1959 Masters Tournament
The 1959 Masters Tournament was the 23rd Masters Tournament, held April 2–5 at Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia. Art Wall Jr. shot a final round of 66 (−6), with birdies on five of the last six holes, for his only major title, one stroke ahead of runner-up Cary Middlecoff, the 1955 champion. Wall started the final round six strokes behind the leaders, in a tie for thirteenth place.
| Tournament information | |
|---|---|
| Dates | April 2–5, 1959 |
| Location | Augusta, Georgia 33.503°N 82.020°W |
| Course(s) | Augusta National Golf Club |
| Organized by | Augusta National Golf Club |
| Tour(s) | PGA Tour |
| Statistics | |
| Par | 72 |
| Length | 6,980 yards (6,383 m) |
| Field | 87 players, 42 after cut |
| Cut | 149 (+5) |
| Prize fund | $76,100 |
| Winner's share | $15,000 |
| Champion | |
| Art Wall Jr. | |
| 284 (−4) | |
| Location map | |
Augusta National Location in the United States Augusta National Location in Georgia | |
Defending champion Arnold Palmer was a third round co-leader, but a triple-bogey at the par-3 12th led to a 74 and a third-place finish, two strokes back. The purse in 1959 was a record $76,100 with a winner's share of $15,000 to Wall. The estimated gallery for the final round on Sunday was 30,000 spectators.
Nineteen-year-old Jack Nicklaus made his Masters debut with 76-74 (150) and missed the cut by one stroke. He played in 45 Masters, the first three as an amateur, and only missed one cut (1967) in the next 34 Masters tournaments. Nicklaus won a record six green jackets and was runner-up four times in his 22 top-10 finishes.