Which golfer holds the record for the most starts at The Masters?

The Masters Tournament is just around the courner, and golfers are stepping up to race for the green jacket. As there are golfers with maximum number of wins, there are professionals with the most number of starts as well.

Gary Player is one of the golfing greats who won nine golf major championships in his career. He has a total 159 wins in his professional career, among which, 24 are from the PGA Tour. Player made his Augusta National debut back in 1957. From 1957 to 2009, Player made the most number of starts in The Masters, recording a 52 appearances where he played at Augusta.

The veteran golfer played 164 rounds in Augusta, registering 12 top-10 finishes and two runner-up ranks. In terms of appearances, he is closely followed by Arnold Palmer, who has played 150 rounds in 50 appearances. Jack Nicklaus is placed third behind Palmer with 163 rounds in 45 appearances. Nicklaus also happens to be the winner of the maximum number of green jackets (six times).

Gary Player won The Masters thrice in 1961, 1974, and 1978. In 1961, he won the major by maintaining a 4-shot lead over 54 holes. Player secured the victory from Arnold Palmer and Charles Coe with a 1-shot margin, scoring 8-under 280.

His second victory at Augusta came back in 1974. Despite falling short at 54 holes over a 1-shot deficit, Player emerged victorious in The Masters. He picked up the win over Dave Stockton and Tom Weiskopf with a 2-stroke margin.

Player shot 10-under 278 with an overall round score of 71-71-66-70. Gary Player's third and final green jacket came in 1978.

He shot his lowest final round score at Augusta in his career (64). He finished the tournament at the top with 11-under 277, defeating Huber Green, Tom Watson, and Rod Funseth.

The upcoming Masters Tournament is set to commence on April 10 this year. Scottie Scheffler will be defending his 2024 title at Augusta, Georgia. The World No. 1 won the major for the second time last year with a 4-stroke margin over Ludvig Aberg.

If Scheffler wins for the third time, he will join the likes of Phil Mickelson, Sam Snead, Nick Faldo, Jimmy Demaret, and Gary Player to win the major thrice.

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The Masters 2024 top-20 leaderboard explored

Here's a detailed look at the leaderboard featuring the top 20 players from the 144-man field at The Masters last year:

• 1: Scottie Scheffler, 277 (-11)
• 2: Ludvig Aberg, 281 (-7)
• T3: Tommy Fleetwood, 284 (-4)
• T3: Max Homa, 284 (-4)
• T3: Collin Morikawa, 284 (-4)
• T6: Bryson DeChambeau, 286 (-2)
• T6: Cameron Smith, 286 (-2)
• 8: Xander Schauffele, 287 (-1)
• T9: Tyrrell Hatton, 288 (E)
• T9: Cameron Young, 288 (E)
• T9: Will Zalatoris, 288 (E)
• T12: Cameron Davis, 289 (+1)
• T12: Matthieu Pavon, 289 (+1)
• T12: Patrick Reed, 289 (+1)
• T12: Adam Schenk, 289 (+1)
• T16: An Byeong Hun, 290 (+2)
• T16: Nicolai Højgaard, 290 (+2)
• T16: Chris Kirk, 290 (+2)
• T16: Sepp Straka, 290 (+2)
• T20: Lucas Glover, 291 (+3)
• T20: Taylor Moore, 291 (+3)