Who Won the Masters Golf? Key Winners of Recent Years
15 July, 2026Logan Hart0 Comments1 category
Scottie Scheffler won the 2024 Masters Tournament, making him the clear answer to who won the masters golf world’s most prestigious event that April. He brought the same calm, methodical game that earned him his first green jacket in 2022. Two Masters wins in three years puts him in rare company. It also says something real about where professional golf stands right now.
The Masters is held every April at Augusta National Golf Club in Georgia. It’s the only major that returns to the same course every single year. That consistency is what makes each champion’s win directly comparable to every one before it — no other major offers that.
Key Takeaways
Scheffler won 2024 Masters at -11, his second green jacket
Only Woods and Nicklaus have more Masters wins than Scheffler
Johnson’s 2020 record -20 score benefited from unusual fall conditions
Champions borrow the green jacket for one year, then return it
Augusta’s fixed venue makes results comparable across all decades
International players (Rahm, Matsuyama) reflect golf’s growing global elite
Scottie Scheffler Won the 2024 Masters — His Second Green Jacket
Scheffler finished the 2024 Masters at 11-under par, winning by four strokes over Ludvig Åberg, who was playing in his first Masters. That margin wasn’t a fluke. Scheffler entered the week ranked world number one and played like it. His strokes gained numbers across all four rounds were among the best recorded at Augusta in recent memory.
Åberg, a Swede in his rookie major season, finished at 7-under and showed enough composure to suggest he’ll be back. But Scheffler never gave him a window. By the end of the third round, the gap was already established, and Sunday became more of a coronation than a contest.
Winning the Masters twice before age 28 puts Scheffler in genuinely rare territory. Only a handful of players have won multiple green jackets, including Tiger Woods (5 wins), Jack Nicklaus (6 wins), and Arnold Palmer (4 wins). Scheffler’s dominance in 2022 and 2024 puts him in a conversation most players never reach.
His 2022 win came when he was still a relative newcomer to the top of the rankings. Winning again two years later, under far heavier expectations, is a different kind of test. He passed it cleanly.
What makes Scheffler’s wins stand out isn’t power off the tee. It’s ball-striking consistency. Augusta National punishes loose iron play more than almost any course on tour, and Scheffler’s ability to control distance and trajectory on approach shots gave him a consistent advantage on a course where the wrong side of the green can cost you two shots in a hurry.
Amen Corner, holes 11 through 13, is where Augusta separates the field most brutally. Scheffler navigated that stretch without a double bogey across all four rounds in 2024, which is harder than it sounds when wind and pin positions combine against you.
His 2024 win also came during a stretch where he was arguably the most dominant player in professional golf, period. He won multiple PGA Tour events leading into Augusta that year, arriving with momentum that he never surrendered across 72 holes.
Before the Masters, Scheffler had already won The Players Championship in March 2024, one of the most prestigious non-major events on tour. Arriving at Augusta as the reigning Players champion added another layer to an already formidable week.
Recent Masters Champions at a Glance: 2020–2024
The last five Masters tournaments have produced four different champions, with Scheffler accounting for two of those wins. Here’s the full picture:
Year
Champion
Country
Score (to par)
Notable Detail
2024
Scottie Scheffler
USA
-11
Won by 4 strokes; his second green jacket
2023
Jon Rahm
Spain
-12
First Spanish player to win the Masters
2022
Scottie Scheffler
USA
-10
First major championship win of his career
2021
Hideki Matsuyama
Japan
-10
First Japanese man to win a major
2020
Dustin Johnson
USA
-20
All-time Masters scoring record
A few things jump out of that table immediately. Dustin Johnson’s 2020 score of 20-under is in a different universe from the other winners — that tournament was played in November instead of April due to COVID-19, and the course conditions that fall week were softer and more receptive than Augusta typically plays in spring. Johnson’s -20 may never be matched under normal April conditions.
Scheffler’s two wins at -11 and -10 look modest by comparison, but Augusta in April is a different test. The greens firm up, the wind picks up, and double-bogeys happen to the best players in the world on holes like 12 and 15.
The international representation in this five-year window is worth noting. Rahm (Spain) and Matsuyama (Japan) broke through in back-to-back years, reflecting how global the elite level of professional golf has become.
What Each Recent Win Actually Tells You About Modern Golf
The last five Masters results aren’t just a list of names and scores. Each win reflects something specific about how the modern game is being played and who’s capable of winning at the highest level.
Scheffler’s Two Wins Signal a New Kind of Dominance
For most of Masters history, the green jacket went to a mix of proven stars and surprise champions. Scheffler’s two wins in three years fit a different pattern: a world-number-one player converting his ranking into actual major titles, which doesn’t happen as often as you’d think. Between Tiger Woods’s peak years and Scheffler’s recent run, plenty of players held the top ranking without winning Augusta. Scheffler is converting.
His game is built for Augusta specifically — controlled iron play, a reliable short game, and the mental steadiness to handle Amen Corner (holes 11, 12, and 13) without blowing up.
Jon Rahm’s 2023 Win and the International Wave
Rahm’s -12 win in 2023 was a wire-to-wire statement. He led or co-led through all four rounds and never looked rattled. His win continued a stretch of international players proving that Augusta isn’t an American stronghold anymore — Rahm joined a list that includes players from Fiji (Vijay Singh), South Africa (Trevor Immelman), and Australia (Adam Scott).
Rahm’s 2023 performance was built on wedge play that consistently left him inside 10 feet on par-5 second shots, a skill that Augusta rewards heavily.
