What is the Masters Silver Cup? (And who has won it?)
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The Masters Silver Cup winners’ list reads like a who’s who of Augusta heroes. Here’s what you need to know…
There is far more than just a Green Jacket on offer at Augusta. While slipping into that iconic garment is the ultimate goal for most who tee it up at the first men’s major of the year, there are various other prizes on offer for competitors. One of those is the Masters Silver Cup.
Like the Silver Medal at The Open, the Masters Silver Cup is awarded to the low amateur across the four days. And like the Silver Medal at The Open, amateurs must make the 36-hole cut in order to eligible.
A brief history of the Masters Silver Cup
The Masters was first played in 1934, making it the youngest of the four men’s majors, but it was not until 1952 when the Silver Cup was first awarded.
(As a fun sidenote: Cary Middlecoff was one of the unlucky ones to miss out when he was the low amateur in 1946 – but he made up for it by winning the tournament proper nine years later.)
The first player to receive the trophy was Chuck Kocsis, who finished in a tie for 14th, 11 shots behind winner Sam Snead.
The battle for the low amateur distinction has been dominated by Americans, who have won the Silver Cup in all but eight of the editions it has been awarded.
No amateur has ever won the Masters, though three players – Frank Stranahan in 1947, Ken Venturi in ’56, and Charles Coe in ’61 – have finished second.
As you can imagine, some huge names have got their hands on the Silver Cup over the years.
Jack Nicklaus shared it with Billy Joe Patton in 1960, while Ben Crenshaw won it in ’72 and then defended it in ’73, finishing 7-over on both occasions.
Phil Mickelson underlined his prowess on the iconic layout by finishing as the leading amateur in 1991, as did Tiger Woods four years later. You don’t need us to remind you they have eight Masters titles between them.
Another Masters champion, Sergio Garcia, is also a former recipient of the silver cup in 1999, while Hideki Matsuyama finished 1-under across the four rounds to beat the rest of the amateurs in the field in 2011, 10 years before he pulled on the Green Jacket.
More recently, Bryson DeChambeau was the low amateur in 2016, Viktor Hovland in 2019, while Neal Shipley is the latest winner.
Masters Silver Cup winners
1952: Chuck Kocsis (T14)
1953: Frank Stranahan and Harvie Ward (T14)
1954: Billy Joe Patton (3)
1955: Harvie Ward (T8)
1956: Ken Venturi (2)
1957: Harvie Ward (4)
1958: Billy Joe Patton (8)
1959: Charles Coe (6)
1960: Jack Nicklaus and Billy Joe Patton (T13)
1961: Charles Coe (T2)
1962: Charles Coe (T9)
1963: Labron Harris Jr (T32)
1964: Deane Beman and Gary Cowan (T25)
1965: Downing Gray (T31)
1966: Jimmy Grant (T28)
1967: Downing Gray (T36)
1968: Vinny Giles (T22)
1969: Bruce Fleisher (44)
1970: Charles Coe (T23)
1971: Steve Melnyk (T24)
1972: Ben Crenshaw (T19)
1973: Ben Crenshaw (T24)
1975: George Burns (T30
1976: Curtis Strange (T15)
1977: Bill Sander (49)
1978: Lindy Miller (T16)
1979: Bobby Clampett (T23)
1980: Jay Sigel (T26)
1981: Jay Sigel (T35)
1982: Jodie Mudd (T20)
1983: Jim Hallet (T40)
1984: Rick Fehr (T25)
1985: Sam Randolph (T36)
1986: Sam Randolph (T36)
1987: Bob Lewis (54)
1988: Jay Sigel (T39)
1990: Chris Patton (T39)
1991: Phil Mickelson (T46)
1992: Manny Zerman (T59)
1994: John Harris (T50)
1995: Tiger Woods (T41)
1998: Matt Kuchar (T21)
1999: Sergio Garcia (T38)
2000: David Gossett (T54)
2003: Ricky Barnes (21)
2004: Casey Wittenberg (T13)
2005: Ryan Moore (T13)
2010: Matteo Manassero (T36)
2011: Hideki Matsuyama (T27)
2012: Patrick Cantlay (T47)
2013: Guan Tianlang (58)
2014: Oliver Goss (49)
2016: Bryson DeChambeau (T21)
2017: Stewart Hagestad (T36)
2018: Doug Ghim (T50)
2019: Viktor Hovland (T32)
2020: Andy Ogletree (T34)
2023: Sam Bennett (T16)
2024: Neal Shipley (T53)
More from the Masters…
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Tiger Woods won the Masters Silver Cup in 1995.
