As the iconic Augusta National Golf Course prepares to host the 2023 edition of the Masters Tournament, we’ve taken a closer look at the prestigious event’s past two decades of winners. Claiming the green jacket at this tournament is highly coveted, making the Masters one of the most anticipated events on the Tour.
For the first time this season, LIV Series golfers and PGA TOUR professionals will be hitting the course together, as the Masters has extended invitations to LIV Series players.
In this article, we will reveal the ultimate Masters champion, based on the tournament winners’ average rounds from the past twenty years.
List of winners since 2001
*won after playoffs
Over the past two decades, Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, and Bubba Watson have claimed multiple victories at the Master Tournament since 2001. However, when comparing their historical performances at the event to other past winners, how do they stack up against each other?
With Tiger Woods teeing up 18 times since 2001, Phil Mickelson 21 times, and Bubba Watson 14 times, these winners have all made multiple appearances at the tournament. In contrast, some winners like Len Mattiace have only played the Masters twice, while recent champion Scottie Scheffler has taken part in the event just three times.
To determine the ultimate winner of the past two decades, we’ve calculated the average performance of every winner on the course, regardless of the number of times they’ve played. By doing so, we can imagine a Masters tournament where all past winners compete, and determine the ultimate champion.
The overall winner
Based on our analysis, Scottie Scheffler, last year’s winner, would claim the title of the overall winner if all past champions were to compete against each other, with an average performance of -6 below par on the course.
Although Dustin Johnson set a record-breaking score of 20-under in 2020, his average performance of -3 below par places him behind Scheffler. The previous record of 18-under was achieved by both Tiger Woods in 1997 and Jordan Spieth in 2015.
Not only does Scheffler hold the top spot in our historical analysis, but he is also the favourite among bookmakers to win the tournament and claim a second green jacket.
Methodology
We analyzed data from ESPN’s golf section (https://www.espn.com/golf/stats), specifically focusing on every player’s performance. The available data goes back to 2001. To determine the ultimate victor, we computed the average round of each golfer’s appearances in The Master since 2001. This process enabled us to determine which champion from 2001 onwards would emerge triumphant if they were to hypothetically compete against each other in a tournament, based on their historical average performances.
