The 1956 Masters Tournament was the 20th Masters Tournament, held April 5–8 at Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia.

Jack Burke Jr. won his first major championship and only Masters, one stroke ahead of amateur Ken Venturi. It was the final Masters played without a 36-hole cut. CBS televised the third and fourth rounds of the tournament for the first time, and has done so every year since.

Burke shot a 71 (−1) on Sunday, one of only two players to break par in the final round; he rallied from a tournament record eight shots back to pass Venturi, who had led the entire tournament. Then a 24-year-old amateur, Venturi opened with a first round 66 (−6), the best round to date at the Masters by an amateur. But on Sunday, he shot a 42 (+6) on the final nine holes to card a disappointing 80 (+8). Burke's 289, along with Sam Snead in 1954 and Zach Johnson in 2007, remains the highest winning total in Masters history.

Burke was late arriving at the course for his final round on Sunday after going to church and had only fifteen minutes to warm up. He won a second (and final) major title in late July at the PGA Championship, in its penultimate edition as a match play competition.

Field 1. Masters champions Jimmy Demaret, Claude Harmon, Ben Hogan (2,4,6,9,10), Cary Middlecoff (2,7,9,10,12), Byron Nelson (2,6,9), Henry Picard (6), Gene Sarazen (2,4,6), Horton Smith, Sam Snead (4,6,7,9,10), Craig Wood Ralph Guldahl (2) and Herman Keiser did not play.

2. U.S. Open champions Julius Boros (9,10), Billy Burke, Johnny Farrell, Jack Fleck (10), Ed Furgol (9), Lawson Little (3,5), Tony Manero, Lloyd Mangrum (9), Fred McLeod, Sam Parks Jr., George Sargent, Lew Worsham (12)

3. U.S. Amateur champions Dick Chapman (5,a), Gene Littler (9,10), Billy Maxwell (9), Arnold Palmer (9,10), Skee Riegel (9), Sam Urzetta, Harvie Ward (5,8,9,10,11,a)

4. British Open champions Jock Hutchison (6), Denny Shute (6)

5. British Amateur champions Joe Conrad (8,9,a), Frank Stranahan (9,10)

6. PGA champions Walter Burkemo (9), Doug Ford (7,10,12), Vic Ghezzi, Chick Harbert (7), Johnny Revolta, Jim Turnesa

7. Members of the U.S. 1955 Ryder Cup team Jerry Barber, Tommy Bolt (9,10,12), Jack Burke Jr. (9,10,12), Ted Kroll

Marty Furgol and Chandler Harper (6) did not play.

8. Members of the U.S. 1955 Walker Cup team Rex Baxter (a), William C. Campbell (a), Don Cherry (a), Bruce Cudd (a), Jimmy Jackson (a), Ed Meister (a), Dale Morey (a), Billy Joe Patton (a)

Dick Yost (a) did not play. Baxter and Meister were reserves for the team.

9. Top 24 players and ties from the 1955 Masters Tournament Pete Cooper, Jay Hebert, Dick Mayer, Johnny Palmer, Bob Rosburg (10), Mike Souchak (10)

10. Top 24 players and ties from the 1955 U.S. Open Bob Harris, Fred Hawkins (12), Bud Holscher, Walker Inman, Shelley Mayfield (12), Al Mengert, George Schneiter, Ernie Vossler, Art Wall Jr.

Smiley Quick did not play.

11. 1955 U.S. Amateur quarter-finalists Bill Booe (a), Joe Campbell (a), Ed Hopkins (a), Bill Hyndman (a), Charles Kunkle (a), Jim McCoy (a), Hillman Robbins (9,a)

12. 1955 PGA Championship quarter-finalists Don Fairfield

13. One player, either amateur or professional, not already qualified, selected by a ballot of ex-Masters champions Ken Venturi (a)

14. One amateur, not already qualified, selected by a ballot of ex-U.S. Amateur champions Don Bisplinghoff (a)

15. One professional, not already qualified, selected by a ballot of ex-U.S. Open champions Fred Haas

16. Two players, not already qualified, from a points list based on finishes in the winter part of the 1956 PGA Tour Dow Finsterwald, Lionel Hebert

17. Foreign invitations Al Balding, Henry Cotton (4), Roberto De Vicenzo, Stan Leonard (9), Moe Norman (a)

Numbers in brackets indicate categories that the player would have qualified under had they been American.

