| 1975 Masters | |
His victory at The Masters in 1975 was the fifth of Jack Nicklaus' career, setting a new record for most Masters wins. It was also the 13th professional major championship win for Nicklaus, which extended his record for most professional majors.
But it wasn't easy. Nicklaus battled throughout the final round with Johnny Miller and Tom Weiskopf, both of whom had battled back from far behind Nicklaus earlier in the tournament. Nicklaus led Miller by 11 strokes at the tournament's halfway point, and Weiskopf by six strokes. But Nicklaus posted a 73 in the third round, while Miller was shooting 65 and Weiskopf 66.
After nine holes of the final round, Weiskopf and Nicklaus were tied for the lead with Miller two behind. The three players traded strokes throughout the back nine, before Nicklaus emerged with a one-stroke win, Miller and Weiskopf tied for second. And both runners-up made crucial mistakes along with birdies on that back nine, Miller missing a couple short putts, Weiskopf finding water on the 11th.
The dagger from Nicklaus, though, was a 40-foot birdie putt the Bear rolled across the green on the 16th hole, with Miller and Weiskopf watching from the 16th tee. It was a putt nobody expected Nicklaus to make; most observers thought he'd be lucky to get down with a par. Instead, Nicklaus birdied, the crowd erupted and Nicklaus got pretty excited himself.
Miller and Weiskopf still had chances on the final hole, each needing birdie to force a playoff. And each had a birdie putt, but neither one made his putt.
Miller would finish second three times at The Masters, and for Weiskopf this was his fourth runner-up finish, which ties the Masters record.
The 1975 Masters is also significant for the inclusion in the field of Lee Elder. Elder was the first black golfer ever to appear in The Masters.
1975 Masters Scores
Results from the 1975 Masters golf tournament played at the par-72 Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Ga. (a-amateur):
| Jack Nicklaus | 68-67-73-68--276 | $40,000 |
| Johnny Miller | 75-71-65-66--277 | $21,250 |
| Tom Weiskopf | 69-72-66-70--277 | $21,250 |
| Hale Irwin | 73-74-71-64--282 | $12,500 |
| Bobby Nichols | 67-74-72-69--282 | $12,500 |
| Billy Casper | 70-70-73-70--283 | $7,500 |
| Dave Hill | 75-71-70-68--284 | $6,000 |
| Hubert Green | 74-71-70-70--285 | $4,500 |
| Tom Watson | 70-70-72-73--285 | $4,500 |
| Tom Kite | 72-74-71-69--286 | $3,600 |
| J.C. Snead | 69-72-75-70--286 | $3,600 |
| Lee Trevino | 71-70-74-71--286 | $3,600 |
| Arnold Palmer | 69-71-75-72--287 | $3,250 |
| Larry Ziegler | 71-73-74-69--287 | $3,250 |
| Bobby Cole | 73-71-73-71--288 | $2,900 |
| Rod Curl | 72-70-76-70--288 | $2,900 |
| Bruce Devlin | 72-70-76-70--288 | $2,900 |
| Allen Miller | 68-75-72-73--288 | $2,900 |
| Art Wall Jr. | 72-74-72-70--288 | $2,900 |
| Bud Allin | 73-69-73-74--289 | $2,550 |
| Ralph Johnston | 74-73-69-73--289 | $2,550 |
| Hugh Baiocchi | 76-72-72-70--290 | $2,275 |
| Pat Fitzsimons | 73-68-79-70--290 | $2,275 |
| Gene Littler | 72-72-72-74--290 | $2,275 |
| Graham Marsh | 75-70-74-71--290 | $2,275 |
| Miller Barber | 74-72-72-73--291 | $2,000 |
| Maurice Bembridge | 75-72-75-69--291 | $2,000 |
| Jerry Heard | 71-75-72-73--291 | $2,000 |
| Dave Stockton | 72-72-73-74--291 | $2,000 |
| a-George Burns III | 72-72-76-72--292 | |
| Ben Crenshaw | 72-71-75-74--292 | $1,950 |
| Forrest Fezler | 76-71-71-74--292 | $1,950 |
| Raymond Floyd | 72-73-79-68--292 | $1,950 |
| Gary Player | 72-74-73-73--292 | $1,950 |
| Victor Regalado | 76-72-72-72--292 | $1,950 |
| Bert Yancey | 74-71-74-73--292 | $1,950 |
| a-Jerry Pate | 71-75-78-69--293 | |
| Tommy Aaron | 71-75-76-72--294 | $1,850 |
| Gary Groh | 72-76-71-75--294 | $1,850 |
| Charles Coody | 72-75-75-73--295 | $1,800 |
| Lou Graham | 72-72-77-74--295 | $1,800 |
| Bob Murphy | 70-72-80-74--296 | $1,750 |
| Homero Blancas | 72-69-79-77--297 | $1,700 |
| Lu Liang-Huan | 73-74-78-72--297 | $1,700 |
| Jumbo Ozaki | 73-73-83-68--297 | $1,700 |
| Richie Karl | 72-75-79-76--302 | $1,650 |
1974 Masters | 1976 Masters
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