The Masters is the hardest tournament in professional golf to win, and is the one every young golfer dreams of winning. It might not seem like a hard tournament to win since everyone knows the course at Augusta National Golf Club, but that couldn't be further from the truth.
The pressure to win this tournament is unlike anything any golfer faces. Donning the Green Jacket is a privilege, and it's really hard to execute seemingly perfectly through four rounds with that hanging in the balance.
With that, not only is it hard to win, but it's hard to even finish under par. Only a select group of golfers were able to accomplish that feat last year.
Last year's results showed how hard it is to finish under par at The Masters
Golfer | Score |
|---|---|
Scottie Scheffler | -11 |
Ludvig Aberg | -7 |
Tommy Fleetwood | -4 |
Collin Morikawa | -4 |
Max Homa | -4 |
Bryson DeChambeau | -2 |
Cameron Smith | -2 |
Xander Schauffele | -1 |
Only eight golfers finished last year's tournament under par out of the 89-player field, showing how difficult is it to even finish The Masters with a puncher's chance to win. Only two golfers, Scottie Scheffler and Ludvig Aberg, finished more than five shots under par.
Being on top of your game for four straight days through 72 holes with immense pressure is easier said than done, and that's evidenced by this exclusive list of golfers who finished below par. Finishing below par might not be a big deal in a standard tournament, but The Masters is far from normal.
How many golfers were below par at The Masters in 2025 heading into Final Round?
There's a very realistic chance that more golfers will finish below par this time around, as 24 players currently sit below par. Another five golfers are even, giving them a chance to finish below par with a good final round.
While nobody is guaranteed to finish below par, five golfers currently sit more than five strokes below par. The leader, Rory McIlroy, is 12 shots below par. Barring an epic collapse from this group of golfers, they should be able to finish below par, even if they don't get to don the Green Jacket.
Six of the eight golfers who finished below par last year currently sit below par. Bryson DeChambeau is the leader of that group, as he's currently at 10-under-par. He's in second place entering Sunday's action, trailing only McIlroy at the top of the leaderboard. Defending champion Scottie Scheffler is also below par, but he's at a -5 as of this writing.
Not only will the eventual winner of this historic tournament come down to the wire, but the number of golfers able to finish below par will as well. It'll be interesting to see if that number is higher or lower this time around than last year.