Masters Tournament: The ten best players in Augusta National history

5: Byron Nelson – 1935-1961, (1937, 1942), -16.90

Byron Nelson was a winless 23-year-old trying to break onto the tour when he debuted at the 1935 Masters, the second one ever held. He tied for ninth. Two years later, a third round 75 left Nelson four strokes behind Ralph Guldahl, and he remained four back through 11 holes on Sunday.

Then Nelson played the 12th and 13th in 2-3 while Guldahl required 5-6, giving Nelson a two-stroke lead he never surrendered. The Nelson Bridge, near Augusta’s 13th tee, commemorates his achievement.

For the next four years, Nelson was the tournament’s premier player. He finished fifth, seventh, third and second, and in 1942 Nelson beat Ben Hogan in a playoff for his second title. The victory was poignant because America was already at war and it was evident that the PGA Tour, along with many other sporting events, would be severely cut back. In fact, The Masters was not played again until 1946.

Coming off a 1945 season he had dominated, Nelson was a heavy favorite in 1946, but he played poorly by his standards, only managing a tie for seventh. Although  Nelson essentially retired from competitive play after that season, he always made an exception for The Masters, competing annually for another decade. He tied for second in 1947 and compiled five more top-tens through 1955.

For his career, Nelson complemented his pair of Masters wins with 14 top-tens overall, seven of them top fives.