Dates April 10–13, 1997 Length 6,925 yards (6,332 m) Winner's share $486,000 Par 72 | Cut 149 (+5) Start date 1997 Prize fund 2.7 million USD | |
Field 86 players, 46 after cut Similar 2001 Masters Tournament, 2005 Masters Tournament, 2002 Masters Tournament, 1996 Masters Tournament, 2000 US Open | ||
The 1997 Masters Tournament was the 61st Masters Tournament, held April 10–13 at Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia.
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Tiger Woods won his first major championship, twelve strokes ahead of runner-up Tom Kite. Through 2015, the margin of victory and four-day score of 270 (−18) are tournament records. Woods also became both the youngest (21) and the first non-white player to win at Augusta.
Woods struggled on his first nine holes of the first round, turning at 4-over-par 40. Making four birdies and an eagle gave him a 6-under-par 30 the back nine for a 70, three shots behind first-round leader John Huston.
In the second and third rounds, Woods scored the best rounds of each day (65-66) to open up a commanding nine-shot lead. A final-round 69 gave Woods a tournament record 270 (−18), bettering the previous record of 271 set by Jack Nicklaus in 1965 and matched by Raymond Floyd in 1976.
Woods' victory set television ratings records for golf; the final round broadcast on Sunday was seen by an estimated 44 million viewers in the United States.
Field
Tommy Aaron, Seve Ballesteros, Gay Brewer, Billy Casper, Charles Coody, Fred Couples (9,13), Ben Crenshaw, Nick Faldo (3,9,10,12,13), Raymond Floyd, Doug Ford, Bernhard Langer, Sandy Lyle, Larry Mize (9,11), Jack Nicklaus, José María Olazábal, Arnold Palmer, Gary Player, Craig Stadler, Tom Watson (10,12,13), Ian Woosnam, Fuzzy Zoeller
Ernie Els (9,10,12,13), Lee Janzen (9,10,11), Steve Jones (10,12,13), Tom Kite, Corey Pavin (9,12,13)
John Daly, Tom Lehman (9,10,12,13), Greg Norman (9,10,13), Nick Price (4,9,11)
Paul Azinger (9), Mark Brooks (10,11,12,13), Steve Elkington (11)
Steve Scott (a)
Warren Bladon (a)
Tim Hogarth (a)
John "Spider" Miller (a)
Mark Calcavecchia (13), David Duval (13), David Frost, Scott Hoch (10,12,13), John Huston, Davis Love III (10,13), Jeff Maggert (13), Scott McCarron, Phil Mickelson (11,12,13), Frank Nobilo (10,11), Mark O'Meara (10,12,13), Loren Roberts (12,13), Bob Tway, Duffy Waldorf (13)
David Berganio, Jr., Stewart Cink, John Cook (12,13), Dan Forsman, Jim Furyk (13), Ken Green, Colin Montgomerie, John Morse, Vijay Singh (11,13), Sam Torrance
Per-Ulrik Johansson, Justin Leonard (12,13), Jesper Parnevik, Kenny Perry (13), Tommy Tolles (13)
Stuart Appleby, Guy Boros, Michael Bradley (13), Brad Faxon (13), Ed Fiori, Fred Funk (13), Dudley Hart, David Ogrin, Clarence Rose, Jeff Sluman (13), Paul Stankowski, Steve Stricker (13), D. A. Weibring, Willie Wood, Tiger Woods (13)
Robert Allenby, Yoshinori Kaneko, Mark McNulty, Masashi Ozaki, Costantino Rocca, Lee Westwood
Missed the cut
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First round
Thursday, April 10, 1997
John Huston shot 67 (−5) to lead by one stroke over Paul Stankowski. Tiger Woods shot a 40 (+4) on the first nine, but came back into the clubhouse on the back nine with a score of 30 (−6) for a 70 (−2).
Second round
Friday, April 11, 1997
Woods started the round three strokes back, but a 66 gave him his first lead in a professional major championship, three shots ahead of Colin Montgomerie from Scotland.
Amateurs: Bladon (+7), Scott (+13), Hogarth (+14), Miller (+19)
Third round
Saturday, April 12, 1997
Woods shot a 65 in the third round to increase his lead to nine shots; the closest competitor was Costantino Rocca from Italy.
Final round
Sunday, April 13, 1997
Woods won his first major championship, twelve strokes ahead of his nearest competitor, runner-up Tom Kite. It was the largest victory margin for a major until the U.S. Open in 2000, won by Woods with a 15-shot margin.
Scorecard
Final round
Cumulative tournament scores, relative to par
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