Decade by decade, the best of the Masters
By Bill Felber
Masters: The first transition
Through the 1950s, the game’s power elite gradually shifted from Hogan and Snead to Arnold Palmer. But by 1959, Palmer – who debuted in 1955 – was only beginning to be the dominant Masters’ personality he would soon become.
That fact throws the competition for best across the span of the decade wide open.
A total of 42 players qualified for consideration by dint of having made the cut in at least half of the decade’s five events. But only one of that 42, Snead, made the cut in all 10. In the most competitive decade-long competition, here is the final top 10.
Rk Player Avg. Std. Dev
1. Ben Hogan -1.36
2. Sam Snead -1.33
3. Cary Middlecoff -1.31
4. Arnold Palmer -1.23
5. Lloyd Mangrum -1.22
6. Jack Burke Jr. -0.99
7. Doug Ford -0.87
8. Stan Leonard -0.78
9. Billy Joe Patton -0.72
10. Jimmy Demaret -0.69
That’s five stars of the decade finishing within 14 parts of one standard deviation of one another. For purposes of comparison, the gap between first and fifth was 85 parts in the 1930s and 87 parts in the 1940s. In no succeeding decade will we see a gap between first and fifth that is smaller than 32 parts of a standard deviation.
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Hogan emerges with the narrow win because beyond his 1951 and 1953 victories, he was second in 1954 and 1955, fourth in 1950, seventh in 1952, and eighth in 1956. His only mediocre showing came at the decade’s end, a tie for 30th in 1959.
He is the only player to be the dominant Masters’ figure in two separate decades of the tournament’s existence.
Obviously, there is little to choose between Hogan and Snead, the latter complementing his own 1952 and 1954 wins with a 1957 runner-up, third-place finishes in 1950 and 1955, and a fourth in 1956.
Middlecoff won in 1955, finished second in 1959, third in 1956, and was top 10 in 1950, 1954, and 1958.
Palmer’s decade score may have been handicapped by his late start. Beyond his 1958 victory, he finished third in 1959, seventh in 1957, and 10th in 1955.
Mangrum, whose career was cut short by lung cancer, could not win a Masters’. But be contended throughout the 1950s, finishing sixth, third, sixth, third, fourth, seventh, and fourth between 1950 and 1956.