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.

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.

Field 1. Masters champions Jack Burke Jr. (4,10,11), Jimmy Demaret (8), Doug Ford (4,8,11), Claude Harmon (8), Ben Hogan (2,3,4,8,9), Herman Keiser, Cary Middlecoff (2,8), Byron Nelson (2,4,8), Arnold Palmer (8), Henry Picard (4), Gene Sarazen (2,3,4), Horton Smith, Sam Snead (3,4,8,10), Craig Wood (2) Ralph Guldahl (2) did not play.

The following categories only apply to Americans

2. U.S. Open champions Tommy Bolt (9,10,11), Julius Boros (9,10), Billy Burke, Chick Evans (5,a), Jack Fleck, Ed Furgol (11), Tony Manero, Lloyd Mangrum, Dick Mayer (11), Fred McLeod, Sam Parks Jr., Lew Worsham

3. The Open champions Jock Hutchison (4), Denny Shute (4)

4. PGA champions Walter Burkemo (9), Dow Finsterwald (8,10,11), Vic Ghezzi, Chick Harbert (8), Chandler Harper, Lionel Hebert (11), Johnny Revolta, Jim Turnesa

5. U.S. Amateur and Amateur champions Dick Chapman (a), Charles Coe (6,7,8,9,a), Robert Sweeny Jr. (a)

6. Selections for the 1959 U.S. Walker Cup team Tommy Aaron (7,a), Deane Beman (7,a), William C. Campbell (a), Bill Hyndman (a), Chuck Kocsis (7,a), Jack Nicklaus (a), Billy Joe Patton (8,a), Bud Taylor (7,a), Ward Wettlaufer (a)

Campbell and Kocsis were reserves for the team. Harvie Ward did not play.

7. 1958 U.S. Amateur quarter-finalists Dick Foote (a), Roger McManus (a), Jack Westland (a)

8. Top 24 players and ties from the 1958 Masters Tournament Billy Casper (9,10), Fred Hawkins (11), Jay Hebert (9,10), Ted Kroll (11), Billy Maxwell, Al Mengert, Phil Rodgers (a), Mike Souchak (10), Ken Venturi, Art Wall Jr. (11), Bo Wininger

9. Top 16 players and ties from the 1958 U.S. Open Marty Furgol, Bob Goetz, Tommy Jacobs, Don January, Gene Littler, Dick Metz, Bob Rosburg, Frank Stranahan

10. Top eight players and ties from 1958 PGA Championship Buster Cupit, Ed Oliver

11. Members of the U.S. 1957 Ryder Cup team

12. One player, either amateur or professional, not already qualified, selected by a ballot of ex-Masters champions Ernie Vossler

13. One professional, not already qualified, selected by a ballot of ex-U.S. Open champions George Bayer

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

15. Two players, not already qualified, from a points list based on finishes in the winter part of the 1959 PGA Tour Paul Harney, John McMullin

16. Winner of the 1958 Canadian Open Wes Ellis

17. Foreign invitations Bruce Castator (a), Bruce Crampton, Stan Leonard (8), Henry Martell, Ángel Miguel, Gary Player (9), Dave Thomas, Peter Thomson (3,8), Retief Waltman

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

Round summaries

First round Thursday, April 2, 1959 PlacePlayerScoreTo par1 Stan Leonard 69 −3 T2 Jack Burke Jr. 71 −1 Chandler Harper Arnold Palmer T5 Tommy Bolt 72 E Jay Hebert Gene Littler Ángel Miguel Peter ThomsonT10 Ben Hogan 73 +1 Bill Hyndman (a) Chuck Kocsis (a) Billy Maxwell Dick Mayer Gary Player Mike Souchak Dave Thomas Art Wall Jr. Source:

Second round Friday, April 3, 1959 PlacePlayerScoreTo par1 Arnold Palmer 71-70=141 −3 2 Stan Leonard 69-74=143 −1 T3 Julius Boros 75-69=144 E Paul Harney 75-69=144 Billy Maxwell 73-71=144 Ángel Miguel 72-72=144 Ed Oliver 75-69=144 Mike Souchak 73-71=144 Dave Thomas 73-71=144T10 Walter Burkemo 75-70=145 +1 Jack Fleck 74-71=145 Chandler Harper 71-74=145 Jay Hebert 72-73=145 Bill Hyndman (a) 73-72=145 Cary Middlecoff 74-71=145 Billy Joe Patton (a) 75-70=145 Bo Wininger 75-70=145 Source:

Third round Saturday, April 4, 1959 PlacePlayerScoreTo parT1 Stan Leonard 69-74-69=212 −4 Arnold Palmer 71-70-71=2123 Cary Middlecoff 74-71-68=213 −3 4 Charles Coe (a) 74-74-67=215 −1T5 Walter Burkemo 75-70-71=216 E Fred Hawkins 77-71-68=216 Jack Fleck 74-71-71=216 Billy Maxwell 73-71-72=216 Billy Joe Patton (a) 75-70-71=216T10 Jay Hebert 72-73-72=217 +1 Ed Oliver 75-69-73=217 Bo Wininger 75-70-72=217 Source:

