We were all anticipating the start of the first golf major of the new decade as the illustrious Augusta National should have been welcoming amateurs, professionals and spectators to its famous fairways. Unfortunately, like many other sports, golf has had to postpone its calendar, due to the coronavirus outbreak. So, while the action takes a backseat, what better reason to look back through the history books at the winners of the Masters in each new decade. But in the meantime, find the latest golf betting previews online.
2010: Phil Mickelson
The American won his third Masters and fourth major title, bagging a cool $1,350,000 in the process. Mickelson came from behind, having ended the first round one stroke behind the leader, Fred Couples. After missing a one-foot putt on the fifth hole, he fell further behind in the second round but soon recovered to become a contender again. A dramatic eagle-eagle-birdie on holes 13 to 15 saw him secure second place, just one stroke behind Lee Westwood and eventually, the Englishman surrendered his slender advantage. It was a rollercoaster final day but Mickelson secured his third green jacket and a bogey-free round of 67 saw him win the tournament, three strokes clear of Westwood.
2000: Vijay Singh
It was a maiden Masters title for Singh, who qualified for the tournament after winning the PGA Championship two years previous. The Fijian parred the first round, which saw him T10 with 11 other names, and four strokes off the leader Dennis Paulson. A near-flawless second-round performance saw Singh leap up into second, tied with Ernie Els and Phil Mickelson. The weather conditions worsened, but this didn’t hamper Singh, who took control of the tournament and despite the tough winds, recorded a score of 70. The third round was then suspended and completed the following morning. He opened a three-stroke lead going into the final round and went on to win by that same margin – after David Duval hit two shots into the water, Singh was never challenged and finally won the green jacket.
1990: Nick Faldo
In 1990, Nick Faldo became the second player to make it back-to-back wins at the Masters, replicating the feat of Jack Nicklaus in the mid-1960s. It’s a record that only Tiger Woods has been able to achieve since. The 1990 tournament was a tense one, as, like the previous year, it took a sudden-death playoff to decide the winner, with Faldo up against the 1976 champion, American Raymond Floyd. After finishing the first round with a score of one under par, Faldo didn’t really come into contention until the third round, when he recorded a score of six under par to leap from T10 to third-place. Just three shots behind Floyd who was looking to become the oldest winner of the Masters. Faldo continued his good form and as Floyd parred the final round, the Englishman leveled with him by finishing three-under. The sudden death playoff started on hole 10, with both golfers matching par, before Faldo won it on the 11th after Floyd hit the water.
1980: Seve Ballesteros
In winning the 1980 Masters, Spaniard Ballesteros became the first golfer from Europe to win the coveted green jacket and while it was his first victory at Augusta, it was his second major title. Ballesteros was also the youngest winner of the Masters before Tiger Woods broke the record in 1997. It was a consistently good performance from the Spaniard, who from the off had led the field. With a score of six-under after round one, Ballesteros was tied with David Graham and Jeff Mitchell, but he continued to pull away. Finishing three-under on day two saw four strokes between him and his rivals – and his dominance continued. It was like he was playing a completely different tournament to the rest of the field. The winner was decided on a Saturday, as he extended his lead to seven strokes with a score of 13-under-par. After parring on round four, Ballesteros won comfortably on the final day – beating both Gibby Gilbert and Jack Newton by four strokes.
