Masters stats

Masters 2021: The 5 most intriguing stats from the final round at Augusta National

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Jon Rahm reacts to his birdie on the 15th green during the final round of the Masters.

Mike Ehrmann

Sunday’s final round of the Masters was the culmination of the tournament and allowed for one final look at some of the facts and figures that interested or outright wowed us. Here’s a look at five stats that stood out:

Rahm continues to be reliable at Augusta

Jon Rahm started his Masters career with four over-par rounds in his first five. However, since an opening-round 75 in 2018, Rahm has been remarkably resistant to over-par scores. His Sunday 66 was his 15th-consecutive round in the Masters at par or better. During that stretch he is a cumulative 40 under par, with a scoring average of 63.33. As for how Rahm’s streak stacks up historically, the only one longer is by none other than Tiger Woods, who went 16 consecutive rounds at par or better, starting with the third round in 2007 and ending in 2011.

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Jordan Spieth and caddie Michael Greller celebrate Spieth's birdie on the 10th hole on Saturday.

Mike Ehrmann

Spieth masters No. 10

Jordan Spieth was one of eight players who had played the 495-yard, par-4 10th hole in three under par for one Masters, having done that in 2015. He went one better by stiffing an approach on Sunday and rolling in the short putt to birdie the hole each of the four rounds—the competitor ever to do so. Those familiar with Spieth’s success on the hole should not be surprised as he owns the hole named “Camellia.” For his Masters career he has made 11 birdies, 18 pars and just three bogeys for a 3.75 scoring average.

Hideki joins some elite groups

With his win, Hideki Matsuyama did a number of impressive things. He became just the seventh player to win low amateur honors and go on to win the Masters, and he’s the first since Sergio Garcia earned low am in 1999 and won in 2017. Matsuyama also became the 13th player to win his first Masters in his 10th start or more and became the 13th player to take the outright lead for the first time after 54 holes and go on to win. The last player before Matsuyama to achieve that was Phil Mickelson in 2006.

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Phil Mickelson reacts to missing a putt on the sixth green during the third round of the Masters.

Jared C. Tilton

Working for the weekend

Mickelson made the cut on the number and had a decent weekend, going 69-72 to finish T-21. It marked the 26th time Mickelson has played the final 36 holes at Augusta National, passing Ben Crenshaw for fifth place in most cuts made. Since the club instituted a 36-hole cut in 1957, Jack Nicklaus has the most times playing on the weekend with 37 followed by Gary Player and Fred Couples with 30 each and Bernhard Langer with 27. With a lifetime exemption, it’s not out of the question for Lefty to eventually reach the No. 2 spot.

Zalatoris’ solid opening act

Although experience is said to be a prerequisite for Masters success, sometimes the newbies buck the odds. This time it was Will Zalatoris, who finished second in his first Masters start. Taking out players who made their first start in the 1930s when the tournament was in its infancy, only seven players finished as high as Zalatoris in their first visit to Augusta National. The downside? Immediate success doesn’t necessarily translate to a green jacket later on. Other than Fuzzy Zoeller, who won in his first attempt (remember, we’re not counting the 1930s), the only other first-year player to finish in the top five and go on to win a Masters was Jordan Spieth, who was runner-up in 2014 and won in 2015.