ROCKY STARTS
Jim Gorant
April 20, 2009
Three teens made highly publicized Masters debuts last week, and all of them turned in less-than-stellar performances. Ryo Ishikawa (above, center) and Danny Lee (right) missed the cut, while Rory McIlroy came in 20th. Here's the good news: First-time results are not necessarily predictors of future performance. Among the 11 players who have won more than one green jacket in the last 55 years, the best first-time finish was a tie for 10th, by Arnold Palmer in 1955, while four of the multiple winners missed the cut in their first Augusta outings.
|
Player |
Debut Yr./Finish |
Second Yr./Finish |
Follow-up |
|
Arnold Palmer |
1955/T10 |
1956/21 |
Tied 7th in third start, won in fourth |
|
Gary Player |
1957/24 |
1958/MC |
Tied 8th in third start, won in fifth |
|
Jack Nicklaus |
1959/MC |
1960/13 |
Tied 7th in third start, won in fifth |
|
Tom Watson |
1970/MC |
1975/T8 |
Tied 8th in second start, won in fourth |
|
Ben Crenshaw |
1972/19 |
1973/24 |
Tied 8th in sixth start, won in 11th |
|
Seve Ballesteros |
1977/33 |
1978/18 |
Won in fourth start |
|
Nick Faldo |
1979/40 |
1983/20 |
One of three to win back-to-back |
|
Bernhard Langer |
1982/MC |
1984/31 |
Won in third start |
|
José M. Olazábal |
1985/MC |
1987/MC |
Tied 8th in third start, won in 8th |
|
Phil Mickelson |
1991/46 |
1993/34 |
Tied 7th in third start, won in 12th |
|
Tiger Woods |
1995/41 |
1996/MC |
Won in third start |
Three teens made highly publicized Masters debuts last week, and all of them turned in less-than-stellar performances. Ryo Ishikawa (above, center) and Danny Lee (right) missed the cut, while Rory McIlroy came in 20th. Here's the good news: First-time results are not necessarily predictors of future performance. Among the 11 players who have won more than one green jacket in the last 55 years, the best first-time finish was a tie for 10th, by Arnold Palmer in 1955, while four of the multiple winners missed the cut in their first Augusta outings.
[This article contains a table. Please see hardcopy of magazine or PDF.]
