1946 Masters Tournament

The 1946 Masters Tournament was the tenth Masters Tournament, held April 4–7 at Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia. It was the first in four years, because of World War II. The purse was $10,000, double that of the previous Masters in 1942, with a winner's share of $2,500.

Herman Keiser won his only major title, one stroke ahead of runner-up Ben Hogan, the tour's money leader. Keiser and Hogan both three-putted the slick 18th green on Sunday; Keiser from 20 ft, and a half-hour later Hogan from 15 ft.

Hogan won the PGA Championship four months later in August for his first major title at age 34. He later won the Masters in 1951 and 1953 and finished his career with nine wins in majors.

Field
With only one major championship played in 1945, the invitation criteria were modified. Eight amateurs and eight professionals were selected by a committee in February and four further professionals were invited just before the event.

Jimmy Demaret (7), Ralph Guldahl (2,7), Byron Nelson (2,6,7,8), Henry Picard (6,7), Horton Smith (7), Craig Wood (2,7)
 * 1. Masters champions
 * Gene Sarazen (2,4,6,7) did not play.

Billy Burke (7), Bobby Jones (3,4,5,7), Lawson Little (3,5,7)
 * 2. U.S. Open champions

Dick Chapman (a)
 * 3. U.S. Amateur champions

Denny Shute (6,8)
 * 4. British Open champions

Charlie Yates (7,a)
 * 5. British Amateur champions

Vic Ghezzi (8), Bob Hamilton, Sam Snead (7)
 * 6. PGA champions

Sammy Byrd (8), Jim Ferrier, Jim Foulis, Chick Harbert, Chandler Harper, Dutch Harrison, Ben Hogan, Herman Keiser, Gene Kunes, Jug McSpaden, Johnny Palmer, Toney Penna, Felix Serafin, Jimmy Thomson
 * 7. Top 30 players and ties from the 1942 Masters Tournament


 * Tommy Armour (2,4,6), Harry Cooper, Bobby Cruickshank, Willie Goggin, Paul Runyan (6) and Bud Ward (3,a) did not play.

Claude Harmon, Ralph Hutchison, Ky Laffoon
 * 8. 1945 PGA Championship quarter-finalists


 * Clarence Doser did not play.

Bob Cochran (a), Fred Haas, Cary Middlecoff (a), Frank Stranahan (a)
 * 9. Selected amateurs, not already qualified


 * Ray Billows (a), Harry Givan (a), Chuck Kocsis (a), Jim McHale Jr. (a) did not play. Haas turned professional before the event.

Herman Barron, Johnny Bulla, Ed Dudley, Jimmy Hines, Lloyd Mangrum, Dick Metz, Ed Oliver, Jim Turnesa
 * 10. Selected professionals, not already qualified


 * 11. One amateur, not already qualified, selected by a ballot of ex-U.S. Amateur champions
 * Tommy Suffern Tailer (a) did not play

Al Watrous
 * 12. One professional, not already qualified, selected by a ballot of ex-U.S. Open champions

Leland Gibson, George Schneiter
 * 13. Two players, not already qualified, with the best scoring average in the winter part of the 1946 PGA Tour

Clayton Heafner, Rod Munday, Buck White, Al Zimmerman
 * 14. Additional invitations

First round
Thursday, April 4, 1946 Source:

Second round
Friday, April 5, 1946 Source:

Third round
Saturday, April 6, 1946 Source:

Final round
Sunday, April 7, 1946

Final leaderboard
Sources:

Scorecard
Cumulative tournament scores, relative to par