The Masters: Ranking the 25 most exceptional performances at Augusta

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AUGUSTA, GA – APRIL 10: Tommy Aaron during the Par 3 Contest prior to the start of the 2013 Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club on April 10, 2013 in Augusta, Georgia. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images) /

19: Tommy Aaron, 1973 Masters, 283 (-5), Std. Deviation -2.39

In Masters lore, Tommy Aaron may be best remembered as Roberto deVicenzo’s playing partner when deVicenzo was famously penalized out of a playoff for the 1968 Masters for signing an incorrect scorecard. Aaron was the guy keeping deVicenzo’s score.

The 1973 Masters constituted Aaron’s redemption from that stumble.

Prior to that Masters, Aaron hadn’t built much of a reputation for himself. He could claim only one tour win and just two top five finishes in professional majors, including a runner-up to Gary Player at the previous summer’s PGA Championship, but he had also suffered through nine finishes outside the top 30. One of those was a missed cut at the 1972 Masters.

Aaron shot 68 to take the sole first round lead, but had to survive indifferent Friday and Saturday play as well as rain that pushed the completion of the third round into Sunday. He managed rounds of 73 and 74 that left him tied for fifth at 1 under, four behind leader Peter Oosterhuis as the final round began Monday.

In that final round, Aaron’s hot start applied pressure to the four players ahead of him: Oosterhuis, former champion Bob Goalby, Jim Jamieson and J.C. Snead. Aaron birdied the first three holes, moving ahead of Jamieson and Goalby and into a tie for second with Snead, two behind Oosterhuis.

When the leader bogeyed the par three fourth, Aaron moved within one. Another Oosterhuis bogey at seven forged a three-way tie, with Aaron and Snead both promptly broke by birdieing the 8th.

Aaron stumbled early on the back nine, his bogeys on 10 and 11 shooting Snead into a two-stroke lead. But that only lasted until Snead doubled the 121th, reinstating the three-way deadlock.

The turning point came at the par 5 15th, which Aaron birdied while Snead walked away with a par and Oosterhuis bogeyed. Aaron parred in to hold that one-stroke advantage. His 283 was nearly a dozen strokes better than the four-round field average of 294.8.

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