How many European golfers have won The Masters at Augusta?

While the iconic golf course of Augusta is being prepared for The Masters Tournament, the vibrant green fairways and bunkers are getting ready to welcome the iconic field for this year's edition.

The event has had diverse competition as well as winners from all over. However, it did take about 27 years for a Non-American, that is, Gary Player from South Africa, to win The Masters title from the time the first edition was played.

Over the years, Augusta has seen many golfers from across the world, including Europeans, take the prestigious green jacket home, and this year, Rory McIlroy has been picked as a favourite to win the Major championship.

Even as analysis and predictions are being made ahead of tournament, let's look back at how many Europeans have won The Masters at Augusta.

1. Seve Ballesteros

PGA: Masters Tournament - Final Round - Source: Imagn

The Spanish golfer, Seve Ballesteros, became the first European in 1980 to win at The Masters Tournament. He then won at Augusta once again in the year 1983.

Seve won 90 tournaments across all the Tours, including five Majors. He won The Open Championship thrice- 1979, 1984 and 1988.

Seve Ballesteros also took his Ryder Cup team to victory five times, as a captain and as a player.

2. Bernhard Langer

Bernhard Langer from Germany claimed the green jacket twice, in 1985 and 1993. Langer has won professional golf events on all the six continents he has played in, one of the five golfers to achieve this feat.

The German golfer has 125 professional wins to his name, including two victories at Augusta.

3. Sandy Lyle

PGA: Masters Tournament - Second Round - Source: Imagn

Sandy Lyle won at Augusta National in the year 1988. The Scottish golfer has a total of 30 wins across all Tours, including two Majors. Sandy won The Open Championship in 1985.

4. Nick Faldo

PGA: Masters Tournament - 1990 - Source: Imagn

The English golfer, Nick Faldo, claimed The Masters title thrice in total - 1989, 1990, and 1996. He is one of three golfers to win the event consecutively.

Faldo played on various Tours and has won 43 tournaments, including six Majors. He has been victorious at The Open Championship three times- 1987, 1990, and 1992.

5. Ian Woosnam

PGA: Masters Tournament - 1991 - Source: Imagn

Nicknamed Woosie, the Welsh golfer Ian Woosnam triumphed at Augusta in 1991. Ian clinched a total of 52 professional wins from all the tours he played on.

6. Jose Maria Olazabal

PGA: Masters Tournament - First Round - Source: Imagn

Jose Maria Olazabal is a Spanish golfer who has bagged the green jacket on two occasions- 1994 and 1999.

His career wins tally of 30, all tours combined, includes two Majors.

7. Danny Willett

Danny Willett won The Masters Tournament in 2016, becoming the first European to win at the event in 17 years. He also became only the second English golfer, after Nick Faldo to claim this title.

The Englishman has eight professional wins so far which includes one Major.

8. Sergio Garcia

PGA: The Masters - Final Round - Source: Imagn

The Spanish golfer, Sergio Garcia secured his first Major at Augusta in 2017. Currently playing on the LIV Golf league, Garcia has won 38 tournaments altogether and also tasted success in the Ryder Cup.

9. Jon Rahm

The Masters - Final Round - Source: Getty

The former World No.1, Jon Rahm, claimed The Masters title in 2023.

Having recently joined LIV Golf, Rahm has won 22 tournaments across all Tours, including US Open in 2023. The Spaniard was crowned the LIV Golf champion on his debut season with the league.

Three Europeans to look out for at The Masters this year

The 89th edition of The Masters is set to have a spectacular field and a great number of Europeans will be competing for the coveted green jacket. Three big-name players from Europe will be determined to join the above list this year.

Rory McIlroy: The Northern Irish golfer has claimed The Players Championship and tied for fifth position at the Houston Open. He is among the top favorites to win at Augusta this year and fans will be eager to see if he can win his first Green Jacket.

Ludvig Aberg: The young golfer from Sweden has a promising game which brings him under the spotlight with other Europeans. He made his Masters debut last season and finished second behind Scottie Scheffler.

Viktor Hovland: His recent win at the Valspar Championship has brought the Norwegian golfer into the list of players to lookout for. Viktor will be looking to claim his first Major win.

A number of European golfers are set to be in contention at Augusta this year along with the brilliant golf talent from the US and across the world.

About the author

Started out as a Golf Listener, soon got her bearing as a writer.

As an established Content Writer, Anusha aspires to be a Sports Journalist and joining Sportskeeda is the first step she's taken in that direction. From little to no golf knowledge, she now hopes to cover a PGA Tour event live, one day.

She graduated Bachelors of Arts with triple majors- Journalism, Psychology and English Literature. The two subjects, Psychology and literature, greatly influenced her writing, one by assisting in readers' perspective and one by improving language & vocabulary.
This gives her an edge while framing articles, as she knows what you want readers want and how to engage with them without all the huff and fluff. She strives not only to bring you genuine news stories, but to deliver perfection!

Besides golf, Anusha follows tennis and cricket avidly. She has even published several tennis news articles in one of her previous roles. This role nudged her towards Sports writing and reporting, and she decided to pursue MA in Sports Journalism in the future to nourish this dream.
Anusha has dabbled in different fields before she came back to her true passion. From travel blogs and B2B content to digital marketing and scripting digital ads, she has worked in various areas, and has a takeaway from each of those roles.

Outside journalism, Anusha either binges Mystery thrillers or writes poems, occasionally picks up a book and buries her face until she finishes it. In short, she is
A Potterhead with an eye like Sherlock, be it for content or errors!

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Edited by Tushar Bahl