The 1965 Masters - The Big Three Go 1-2-3

A quick history note from The Sports Time Traveler

APRIL 12, 1965 - Augusta, Georgia

This past weekend in 1965 was the only time that the “Big 3” of golf - Gary Player, Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus, ever finished 1 - 2 - 3 on the leaderboard of a major.

Jack won in a Masters record 271. He was an incredible 9 shots clear of the field.

Tied for 2nd place were fellow Big 3 members Palmer and Player at 280. And that pair was another 3 shots clear of anyone else.

The Big 3 dominated the tournament and Jack dominated the Big 3.

Of note, Sam Snead, who won the prior week at the Greater Greensboro Open, by 5 shots, to become the oldest player ever to win a PGA TOUR event (a distinction he still holds in 2025), finished one shot outside the cut line.

Here was the final leaderboard:

You can watch highlights from the 1965 Masters in this video: