Posted 4/14/03 9:57 am ET

Masters Playoffs - 1950s

Amateur's error opens door for vets

Sam Snead plays an approach shot from the rough en route to his playoff victory over Ben Hogan in the 1954 Masters. Snead won his third Masters title by a single stroke against Hogan. File/The Augusta Chronicle

By John Boyette
The Augusta Chronicle

The 1954 Masters Tournament was a sportswriter's delight. The possibilities for story lines were endless.

Consider the following:

North Carolina's Billy Joe Patton had a chance going into the back nine Sunday to become the first amateur to win the Masters. Tournament co-founder Bobby Jones, himself a career amateur, no doubt was pleased with that development.

Ben Hogan, winner of golf's Triple Crown in 1953 with victories in the Masters, U.S. Open and British Open, was vying for his fourth straight victory in a major. (A scheduling conflict had prevented Hogan from competing in the PGA Championship in '53.) Hogan also had a real chance to become the first back-to-back winner of the Masters.

And Sam Snead, one of Hogan's chief rivals, was vying for his third win at Augusta National Golf Club in a six-year span.

Here's how the stories played out:

Conditions were rugged throughout the week. No player cracked 70 in the first two rounds, and only six players managed to break that figure for the week.

Hogan led Snead by three strokes going into the final day, but the young amateur stole the thunder early on. Patton made a hole-in-one at the par-3 sixth and took the lead over his more experienced competitors.

Going into the final nine, Patton's good fortune began to run out. On the par-5 13th, he risked going for the green in two from a questionable lie and found the tributary of Rae's Creek. A double-bogey seven, followed by another trip to the drink on the 15th, effectively derailed Patton's quest to become the first amateur to win the Masters.

Snead was able to make up the three shots on Hogan with an even-par round of 72.

In the playoff the next day, the match was nip-and-tuck. Both men matched par on the front nine before Snead pulled ahead with a chip-in birdie from about 30 feet on the 10th hole.

A bogey by Snead on the 12th squared the match again, but he was able to regain his advantage by hitting the 13th in two shots and two-putting for a birdie while Hogan had to settle for a par.

On the par-3 16th, Hogan's putter let him down as he three-putted from less than 15 feet to fall behind by two and effectively end the suspense. A bogey by Snead on the final hole reduced his winning margin to one, 70 to 71.

With the victory, Snead joined Jimmy Demaret as the tournament's only three-time winner to date. His 289 total ties the highest winning score in Masters history.

Hogan gained the dubious distinction of being the only golfer to lose twice in Masters playoffs. He had lost to Byron Nelson by a single stroke in 1942.

And for Patton, who would go on to play in 13 Masters and become a member at Augusta National, the decision to gamble on the back nine in the final round cost him a golden opportunity.

1954 Masters
Player	Score	Earnings
*Sam Snead	74-73-70-72-289	$5,000
Ben Hogan	72-73-69-75-289	$3,125
Billy Joe Patton	70-74-75-71-290	amateur
E.J. Harrison	70-79-74-68-291	$1,938
Lloyd Mangrum	71-75-76-69-291	$1,938
Jerry Barber	74-76-71-71-292	$1,042
Jack Burke Jr.	71-77-73-71-292	$1,042
Bob Rosburg	73-73-76-70-292	$1,042
Al Besselink	74-74-74-72-294	$781
Cary Middlecoff	73-76-70-75-294	$781
*Snead won 18-hole playoff 70-71

 

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