Hideki Matsuyama’s 2021 Historic Breakthrough
Matsuyama’s win at -10 was historic in a straightforward way: he became the first Japanese man to win any major championship. The cultural weight of that moment was enormous in Japan, where golf has a massive following. His caddie, Shota Hayafuji, bowed to the 18th green after the final round — an image that circulated worldwide.
From a golf standpoint, Matsuyama won with his putting, which had historically been the weakest part of his game. He ranked inside the top 10 in putting that week at Augusta, which was the difference.
Dustin Johnson’s 2020 Record-Setting Performance
Johnson’s November 2020 win sits apart from the others for two reasons: the date and the score. Playing Augusta in fall meant softer turf, lower scores across the entire field, and a leaderboard that looked nothing like a typical April Masters. His -20 total beat the previous Masters scoring record by two strokes.
That doesn’t diminish the win — Johnson played flawless golf, averaging over 330 yards off the tee and converting nearly every makeable birdie putt. But comparing his score directly to other champions requires that context.
The Green Jacket: What It Is and Why Champions Return It
The green jacket is the defining symbol of a Masters victory. Augusta National members have worn the distinctive blazer since 1937, and since 1949 the club has presented one to the Masters champion in the Butler Cabin ceremony broadcast on CBS.
The jacket itself is made by Hamilton Tailoring Company in Cincinnati, Ohio. Each champion’s jacket is custom-fitted to their measurements. You’ll occasionally notice a slightly awkward fit during the on-camera ceremony because the tailoring happens in advance, based on measurements submitted before the tournament.
The green jacket is property of Augusta National Golf Club. Champions may take it home for one year, then it must be returned to the club, where it stays for the remainder of their lives — available whenever they visit.
This surprises a lot of new fans. Champions don’t own the jacket permanently. They borrow it for exactly one year, then return it. The only exception is that former champions can wear their jacket on club grounds anytime they visit Augusta. Gary Player once wore his outside the club and was reportedly reminded of the rule. It’s a tradition the club enforces seriously, which is part of what keeps the jacket’s symbolic weight intact.
There’s one widely cited edge case worth knowing: Jack Nicklaus reportedly kept his 1963 jacket longer than the one-year window due to an oversight, and the club quietly corrected it. The rule has been enforced more consistently since. Augusta National doesn’t publicize violations, so the full history of enforcement stays largely private, which honestly makes the tradition feel even more deliberate.
Tiger Woods and the Masters Record You Should Know
Tiger Woods has won the Masters five times, more than any other player in the tournament’s history. His wins came in 1997, 2001, 2002, 2005, and 2019. That last win is the one worth focusing on for context.
His 1997 win came at age 21, by 12 strokes, setting the then-scoring record at -18.
He won back-to-back in 2001 and 2002, holding all four major trophies simultaneously. The media called that stretch the Tiger Slam.
His 2005 win included one of the most replayed shots in Masters history: a chip-in birdie on the 16th hole in the final round.
Between 2005 and 2019, he went 14 years without winning at Augusta, battling injuries and multiple back surgeries.
His 2019 win at age 43 remains the most recent Masters title of his career and is widely considered one of the greatest comebacks in sports history.
Woods has not won the Masters since 2019. A serious car accident in February 2021 left significant questions about whether he’ll contend again. He has returned to play Augusta since the accident but has not finished inside the top 10. His five wins still stand as the all-time record, ahead of Jack Nicklaus’s six major wins overall, though Nicklaus has four green jackets to Woods’s five.
Augusta National: The One Course That Never Changes
The Masters is always played at Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia. That’s not a coincidence or a preference. It’s a fixed rule. No other major championship stays at one course; the US Open, The Open Championship, and the PGA Championship all rotate through different venues each year.
Augusta National was designed by Bobby Jones and Alister MacKenzie and opened in 1933. The course measures roughly 7,555 yards from the back tees in its current setup, though the club adjusts specific hole lengths periodically. Playing the same course every year makes Masters results directly comparable across decades, which is part of why Augusta’s history feels so connected. A birdie on the par-3 12th hole means the same thing in 2024 as it did in 1986.
That par-3 12th, called Golden Bell, plays just 155 yards but sits over Rae’s Creek with swirling winds that make club selection genuinely unpredictable. It has ended more Masters runs than almost any other single hole on the property.
Augusta National sits on what was originally a plant nursery, which explains the flowering trees and shrubs that give each hole its name. Azalea at 13, White Dogwood at 11. The course plays as a par 72, with four par-5s that the longest hitters can reach in two shots, creating scoring opportunities that define Sunday leaderboards.
The course is private, with no public tee times available. Membership is invitation-only, and the club has never disclosed how many members it has, though estimates generally land somewhere between 300 and 400.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who won the Masters golf tournament most recently?
Scottie Scheffler won the 2024 Masters, finishing at -11 to claim his second green jacket. His first win came in 2022, making him the first player since Tiger Woods to win the Masters twice within a three-year span.
Is the Masters the same as the US Open?
No. They are separate major championships. The Masters is held every April at Augusta National in Georgia. The US Open, the PGA Championship, and The Open Championship rotate venues each year — Augusta National is the only major that stays at one permanent course.
How many times has Tiger Woods won the Masters?
Five times — in 1997, 2001, 2002, 2005, and 2019. No other player has won it more. His 2019 win remains his most recent Masters title; he has not finished in the top 10 since his February 2021 car accident.
Does the Masters winner keep the green jacket forever?
No. Champions take the jacket home for one year, then return it to Augusta National. After that, they can wear it on club grounds when they visit, but the jacket stays at the club permanently. If you’re new to Masters traditions, golfyet.com covers other Augusta customs worth knowing before you watch your first tournament.
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