augusta National Location in the United States  Augusta National Location in Georgia | |
The 1963 Masters Tournament was the 27th Masters Tournament, held April 4–7 at Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia. 84 players entered the tournament and 50 made the cut at eight-over-par (152).
Jack Nicklaus, 23, won the first of his record six Green Jackets with a three-foot (0.9 m) par putt on the final hole to finish one stroke ahead of runner-up Tony Lema.[3][2] Nicklaus shot a 66 (−6) in the second round, which was key in his victory.[1][4] It was the second of his record 18 major titles; his third came three months later at the PGA Championship in July.
Gene Sarazen, the 1935 champion, made the cut at Augusta for the final time at age 61 and finished 49th.
It was the last Masters for Horton Smith, winner of the inaugural event in 1934 and again in 1936. He was the only competitor to have participated in every edition of the tournament, and had a lung removed in 1957. Battling Hodgkin's Disease, Smith was partly aided by a golf cart and shot 91 and 86; he died six months later in Detroit at age 55, shortly after attending the Ryder Cup matches in Atlanta.[5][6][7]
George Bayer won the Par 3 contest with a score of 23.
- ^ a b "Souchak takes sole Masters lead". Pittsburgh-Post Gazette. Associated Press. April 6, 1963. p. 14.
- ^ a b "Nicklaus captures Masters golf crown". Pittsburgh-Post Gazette. Associated Press. April 8, 1963. p. 25.
- ^ Bartlett, Charles (April 8, 1963). "Nicklaus wins Masters title with 286". Chicago Tribune. p. 1, part 3.
- ^ Wright, Alfred (April 15, 1963). "Young Jack the Mighty Master". Sports Illustrated. p. 26.
- ^ "Horton Smith, winner of first Masters, dies". Reading Eagle. (Pennsylvania). UPI. October 15, 1963. p. 18.
- ^ "Golf champ Smith dies at age 55". Toledo Blade. (Ohio). Associated Press. October 15, 1963. p. 24.
- ^ "Ex-Masters king Horton Smith dies". Palm Beach Post. Florida. Associated Press. October 16, 1963. p. 15.