1956 Masters Tournament Winner and Scores
The 1956 Masters was the 20th one played. An amateur probably should have won it, but instead Jackie Burke took the title. Burke's come-from-behind win is less-famous, though, than Ken Venturi's final-round collapse.
Winner: Jack Burke Jr., 289
Where it was played: Augusta National Golf Club, Augusta, Georgia
Tournament dates: April 5-8, 1956
Leader after first round: Ken Venturi, 66
Leader after second round: Ken Venturi, 135
Leader after third round: Ken Venturi, 210
What Happened in the 1956 Masters Tournament
Jack Burke Jr. staged the greatest final-round comeback in Masters history, coming from eight behind at the start of Round 4 to win. And he only had to shoot 71 to do it.The 1956 Masters is one of only a handful of times that an amateur golfer challenged for the Green Jacket. And of those times it is the best-known, because the amateur who finished second was Ken Venturi, and because he suffered a historic collapse to give away the title.
Venturi opened the tournament with a 66, held the lead at the midway point, and, despite a third-round 75, took a four-stroke lead into the final round. The second-place golfer going into Round 4 was major champion Cary Middlecoff. Burke, who did not yet have a major to his credit, wasn't in the Top 10 after three rounds — he was a distant eight strokes behind Venturi.
The final round was played in very windy, tough conditions, and only two golfers broke par that day. Venturi wasn't one of them.
But Jack Burke Jr. was. Burke shot a 71, while Venturi struggled to an 80, with a 42 on the back nine. That 9-stroke difference turned out to be the difference in the tournament, as Burke won by one over Venturi. Middlecoff had a 77 and finished one back of Venturi, two strokes behind Burke.
The 8-stroke, final-round deficit that Burke made up makes this the biggest come-from-behind win in Masters history. But the tough scoring conditions also make Burke's 1-over 289 total the highest winning score in Masters history (tied with Sam Snead's total in the 1954 Masters and Zach Johnson's in the 2007 Masters.) Burke went on to win another major later in the year, the 1956 PGA Championship.
The 1956 Masters was the last one without a cut. Because of the no-cut policy of the time, amateur Charles Kunkel was able to play all four rounds. He ended with a 95, the highest round in Masters history, and his 340 total is the highest 72-hole total in Masters history.
This was the first Masters to be televised: CBS showed holes 16 through 18 in the second, third and fourth rounds.
1956 Masters Final Scores
| Jack Burke Jr. | 72-71-75-71—289 |
| a-Ken Venturi | 66-69-75-80—290 |
| Cary Middlecoff | 67-72-75-77—291 |
| Lloyd Mangrum | 72-74-72-74—292 |
| Sam Snead | 73-76-72-71—292 |
| Jerry Barber | 71-72-76-75—294 |
| Doug Ford | 70-72-75-77—294 |
| Tommy Bolt | 68-74-78-76—296 |
| Ben Hogan | 69-78-74-75—296 |
| Shelley Mayfield | 68-74-80-74—296 |
| Johnny Palmer | 76-74-74-73—297 |
| Pete Cooper | 72-70-77-79—298 |
| Gene Littler | 73-77-74-74—298 |
| a-Billy Joe Patton | 70-76-79-73—298 |
| Sam Urzetta | 73-75-76-74—298 |
| Bob Rosburg | 70-74-81-74—299 |
| Walt Burkemo | 72-74-78-76—300 |
| Roberto De Vicenzo | 75-72-78-75—300 |
| a-Hillman Robbins | 73-73-78-76—300 |
| Mike Souchak | 73-73-74-80—300 |
| Arnold Palmer | 73-75-74-79—301 |
| Frank Stranahan | 72-75-79-76—302 |
| Jim Turnesa | 74-74-74-80—302 |
| Julius Boros | 73-78-72-80—303 |
| Dow Finsterwald | 74-73-79-77—303 |
| Ed Furgol | 74-75-78-76—303 |
| Stan Leonard | 75-75-79-74—303 |
| Al Mengert | 74-72-79-78—303 |
| Al Balding | 75-78-77-74—304 |
| Vic Ghezzi | 74-77-77-76—304 |
| Fred Haas Jr. | 78-72-75-79—304 |
| Fred Hawkins | 71-73-76-84—304 |
| Walter Inman | 73-75-74-82—304 |
| Jimmy Demaret | 73-75-76-81—305 |
| Billy Maxwell | 75-75-81-74—305 |
| Art Wall Jr. | 75-80-75-75—305 |
| a-Harvie Ward Jr. | 76-70-81-78—305 |
| Lew Worsham | 74-72-80-79—305 |
| Byron Nelson | 73-75-78-80—306 |
| Chick Harbert | 73-76-78-80—307 |
| Bob Harris | 73-79-77-78—307 |
| Skee Riegel | 72-79-76-80—307 |
| a-Bill Campbell | 77-78-77-76—308 |
| Jack Fleck | 74-77-76-81—308 |
| Dick Mayer | 75-74-81-78—308 |
| a-Rex Baxter Jr. | 76-79-79-75—309 |
| Claude Harmon | 77-79-76-77—309 |
| Henry Picard | 75-76-82-76—309 |
| Bud Holscher | 73-81-80-76—310 |
| Gene Sarazen | 77-75-78-80—310 |
| a-James Jackson | 77-74-76-84—311 |
| Ted Kroll | 75-75-79-82—311 |
| a-Bruce Cudd | 78-77-84-74—313 |
| Jay Hebert | 74-76-82-81—313 |
| Bill Hyndman | 79-77-77-80—313 |
| a-Joe Campbell | 77-80-78-79—314 |
| a-Edwark Hopkins Jr. | 76-76-82-80—314 |
| a-Don Bisplinghoff | 77-80-81-78—316 |
| Don Fairfield | 78-75-77-86—316 |
| a-Ed Meister Jr. | 78-78-84-76—316 |
| a-Joe Conrad | 76-79-81-81—317 |
| Lionel Hebert | 77-77-80-83—317 |
| Ernie Vossler | 78-79-83-77—317 |
| George Schneiter | 77-80-82-79—318 |
| a-Dick Chapman | 79-82-82-76—319 |
| a-Dale Morey | 83-75-83-78—319 |
| Sam Parks Jr. | 80-82-76-81—319 |
| Henry Cotton | 77-83-81-80—321 |
| a-James McCoy | 77-81-81-82—321 |
| Craig Wood | 76-80-78-88—322 |
| Denny Shute | 82-79-89-74—324 |
| a-Don Cherry | 79-81-81-84—325 |
| Lawson Little | 77-81-85-82—325 |
| a-William Boce | 82-80-87-77—326 |
| Johnny Revolta | 84-81-79-84—328 |
| Horton Smith | 86-84-84-82—336 |
| a-Charles Kunkle | 78-82-85-95—340 |
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