Sports: Masters winners by year: List of past champions, payouts, green jacket history

'To have Tiger would be phenomenal': Tiger Woods in the 2022 Masters would be a gift to golf

With Phil Mickelson in the penalty box and Tiger out since his accident, men's golf is struggling to find transcendent stars who can draw in new fans.The drama runs deep as the Masters golf tournament approaches next week, and, of course, it centers exclusively on Tiger Woods, as it has for a quarter of a century now. That’s normal and expected. Of course the Masters is coming and of course we’re talking about Tiger.

There are four majors on the PGA Tour, but the Masters well may be the most prestigious of all.

The Masters, which began in 1934, has been held at Augusta National Golf Club every year since 1946. The tradition-rich event has one of the most iconic prizes in the sport — the green jacket — and also happens to be one of its most exclusive.

The winners of the Masters include the greatest golfers to ever play. From Jack Nicklaus to Arnold Palmer to Ben Hogan and Tiger Woods, the tournament has helped shape some of the most prolific golf careers of all time.

Which players have won the Masters? Here's a look at the golfers who are members of the elite green-jacket club as well as why that award is one of the most important ones in all of sports.

Will Tiger Woods win his sixth green jacket? Oddsmakers list golfing great as longshot at 2022 Masters

Tiger Woods' return to competitive golf at The Masters inspires bettors, but bookmakers list the five-time champion as a longshot at Augusta.Tipico Sportsbook established Woods, 46, as a 50/1 selection to win the tournament — a position behind more than 20 others.

MORE: How many times has Tiger Woods won the Masters?

Masters Tournament winners by year

The list of Masters winners over the years is riddled with the names of the greatest golfers to ever play. That said, no golfer has had more Masters success than Jack Nicklaus. The Golden Bear won the tournament six times during his legendary career, with the first coming in 1963 and the last in 1986.

Tiger Woods is just behind Nicklaus with five total wins, the first of which came in 1997 while his most recent came in 2019. Arnold Palmer is the only other golfer with four or more green jackets.

Dustin Johnson holds the scoring record for the Masters. He shot 20-under par during the 2020 tournament and won by five strokes over the rest of the field. Previously, Woods and Jordan Spieth's mark of 18-under from 1997 and 2015, respectively, had been the best in tournament history.

Numbers are in Jordan Spieth's favor when he comes to Augusta National | Opinion

Spieth has finished in the top five in five of his first eight appearances at the Masters, including winning the green jacket in 2015.Given his results at Augusta National, however, he’s a little annoyed he hasn’t done it more.

Below is a full look at the history of the Masters, from the most recent winner, Hideki Matsuyama, to the first champion, Horton Smith in 1934.

Year	Winner	Score
2021	Hideki Matsuyama	-10
2020	Dustin Johnson	-20
2019	Tiger Woods	-13
2018	Patrick Reed	-15
2017	Sergio Garcia	-9
2016	Danny Willett	-5
2015	Jordan Spieth	-18
2014	Bubba Watson	-8
2013	Adam Scott	-9
2012	Bubba Watson	-10
2011	Charl Schwartzel	-14
2010	Phil Mickelson	-16
2009	Angel Cabrera	-12
2008	Trevor Immelman	-8
2007	Zach Johnson	+1
2006	Phil Mickelson	-7
2005	Tiger Woods	-12
2004	Phil Mickelson	-9
2003	Mike Weir	-7
2002	Tiger Woods	-12
2001	Tiger Woods	-16
2000	Vijay Singh	-10
1999	José María Olazábal	-8
1998	Mark O'Meara	-9
1997	Tiger Woods	-18
1996	Nick Faldo	-12
1995	Ben Crenshaw	-14
1994	José María Olazábal	-9
1993	Bernhard Langer	-11
1992	Fred Couples	-13
1991	Ian Woosnam	-11
1990	Nick Faldo	-10
1989	Nick Faldo	-5
1988	Sandy Lyle	-7
1987	Larry Mize	-3
1986	Jack Nicklaus	-9
1985	Bernhard Langer	-6
1984	Ben Crenshaw	-11
1983	Seve Ballesteros	-8
1982	Craig Stadler	-4
1981	Tom Watson	-8
1980	Seve Ballesteros	-13
1979	Fuzzy Zoeller	-8
1978	Gary Player	-11
1977	Tom Watson	-12
1976	Raymond Floyd	-17
1975	Jack Nicklaus	-12
1974	Gary Player	-10
1973	Tommy Aaron	-5
1972	Jack Nicklaus	-2
1971	Charles Coody	-9
1970	Billy Casper	-9
1969	George Archer	-7
1968	Bob Goalby	-11
1967	Gay Brewer	-8
1966	Jack Nicklaus	E
1965	Jack Nicklaus	-17
1964	Arnold Palmer	-12
1963	Jack Nicklaus	-2
1962	Arnold Palmer	-8
1961	Gary Player	-8
1960	Arnold Palmer	-6
1959	Art Wall Jr.	-4
1958	Arnold Palmer	-4
1957	Doug Ford	-5
1956	Jack Burke Jr.	+1
1955	Cary Middlecoff	-9
1954	Sam Snead	+1
1953	Ben Hogan	-14
1952	Sam Snead	-2
1951	Ben Hogan	-8
1950	Jimmy Demaret	-5
1949	Sam Snead	-6
1948	Claude Harmon	-9
1947	Jimmy Demaret	-7
1946	Herman Keiser	-6
1942	Byron Nelson	-8
1941	Craig Wood	-8
1940	Jimmy Demaret	-8
1939	Ralph Guldahl	-9
1938	Henry Picard	-3
1937	Byron Nelson	-5
1936	Horton Smith	-3
1935	Gene Sarazen	-6
1934	Horton Smith	-4

