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Wall comes out of pack with 66, Masters title
Middlecoff stroke off in second
284 winner; Palmer third
By Johnny Hendrix
Chronicle Sports Editor
Augusta, Ga., Monday, April 6, 1959 -- Slender, graying Art Wall Jr. birdied the 18th hole at the Augusta National Sunday afternoon to win the 23rd Masters Tournament by one stroke with a 72-hole score of 284.
Wall, who started the round six shots behind Stan Leonard and Arnold Palmer, shot a six-under par 66 to nose Cary Middlecoff for the coveted green coat and first prize money of $15,000.
The purse, largest in the country, rose to $76,000 under the bonus system of the Masters Tournament.
An estimated 105,000 people - believed to be a record - crowded the Augusta National course during the four days of the 23rd Masters Tournament. Saturday's count of about 40,000 was the high for a single day.
Wall, a native of Honesdale, Pa., birdied five of the last six holes for one of the greatest finishes in golf history to win the tournament.
But it was something he had to do. Middlecoff, off to a bad start, eagled the 15th hole and only needed a birdie on one of the last three holes - three of the toughest finishing jobs in the world - to send the tournament into its fourth playoff.
Coe Low Amateur
Charley Coe, the U.S. Amateur champion from Oklahoma City, Okla., finished as low amateur with an even par 288 total for the four rounds.
Wall, given little chance at the start of the round, was out in 34 strokes. When he three-putted the 10th hole to move only one shot under par, it appeared that the triumvirate of Middlecoff, defending champion Arnold Palmer and Stan Leonard, the Canadian who was the leader in two out of the first three rounds, would produce the eventual winner.
Deciding factor for Palmer was a triple bogey six on the par three 12th hole, the controversial spot of last year when he received a favorable ruling on an imbedded ball and made par instead of a double bogey.
Neck and Neck
Leonard, who like Middlecoff was running neck and neck with Palmer through the first 13 holes, finished in a tie for fourth place with Dick Mayer with a 187.
Coe was alone in sixth at even par and Fred Hawkins, who missed a birdie putt on the 18th a year ago that would have tied Palmer, came in sixth at 289. Six players tied at 290. They are Gene Littler, Billy Maxwell, Jay Hebert, Julius Boros, Gary Player and amateur Billy Joe Patton.
The hottest player on the winter tour, Wall started the tournament with a one over 73, which was four strokes behind Leonard's leading 69. In the second round he shot 74, which placed him six strokes off the pace, and he stayed there through the third round with a one under par 71.
Admittedly hoping only to shoot a 70 for the day, he started out with a birdie three at the first hole when he put an eight iron 15 feet from the pin and sank it.
At the second hole, he was short with his second shot, chipped to within 2 feet of the cup and made that putt for a birdie. From there through the sixth hole, he parred, making a fine shot out of a trap at four and getting down a putt from 3 feet.
Missed The Putt
He missed a birdie putt of 12 feet at six and then at seven, for the third time in the tournament, he bogeyed. This time he pulled up on a nine iron approach and was trapped, coming out 5 feet from the cup and missing it.
The eighth hole, however, came up birdie, the first time he had been able to clip it for par during the tournament. His four wood second shot was in the trap, but he came out only a foot from the home and made it.
The ninth was a regulation two-putter from 3 feet.
The 10th hole, which is one of the key holes on the course and one which Wall had parred the first three rounds, found him three-putting for a bogey, his fourth three-putt of the tournament and his only one of the round. His approach stopped 40 feet from the cup to the back of the green.
At the water-guarded 11th, Wall hit his three iron second to the right of the green, some 3 feet off the putting surface and 40 feet from the hole. He almost made that with a putter, but didn't and got par.
The 12th, the wrecking station for Palmer, found Wall hitting dead to the middle of the green with a six iron. The ball went off the back and he clipped it back a foot from the hole to make par.
The String Begins
The 13th hole, which was birdied by Palmer, Middlecoff and Leonard, almost came up par, but he managed to get it down from 80 feet in two putts for the birdie, the first in that sensational string.
From that point on, everything worked right. Wall's seven iron to the tough 14th green stopped 20 feet from the hole and he snaked it in. At the 15th, he hit a two iron 25 feet from the hole on his second shot and got it down in two for another bird.
With the pin in the back left of the green, a treacherous spot, Wall chose to play safe and two-putted from 10 feet for his par, but he birdied again at the 17th hitting a six iron 15 feet from the hole and making the putt.
With Palmer already in at 286, Wall knew he could par the 18th hole and win. But as he walked onto the green, he saw Middlecoff's eagle posted on the scoreboard at the 15th hole.
His eight iron had stopped 11 feet from the cup. He read the break.
Finally he figured on hitting it straight at the cup and hoping for the best. ``When it was a foot from the hole,'' he said, ``I knew it was in the cup.''
It was and it meant the tournament.
Wall's victory held up the tradition of the Masters Tournament. Previously, no defending champion has ever won. Likewise, no amateur has ever won and neither has a foreign entry.
At the start of the round, it figured that all three of these had an excellent chance. Palmer, the defender, and Leonard, the Canadian, were leading the pack.
And just three shots back and owning the lowest round of the tournament to that point sat Coe, the amateur king and one of the finest players in the country.
But one by one, they fell by the wayside.
Palmer looked in great shape when he turned the front nine at even par. Then disaster struck at 12. His tee shot - the pin was in the right corner of the green - fell into the water.
After he dropped back, he put the ball clear over the green to the back fringe and found himself with a poor lie. He putted from there and then took two more putts from 8 feet.
But he wasn't finished. He birdied the 13th and 15th holes to jump very much back into the running.
But it wasn't his day. His second shot at 17 was just off the back of the green. His chip was to the right of the cup, some 5 feet from the hole , and he missed the put for a bogey.
This eventually cost him a tie for second. Then on 18 his second shot hit some 15 feet back of the cup , took backspin and rolled back to within 4 feet of the cup.
As he addressed the putt, a movie camera disturbed him. He stepped away from the ball, came back to it, putted and missed.
Middlecoff's only poor hole on the back nine was the 11th. He played safe to the right. The ball stopped just to the left of the 12th tee and his chip left him a putt of about 6 feet. He missed it for bogey.
It appeared that the 12th hole would also be a jonah, but here he salvaged a par. His tee shot was over the back of the green. He had to stand on a slant to get to the ball, but made a fine chip shot to with in 4 feet of the cup and holed it.
Three Deadlocked
At the 13th, deadlocked with Palmer and Leonard at that point, Middlecoff was short of the green, got it to within 5 feet with his pitch over the creek and holed out for a birdie.
At the 15th Middlecoff almost holed out a three wood, the ball stopping 4 feet back of the cup and he dropped it for the eagle. At 17, he had a chance at a birdie and missed, and then on 18 his second shot was short of the green. He chipped up 5 feet from the cup and made it.
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