The Masters: Ranking the 25 most exceptional performances at Augusta
By Bill Felber
10: Cary Middlecoff, 1955 Masters, 279 (-9), Std. Deviation -2.51
Through the early 1950s, the Masters was the dual province of Ben Hogan and Sam Snead. Between 1951 and 1954, each won two Masters, Snead beating Hogan in a playoff in 1954.
Age, however, was catching up on the game’s two stars. That 1954 playoff would mark the last major championship for either. In the meantime, golf searched for new heroes.
In the interval between Snead/Hogan and Palmer, Cary Middlecoff stood tall. Trained in the Army as a dentist, he had taken up pro golf following his discharge and won the 1949 U.S. Open. But Middlecoff really hit his stride with the 1955 Masters, winning two majors, finishing second three times and third once in his next dozen major championships.
Middlecoff started inauspiciously with an even par 72, five strokes behind Jack Burke Jr. But a Friday 65 thrust him four strokes in front of Hogan and six upon Burke, who shot 73.
Under challenging, wet Saturday conditions, Middlecoff posted another even par round. But none of the other contenders did better, his lead swelling to seven strokes over Hogan entering play Sunday. To alleviate any lingering suspense, he birdied the second hole, shot 34 on the front and turned with a six-stroke advantage. With no pressure coming home, Middlecoff concluded a closing 70 with a birdie at 18 to set his winning margin at a record seven shots.