* Note: The Masters was canceled from 1943-1945 as a result of World War II.

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No. 11 is now 520 yards but still plays as a par-4. Trees and mounds were added on right side, and pond on left side was extendedSo what did the green jackets do to the first hole of Amen Co? They made it even longer. And tougher.

MORE: Golf world remembers Lee Elder, the first Black player to win the Masters

How much does the Masters winner make?

The Masters prize pool has stayed the same since 2019. There is an $11.5 million purse for the event and the winner will make $2.07 million. That represents 18 percent of the total purse.

In the first year of the Masters, Horton Smith's payout was just $1,500. The tournament first awarded a $1 million prize to the first-place finisher when Tiger Woods won in 2001.

Below is a breakdown of how much the Masters winner has made by year, per Golf.com.

Year	Payout
1934	$1,500
1935	$1,500
1936	$1,500
1937	$1,500
1938	$1,500
1939	$1,500
1940	$1,500
1941	$1,500
1942	$1,500
1943	No tournament (WWII)
1944	No tournament (WWII)
1945	No tournament (WWII)
1946	$2,500
1947	$2,500
1948	$2,500
1949	$2,750
1950	$2,400
1951	$3,000
1952	$4,000
1953	$4,000
1954	$5,000
1955	$5,000
1956	$6,000
1957	$8,750
1958	$11,250
1959	$15,000
1960	$17,500
1961	$20,000
1962	$20,000
1963	$20,000
1964	$20,000
1965	$20,000
1966	$20,000
1967	$20,000
1968	$20,000
1969	$20,000
1970	$25,000
1971	$25,000
1972	$25,000
1973	$30,000
1974	$35,000
1975	$40,000
1976	$40,000
1977	$40,000
1978	$45,000
1979	$50,000
1980	$55,000
1981	$60,000
1982	$64,000
1983	$90,000
1984	$108,000
1985	$126,000
1986	$144,000
1987	$162,000
1988	$183,800
1989	$200,000
1990	$225,000
1991	$243,000
1992	$270,000
1993	$306,000
1994	$360,000
1995	$396,000
1996	$450,000
1997	$486,000
1998	$576,000
1999	$720,000
2000	$828,000
2001	$1,008,000
2002	$1,008,000
2003	$1,080,000
2004	$1,117,000
2005	$1,260,000
2006	$1,260,000
2007	$1,305,000
2008	$1,350,000
2009	$1,350,000
2010	$1,350,000
2011	$1,440,000
2012	$1,440,000
2013	$1,440,000
2014	$1,620,000
2015	$1,800,000
2016	$1,800,000
2017	$1,980,000
2018	$1,980,000
2019	$2,070,000
2020	$2,070,000
2021	$2,070,000
2022	$2,070,000*

* Expected winner's share for 2022.

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Five-time champion Tiger Woods competes for the first time since his near-fatal car crash in The Masters at Augusta National.With spring in the air and the azaleas in full bloom, play begins Thursday morning in the first of golf's four major championships with one dominant story line.

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History of the Masters green jacket

Augusta National describes the green jacket as "the ultimate symbol of success at the Masters Tournament." The unique award has been gifted to winners since 1949, when Sam Snead won it for the first time.

Green jackets first became a part of Augusta's legacy in 1937. Members of the club began wearing them so they could answer questions from patrons that were less familiar with the course.

The original jackets were made of a heavy woolen material, but they were quickly replaced by a lighter-weight version.

Per tradition, the winner of the previous year's tournament, Hideki Matsuyama, will present the green jacket to the winner in 2022. In rare circumstances during which a golfer wins the event in back-to-back years, the chairman of Augusta National will award the jacket. The only time this didn't happen was when Jack Nicklaus won the event in 1966 and was instructed to put the jacket on himself, as he was the previous year's winner.

Only Augusta National members and tournament winners are allowed to wear green jackets at the club. And the jacket must stay at Augusta National unless it belongs to the tournament's reigning champion. In the year after winning, the champion is permitted to take the jacket home from the club but must return it the following year.