1967 Masters Tournament

1967 Masters Tournament
Front cover of the 1967 Masters Guide
Tournament information
DatesApril 6–9, 1967
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, 55 after cut
Cut150 (+6)
Prize fund$163,350 [2]
Winner's share$20,000
Champion
United States Gay Brewer
280 (−8)
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
← 1966
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The 1967 Masters Tournament was the 31st Masters Tournament, held April 6–9 at Augusta National Golf Club. Gay Brewer won his only major title by one stroke over runner-up Bobby Nichols.[2][3][4]

Rebounding from a three-putt on the 72nd hole and a playoff loss the previous year, Brewer birdied the 13th, 14th, and 15th holes on Sunday.[4] Arnold Palmer finished in fourth and Gary Player finished tied for 6th, while Sam Snead and Ben Hogan, both age 54, finished tied for 10th. In the third round, Hogan shot a 66 which was the lowest single round score in the tournament, while he struggled with an aching shoulder and legs. Hogan's round included a course record-tying 30 on the back nine, with birdies at 10, 11, 12, 13, 15, and 18, with pars at the other three holes.[1] It was later equaled by Player in 1978 and Jack Nicklaus in 1986; both shot 30 on the back nine on Sunday to win by a stroke. The record stood until Mark Calcavecchia shot 29 on the back nine in 1992 (David Toms also shot a 29 on the back nine in 1998). This was Hogan's final appearance in the Masters; his last major was two months later at the U.S. Open. For Snead, a three-time champion, it marked his final top ten finish at Augusta; he participated into the 1980s.

It was also the last Masters for three-time champion Jimmy Demaret as a participant, who missed the cut by four strokes. He won the Masters in 1940, 1947, and 1950, but had not played in the other three majors since 1958.

Two-time defending champion Nicklaus shot a nine-bogey 79 in the second round and missed the cut by one stroke, the first defending champion not to play on the weekend.[5][6] (The 36-hole cut at Augusta was introduced a decade earlier, in 1957.) It was his only missed cut at the Masters from 1960 through 1993 (withdrew before 2nd round in 1983); he missed the cut by a stroke in his first appearance in 1959 at age 19. Nicklaus regrouped and won the next major, the U.S. Open at Baltusrol. With the missed cut, Nicklaus failed to qualify for the Ryder Cup team, the first for which he was eligible. He had been in a minor slump and only became eligible in mid-1966, more than halfway through the two-year qualifying cycle,[7] His win in the previous Masters did not count for the Ryder Cup as it was prior to his full PGA of America membership and it was the era prior to captains' picks.

Arnold Palmer won the eighth Par 3 contest with a score of 23. Like Hogan and Snead, this was his last top 10 in the Masters.

  1. ^ a b Grimsley, Will (April 9, 1967). "Masters lead held by three". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. p. 1B.
  2. ^ a b "'I redeemed myself': Brewer". Miami News. (New York Times). April 10, 1967. p. C-1.
  3. ^ "Gay Brewer wins Masters golf". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. April 10, 1967. p. 30.
  4. ^ a b Jenkins, Dan (April 17, 1967). "A Glory Day for Gay". Sports Illustrated. p. 22.
  5. ^ "Bogeys run Nicklaus out of Masters". Toledo Blade. (Ohio). Associated Press. April 8, 1967. p. 15.
  6. ^ "Yancey clings to one-shot Masters lead". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Associated Press. April 8, 1967. p. 7.
  7. ^ "Ryder spot is elusive for Nicklaus". Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. Associated Press. March 28, 1967. p. 12.