Round summaries First round Thursday, April 5, 1956 PlacePlayerScoreTo par1 Ken Venturi (a) 66 −62 Cary Middlecoff 67 −5T3 Tommy Bolt 68 −4 Shelley Mayfield 5 Ben Hogan 69 −3T6 Doug Ford 70 −2 Bob Rosburg Billy Joe Patton (a) T9 Jerry Barber 71 −1 Fred Hawkins

Second round Friday, April 6, 1956 PlacePlayerScoreTo par1 Ken Venturi (a) 66-69=135 −92 Cary Middlecoff 67-72=139 −5T3 Tommy Bolt 68-74=142 −2 Pete Cooper 72-70=142 Doug Ford 70-72=142 Shelley Mayfield 68-74=142T7 Jack Burke Jr. 72-71=143 −1 Jerry Barber 71-72=143T9 Fred Hawkins 71-73=144 E Bob Rosburg 70-74=144

Third round Saturday, April 7, 1956 PlacePlayerScoreTo par1 Ken Venturi (a) 66-69-75=210 −62 Cary Middlecoff 67-72-75=214 −23 Doug Ford 70-72-75=217 +1T4 Jack Burke Jr. 72-71-75=218 +2 Lloyd Mangrum 72-74-72=218 T6 Jerry Barber 71-72-76=219 +3 Pete Cooper 72-70-77=219T8 Tommy Bolt 68-74-78=220 +4 Fred Hawkins 71-73-76=220 Mike Souchak 73-73-74=220

