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First played in 1934, The Masters has long produced some of the best moments in golf history. While Augusta National Golf Club has never historically been the most difficult major championship venue, it’s by no means an easy test either, especially when the wind starts whipping around the Georgia pines.
Truth be told, you just never know what you’re going to get at Augusta. Perhaps that’s why the difference between the lowest score in Masters history and the highest is a whopping 32 strokes.
The lowest round shot at Augusta during tournament play is a 9-under 63, a mark first set by Nick Price in 1986 and matched a decade later by Greg Norman. Neither won the tourney the year they fired the historic score.
As for the highest score shot at The Masters, that dubious honor belongs to Charles Kunkle Jr., who recorded a 32-over round of 95 in 1956 en route to the highest 72-hole score in tourney history.
The Lowest Round in Masters History Didn’t Lead to Victories For Nick Price or Greg Norman
GettyGreg Norman tees off during the 1996 Masters.
The 1986 Masters was quite the up-and-down affair for Nick Price, who opened his week with a 7-over round of 79. But the South African bounced back nicely in Round 2 with a 3-under 69 to make the cut.
Nine shots back of leader Seve Ballesteros heading into the third round on April 12, Price caught fire. After making a bogey at the first, he reeled off four birdies to go out in 3-under 33. He then shot a 6-under 30 on the back nine, making six birdies, including four in a row on Nos. 10-13, to finish with a 9-under 63 to set a new Masters record.
Just one of the lead heading into the final round, Price ultimately finished in solo fifth, three shots back of winner Jack Nicklaus, who shot a 7-under 65 to claim his sixth and final green jacket.
Heading into the 1996 Masters, Greg Norman was the top-ranked player in the world and wasted no time solidifying his status as the favorite at Augusta with a first-round 63 on April 11.
After starting his day with six straight pars, the Australian birdied nine of his final 12 holes to match the mark set by Price a decade earlier. He then shot 69-71 over the next two days to take a six-stroke lead into the final round.
Sadly for Norman, however, he failed to capture the elusive green jacket as he famously collapsed on Sunday with a 6-over 78. Meanwhile, Nick Faldo shot a 5-under 67 to take his third Masters victory.
Charles Kunkle Jr. Owns the Highest Score in Masters History
As mentioned, Charles Kunkle Jr. owns the highest official score in Masters history, both for a single round and over 72 holes.
Kunkle, an amateur, had qualified for the 1956 Masters by way of a quarterfinal appearance in the previous year’s U.S. Amateur. The ’56 Masters was the last edition to not feature a 36-hole cut and Kunkle is essentially the reason why.
After opening his week with a 6-over round of 78, the former Duke basketball captain’s week only got worse from there. In Round 2, he shot a 10-over 82. Those two rounds today would send someone home, but with no cut, Kunkle played on.
In Round 3, he shot a 13-over 85. And in Round 4, he shot a 23-over round of 95, the worst in Masters history…the worst official round in Masters history, that is. In 2005, 73-year-old Billy Casper, the 1970 champion, shot a 34-over round of 106. But as failed to turn in his scorecard, it didn’t count as an official score.
As for Kunkle, he ended his week at the ’56 Masters with a 52-over total of 340, which remains the highest 72-hole score in tournament history. The 36-hole cut at Augusta National was instituted the following year.
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