Winning the Masters defines a player's career.
Even if a golfer struggles at every other tournament, putting on the green jacket etches your name in the history books forever.
Some players frequently found success at the Masters, while others scratched and clawed trying to win the tournament just once.
In 2024, Scottie Scheffler grabbed his second Masters win in five starts to continue his recent dominant stretch. But does the win put Scheffler in rare company?
Get top local stories in Southern California delivered to you every morning. Sign up for NBC LA's News Headlines newsletter.
Here's a breakdown of the players who have had the most success at Augusta:
What player has the most Masters wins?
Jack Nicklaus stands alone with six Masters wins.
The 18-time major winner won his first Masters in 1963. Twenty-three years later in 1986, the then-46-year-old scored his sixth and final Masters victory -- becoming the oldest winner in tournament history.
Behind Nicklaus, Tiger Woods (5) and Arnold Palmer (4) have the most Masters wins.
List of players with most Masters wins
Eighteen players have won the Masters more than once. Horton Smith won two of the first three Masters, scoring his second victory in 1936. Scottie Scheffler was the most recent addition to the club with his second win in 2024.
Here are all the golfers with multiple wins at the Masters:
- 6 – Jack Nicklaus (1963, 1965, 1966, 1972, 1975, 1986)
- 5 – Tiger Woods (1997, 2001, 2002, 2005, 2019)
- 4 – Arnold Palmer (1958, 1960, 1962, 1964)
- 3 – Jimmy Demaret (1940, 1947, 1950)
- 3 – Sam Snead (1949, 1952, 1954)
- 3 – Gary Player (1961, 1974, 1978)
- 3 – Nick Faldo (1989, 1990, 1996)
- 3 – Phil Mickelson (2004, 2006, 2010)
- 2 – Horton Smith (1934, 1936)
- 2 – Byron Nelson (1937, 1942)
- 2 – Ben Hogan (1951, 1953)
- 2 – Tom Watson (1977, 1981)
- 2 – Seve Ballesteros (1980, 1983)
- 2 – Bernhard Langer (1985, 1993)
- 2 – Ben Crenshaw (1984, 1995)
- 2 – Jose Maria Olazabal (1994, 1999)
- 2 – Bubba Watson (2012, 2014)
- 2 -- Scottie Scheffler (2022, 2024)
Has a player ever won the Masters back-to-back?
Yes.
Only Nicklaus (1965-66), Nick Faldo (1989-90) and Woods (2001-02) have won the tournament in consecutive years. There have been eight players to win two out of three years (including Nicklaus and Woods), but winning it back-to-back is a difficult challenge.
Who won the Masters in 2023?
Jon Rahm.
The Spaniard claimed his two major and first Masters last year with a score of 12-under -- four strokes ahead of Brooks Koepka and Mickelson. At Augusta, Rahm will play in his first major since leaving the PGA Tour for LIV Golf in December 2023.