Final round Sunday, April 8, 1956

Final leaderboard Champion Silver Cup winner (low amateur)(a) = amateur(c) = past champion Top 10PlacePlayerScoreTo parMoney (US$)1 Jack Burke Jr. 72-71-75-71=289 +1 6,0002 Ken Venturi (a) 66-69-75-80=290 +2 03 Cary Middlecoff (c) 67-72-75-77=291 +3 3,750T4 Lloyd Mangrum 72-74-72-74=292 +4 2,325 Sam Snead (c) 73-76-72-71=292T6 Jerry Barber 71-72-76-75=294 +6 1,350 Doug Ford 70-72-75-77=294T8 Tommy Bolt 68-74-78-76=296 +8 975 Ben Hogan (c) 69-78-74-75=296 Shelley Mayfield 68-74-80-74=296 Leaderboard below the top 10PlacePlayerScoreTo parMoney ($)11 Johnny Palmer 76-74-74-73=297 +9 825T12 Pete Cooper 72-70-77-79=298 +10 735 Gene Littler 73-77-74-74=298 Billy Joe Patton (a) 70-76-79-73=298 0 Sam Urzetta 73-75-76-74=298 73516 Bob Rosburg 70-74-81-74=299 +11 675T17 Walter Burkemo 72-74-78-76=300 +12 660 Roberto De Vicenzo 75-72-78-75=300 Hillman Robbins (a) 73-73-78-76=300 0 Mike Souchak 73-73-74-80=300 66021 Arnold Palmer 73-75-74-79=301 +13 630T22 Frank Stranahan 72-75-79-76=302 +14 630 Jim Turnesa 74-74-74-80=302T24 Julius Boros 73-78-72-80=303 +15 480 Dow Finsterwald 74-73-79-77=303 Ed Furgol 74-75-78-76=303 Stan Leonard 75-75-79-74=303 Al Mengert 74-72-79-78=303T29 Al Balding 75-78-77-74=304 +16 300 Vic Ghezzi 74-77-77-76=304 Fred Haas 78-72-75-79=304 Fred Hawkins 71-73-76-84=304 Walker Inman 73-75-74-82=304T34 Jimmy Demaret (c) 73-75-76-81=305 +17 300 Billy Maxwell 75-75-81-74=305 Art Wall Jr. 75-80-75-75=305 Harvie Ward (a) 76-70-81-78=305 0 Lew Worsham 74-72-80-79=305 30039 Byron Nelson (c) 73-75-78-80=306 +18 300T40 Chick Harbert 73-76-78-80=307 +19 300 Bob Harris 73-79-77-78=307 Skee Riegel 72-79-76-80=307T43 William C. Campbell (a) 77-78-77-76=308 +20 0 Jack Fleck 74-77-76-81=308 300 Dick Mayer 75-74-81-78=308T46 Rex Baxter (a) 76-79-79-75=309 +21 0 Claude Harmon (c) 77-79-76-77=309 300 Henry Picard (c) 75-76-82-76=309T49 Bud Holscher 73-81-80-76=310 +22 300 Gene Sarazen (c) 77-75-78-80=310T51 Jimmy Jackson (a) 77-74-76-84=311 +23 0 Ted Kroll 75-75-79-82=311 300T53 Bruce Cudd (a) 78-77-84-74=313 +25 0 Jay Hebert 74-76-82-81=313 300 Bill Hyndman (a) 79-77-77-80=313 0T56 Joe Campbell (a) 77-80-78-79=314 +26 Ed Hopkins (a) 76-76-82-80=314T58 Don Bisplinghoff (a) 77-80-81-78=316 +28 Don Fairfield 78-75-77-86=316 300 Ed Meister (a) 78-78-84-76=316 0T61 Joe Conrad (a) 76-79-81-81=317 +29 Lionel Hebert 77-77-80-83=317 300 Ernie Vossler 78-79-83-77=31764 George Schneiter 77-80-82-79=318 +30 300T65 Dick Chapman (a) 79-82-82-76=319 +31 0 Dale Morey (a) 83-75-83-78=319 Sam Parks Jr. 80-82-76-81=319 300T68 Henry Cotton 77-83-81-80=321 +33 300 Jim McCoy (a) 77-81-81-82=321 070 Craig Wood (c) 76-80-78-88=322 +34 30071 Denny Shute 82-79-89-74=324 +36 300T72 Don Cherry (a) 79-81-81-84=325 +37 0 Lawson Little 77-81-85-82=325 30074 Bill Booe (a) 82-80-87-77=326 +38 075 Johnny Revolta 84-81-79-84=328 +40 30076 Horton Smith (c) 86-84-84-82=336 +48 30077 Charles Kunkle (a) 78-82-85-95=340 +52 0WD Johnny Farrell 79-86-86=251 +35 Moe Norman (a) 75-78=153 +9 Billy Burke 80-80=160 +16 Tony Manero 81-80=161 +17 Fred McLeod 90-88=178 +34 Jock Hutchison 83 +11 George Sargent

Sources:

Scorecard Hole 1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9 101112131415161718Par454343454 443545344 Burke +2+1+1+1+1+1+1+1+1+1+2+1+1+2+2+2+1+1 Venturi −5−5−5−5−5−5−5−5−4−3−2−1−1E+1+1+2+2 Middlecoff −3−4−4−3−1−1+1+1E+1+1+1+1+1+1+1+3+3 Cumulative tournament scores, relative to par {|class="wikitable" span = 50 style="font-size:85%; |- |style="background: Red;" width=10| |Eagle |style="background: Pink;" width=10| |Birdie |style="background: PaleGreen;" width=10| |Bogey |style="background: Green;" width=10| |Double bogey |} Source:

References

External links Masters.com – Past winners and results Augusta.com – 1956 Masters leaderboard and scorecards