1983 Masters Tournament

1983 Masters Tournament
Front cover of the 1983 Masters Guide
Tournament information
DatesApril 7–11, 1983
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
Length6,905 yards (6,314 m)[1]
Field82 players, 49 after cut
Cut147 (+3)
Prize fund$500,000
Winner's share$90,000
Champion
Spain Seve Ballesteros
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
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The 1983 Masters Tournament was the 47th Masters Tournament, held April 7–11 at Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia. Seve Ballesteros won his second Masters and third major title, four strokes ahead of runners-up Ben Crenshaw and Tom Kite.[2] Play on Friday was postponed due to heavy rain, and the final round was completed on Monday for the first time since 1973.[3]

Defending champion Craig Stadler was tied for the 54-hole lead with 1976 champion Raymond Floyd, with Ballesteros one stroke back, and two-time champion Tom Watson an additional stroke behind.[4] Ballesteros got off to a fast start in the final round on Monday with a birdie-eagle start. With another birdie at the difficult par-3 fourth, he added four pars and another birdie at the ninth for a five-under 31 on the front nine. Ballesteros cruised to a 69 (−3) and a comfortable win as neither Stadler, Floyd, nor Watson broke par.[2][5]

During the postponement of Friday's round, the possibility was raised that the tournament would not complete the entire 72 holes,[6][7] as the southeastern U.S. was experiencing heavy rains and flooding and forecasts were not favorable.[8][9]

Saturday's second round went off from split tees (1st and 10th)[10][11] and six players did not complete their rounds until early Sunday morning.[12] With this extension, the tournament committee did not attempt to complete the final two rounds on Sunday, opting for the third round only on Sunday and the fourth on Monday.[10][12]

Four-time champion Arnold Palmer, 53, opened with a 68 on Thursday and made the cut at the Masters for the final time.[13] In his 29th Masters, he stated that the conditions on Saturday were the worst he had ever seen at Augusta.[14] Five-time winner Jack Nicklaus 43, withdrew before his second round start time due to back spasms experienced while warming up. Nicklaus had shot a first round of 73.[3][12] It was only his second withdrawal as a pro, the first was three years earlier at the 1980 World Series of Golf.[15] Nicklaus had missed only one cut in the previous 23 Masters and made ten consecutive after this year, including his record sixth green jacket in 1986.

As of 2024, it is still the most recent Masters Tournament to have a Monday finish. Due to time constraints with local news/primetime programming, the green jacket ceremony happened before all the players had finished their final rounds, as Stadler and Floyd, the final two golfers on the course, were deemed mathematically too far behind winner Ballesteros for their results to change the outcome of who would win the tournament.

It was the final major championship for Sam Snead, 70, a three-time Masters champion. He withdrew after a first round 79 as he assessed he could not make the cut.[13]

  1. ^ "Masters Thursday's results". Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. Associated Press. April 9, 1983. p. 19.
  2. ^ a b Parascenzo, Marino (April 12, 1983). "Ballesteros takes Masters". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. p. 9.
  3. ^ a b Jenkins, Dan (April 18, 1983). "Another Green Jacket for Seve". Sports Illustrated. p. 30.
  4. ^ "Stadler bids for second straight". Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. Associated Press. April 11, 1983. p. 15.
  5. ^ "Ballesteros ends Masters race early". Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. Associated Press. April 12, 1983. p. 15.
  6. ^ "Masters may not see champion". Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. Associated Press. April 9, 1983. p. 17.
  7. ^ Anderson, Dave (April 9, 1983). "Arnie isn't upset by the rain". Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. (New York Times). p. 17.
  8. ^ "Record floods plague South". Milwaukee Sentinel. wire services. April 9, 1983. p. 1, part 1.
  9. ^ "Thousands flee floods". Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. Associated Press. April 9, 1983. p. 1.
  10. ^ a b Breitenbucher, Cathy (April 9, 1983). "Rains dampen Masters". Milwaukee Sentinel. p. 1, part 2.
  11. ^ "Scoreboard: 47th Masters". Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. (tee times). April 9, 1983. p. 19.
  12. ^ a b c "Morgan goes to the front while Nicklaus backs out". Eugene Register-Guard. Oregon. wire services. April 10, 1983. p. 3E.
  13. ^ a b "Arnie stirs memories". Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. Associated Press. April 8, 1983. p. 25.
  14. ^ "Morgan leads after 2 incomplete rounds". Rome News-Tribune. Georgia. Associated Press. April 10, 1983. p. 1C.
  15. ^ "Back spasms take Jack Nicklaus out of Masters field". Rome News-Tribune. Georgia. Associated Press. April 10, 1983. p. 1C.