The Masters: Ranking the 25 most exceptional performances at Augusta
By Bill Felber
25: Arnold Palmer, 1962 Masters; 280 (-8), Std. Deviation -2.30
Arnold Palmer was at the apex of his fame and glory in 1962, and his performance at that year’s Masters demonstrated the mercurial nature that his army of fans found so compelling.
Having blown the 1961 Masters with a double bogey at the final hole, Palmer found himself three strokes behind defending champion Gary Player after the first round. But a Friday 66 shot him two strokes ahead of Player, and he remained two up – to Dow Finsterwald – through three rounds.
During Sunday’s final round, Palmer double-bogeyed the 10th hole to fall two behind Finsterwald and Player, then mounted the type of “charge” he had become famous for. He birdied both the 16th and 17th holes, allowing him to sign for a 75. It was his worst round of the week by five strokes and the worst among any of that week’s contenders, but it was barely good enough to forge a three-way tie and necessitate an 18-hole Monday playoff.
In that playoff, Palmer quickly fell two strokes behind Player after just the first two holes, and he trailed by three at the turn. Again, Palmer charged. He birdied the 10th, 12th, 13, 14th and 16th to seize a four stroke lead, eventually recording a 68 that beat Player by three strokes, with Finsterwald another six back.