The 1956 Masters Tournament was the 20th Masters Tournament, held April 5–8 at Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia.

Quick Facts Tournament information, Dates ...

1956 Masters Tournament

Tournament information
Dates	April 5–8, 1956
Location	Augusta, Georgia 33.503°N 82.020°W / 33.503; -82.020
Course(s)	Augusta National Golf Club
Organized by	Augusta National Golf Club
Tour(s)	PGA Tour
Statistics
Par	72
Length	6,965 yards (6,369 m)[1]
Field	84 players
Cut	None
Winner's share	$6,000
Champion
Jack Burke Jr.
289 (+1)
Location map
Augusta National Location in the United States Show map of the United States Augusta National Location in Georgia Show map of Georgia
← 1955 1957 →

Close

Jack Burke Jr. won his first major championship and only Masters, one stroke ahead of amateur Ken Venturi. It was the final Masters played without a 36-hole cut. CBS televised the third and fourth rounds of the tournament for the first time, and has done so every year since.

Burke shot a 71 (−1) on Sunday, one of only two players to break par in the final round; he rallied from a tournament record eight shots back to pass Venturi, who had led the entire tournament.^[2][3] Then a 24-year-old amateur, Venturi opened with a first round 66 (−6), the best round to date at the Masters by an amateur.^[4] But on Sunday, he shot a 42 (+6) on the final nine holes to card a disappointing 80 (+8).^[1][5] Burke's 289, along with Sam Snead in 1954 and Zach Johnson in 2007, remains the highest winning total in Masters history.

Burke was late arriving at the course for his final round on Sunday after going to church and had only fifteen minutes to warm up.^[6] He won a second (and final) major title in late July at the PGA Championship, in its penultimate edition as a match play competition.

1. Masters champions

Jimmy Demaret, Claude Harmon, Ben Hogan (2,4,6,9,10), Cary Middlecoff (2,7,9,10,12), Byron Nelson (2,6,9), Henry Picard (6), Gene Sarazen (2,4,6), Horton Smith, Sam Snead (4,6,7,9,10), Craig Wood

• Ralph Guldahl (2) and Herman Keiser did not play.

2. U.S. Open champions

Julius Boros (9,10), Billy Burke, Johnny Farrell, Jack Fleck (10), Ed Furgol (9), Lawson Little (3,5), Tony Manero, Lloyd Mangrum (9), Fred McLeod, Sam Parks Jr., George Sargent, Lew Worsham (12)

3. U.S. Amateur champions

Dick Chapman (5,a), Gene Littler (9,10), Billy Maxwell (9), Arnold Palmer (9,10), Skee Riegel (9), Sam Urzetta, Harvie Ward (5,8,9,10,11,a)

4. British Open champions

Jock Hutchison (6), Denny Shute (6)

5. British Amateur champions

Joe Conrad (8,9,a), Frank Stranahan (9,10)

6. PGA champions

Walter Burkemo (9), Doug Ford (7,10,12), Vic Ghezzi, Chick Harbert (7), Johnny Revolta, Jim Turnesa

7. Members of the U.S. 1955 Ryder Cup team

Jerry Barber, Tommy Bolt (9,10,12), Jack Burke Jr. (9,10,12), Ted Kroll

• Marty Furgol and Chandler Harper (6) did not play.

8. Members of the U.S. 1955 Walker Cup team

Rex Baxter (a), William C. Campbell (a), Don Cherry (a), Bruce Cudd (a), Jimmy Jackson (a), Ed Meister (a), Dale Morey (a), Billy Joe Patton (a)

• Dick Yost (a) did not play. Baxter and Meister were reserves for the team.

9. Top 24 players and ties from the 1955 Masters Tournament

Pete Cooper, Jay Hebert, Dick Mayer, Johnny Palmer, Bob Rosburg (10), Mike Souchak (10)

10. Top 24 players and ties from the 1955 U.S. Open

Bob Harris, Fred Hawkins (12), Bud Holscher, Walker Inman, Shelley Mayfield (12), Al Mengert, George Schneiter, Ernie Vossler, Art Wall Jr.

• Smiley Quick did not play.

11. 1955 U.S. Amateur quarter-finalists

Bill Booe (a), Joe Campbell (a), Ed Hopkins (a), Bill Hyndman (a), Charles Kunkle (a), Jim McCoy (a), Hillman Robbins (9,a)

12. 1955 PGA Championship quarter-finalists

Don Fairfield

13. One player, either amateur or professional, not already qualified, selected by a ballot of ex-Masters champions

Ken Venturi (a)

14. One amateur, not already qualified, selected by a ballot of ex-U.S. Amateur champions

Don Bisplinghoff (a)

15. One professional, not already qualified, selected by a ballot of ex-U.S. Open champions

Fred Haas

16. Two players, not already qualified, from a points list based on finishes in the winter part of the 1956 PGA Tour

Dow Finsterwald, Lionel Hebert

17. Foreign invitations

Al Balding, Henry Cotton (4), Roberto De Vicenzo, Stan Leonard (9), Moe Norman (a)

• Numbers in brackets indicate categories that the player would have qualified under had they been American.