Final round Sunday, April 5, 1959

Final leaderboard Champion Silver Cup winner (low amateur)(a) = amateur(c) = past champion Top 10PlacePlayerScoreTo parMoney (US$)1 Art Wall Jr. 73-74-71-66=284 −4 15,0002 Cary Middlecoff (c) 74-71-68-72=285 −3 7,5003 Arnold Palmer (c) 71-70-71-74=286 −2 4,500T4 Stan Leonard 69-74-69-75=287 −1 2,625 Dick Mayer 73-75-71-68=2876 Charles Coe (a) 74-74-67-73=288 E 07 Fred Hawkins 77-71-68-73=289 +1 2,100T8 Julius Boros 75-69-74-72=290 +2 1,740 Jay Hebert 72-73-72-73=290 Gene Littler 72-75-72-71=290 Billy Maxwell 73-71-72-74=290 Billy Joe Patton (a) 75-70-71-74=290 0 Gary Player 73-75-71-71=290 1,740 Leaderboard below the top 10PlacePlayerScoreTo parMoney ($)T14 Chick Harbert 74-72-74-71=291 +3 1,425 Chandler Harper 71-74-74-72=291 Ted Kroll 76-71-73-71=291 Ed Oliver 75-69-73-74=291T18 Dow Finsterwald 79-68-73-72=292 +4 1,300 Jack Fleck 74-71-71-76=292 Bill Hyndman (a) 73-72-76-71=292 0 Bo Wininger 75-70-72-75=292 1,300T22 Walter Burkemo 75-70-71-77=293 +5 1,275 Chuck Kocsis (a) 73-75-70-75=293 0 Sam Snead (c) 74-73-72-74=293 1,275T25 Don Cherry (a) 77-71-75-71=294 +6 0 Doug Ford (c) 76-73-73-72=294 1,200 Paul Harney 75-69-77-73=294 Ángel Miguel 72-72-76-74=294 Mike Souchak 73-71-74-76=294T30 Tommy Bolt 72-75-72-76=295 +7 350 Ben Hogan (c) 73-74-76-72=295 Bob Rosburg 75-74-73-73=295 Dave Thomas 73-71-77-74=295T34 Jack Burke Jr. (c) 71-77-76-72=296 +8 350 Frank Stranahan 74-72-73-77=29636 Don January 74-75-70-78=297 +9 35037 Marty Furgol 74-74-74-76=298 +10 35038 Ernie Vossler 74-74-75-76=299 +11 35039 Lionel Hebert 77-72-76-75=300 +12 35040 George Bayer 74-75-77-77=303 +15 350CUT Deane Beman (a) 74-76=150 +6 Bruce Crampton 75-75=150 Tommy Jacobs 77-73=150 Jack Nicklaus (a) 76-74=150 Dick Chapman (a) 75-76=151 +7 Claude Harmon (c) 74-77=151 Lloyd Mangrum 74-77=151 Ken Venturi 75-76=151 Ward Wettlaufer (a) 77-74=151 Billy Casper 76-76=152 +8 Wes Ellis 75-77=152 Al Mengert 76-76=152 Dick Metz 78-74=152 Johnny Revolta 76-76=152 Jack Westland (a) 78-74=152 Henry Picard (c) 77-76=153 +9 Jim Turnesa 77-76=153 Vic Ghezzi 74-80=154 +10 Bud Taylor (a) 81-73=154 Tommy Aaron (a) 79-76=155 +11 Buster Cupit 81-74=155 Bob Goetz 78-77=155 Herman Keiser (c) 78-77=155 Phil Rodgers (a) 78-77=155 Ed Furgol 78-78=156 +12 Gene Sarazen (c) 77-79=156 Denny Shute 81-75=156 Lew Worsham 76-80=156 Henry Martell 80-77=157 +13 John McMullin 78-79=157 William C. Campbell (a) 81-77=158 +14 Robert Sweeny Jr. (a) 81-77=158 Billy Burke 81-78=159 +15 Dick Foote (a) 84-76=160 +16 Roger McManus (a) 81-79=160 Retief Waltman 84-77=161 +17 Bruce Castator (a) 82-80=162 +18 Jimmy Demaret (c) 78-84=162 Craig Wood (c) 83-81=164 +20 Tony Manero 82-83=165 +21 Sam Parks Jr. 86-79=165 Horton Smith (c) 83-83=166 +22 Chick Evans (a) 90-87=177 +33WD Byron Nelson (c) 75-73=148 +4 Jock Hutchison 85 +13 Fred McLeod 89 +17DQ Peter Thomson 72-74-71=217 +1

Sources:

Scorecard Hole123456789101112131415161718Par454343454 443545344 Wall+1EEEEE+1EE+1+1+1E−1−2−2−3−4 Middlecoff−3−2−2−1−1−1−1−2−2−2−1−1−2−1−3−3−3−3 Palmer −4−4−4−4−4−3−3−4−4−4−4−1−2−2−3−3−2−2 Leonard −4−4−4−3−3−3−2−2−1−1−1−1−2−2−2−2−1−1 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 |style="background: Olive;" width=10| |Triple bogey+

References

External links Masters.com – past winners and results Augusta.com – 1959 Masters leaderboard and scorecards