2008 Masters Tournament

The 2008 Masters Tournament was the 72nd Masters Tournament, held April 10–13 at Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia. Trevor Immelman won his first major title, three strokes ahead of runner-up Tiger Woods, a four-time champion. Immelman led or tied for the lead after every round.

Field
The Masters has the smallest field of the major championships, with 94 players having earned invitations in 2008. Officially the Masters remains an invitation event but there is now a qualification process, although in theory the club could simply decline to invite a 'qualified' player. Here is a list of all players qualified to play in the 2008 Masters Tournament. Each player is classified according to the first category by which he qualified, but other categories are shown in parentheses:

1. Past Masters Champions

Fred Couples, Ben Crenshaw, Raymond Floyd, Zach Johnson (10,14,15,16,17,18), Bernhard Langer, Sandy Lyle, Phil Mickelson (4,5,14,15,16,17,18), Larry Mize, José María Olazábal, Mark O'Meara, Gary Player, Vijay Singh (4,10,14,16,17,18), Craig Stadler, Tom Watson, Mike Weir (17,18), Tiger Woods (3,4,10,11,13,14,15,16,17,18), Ian Woosnam, Fuzzy Zoeller

(Past champions not competing: Tommy Aaron, Seve Ballesteros, Jack Burke Jr., Billy Casper, Charles Coody, Nick Faldo, Doug Ford, Bob Goalby, Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer. Palmer served as "honorary starter" and teed off on the first day at the first hole to kick off the tournament.)

2. Last five U.S. Open Champions

Ángel Cabrera (11,15,17,18), Michael Campbell, Jim Furyk (10,11,14,15,16,17,18), Retief Goosen (10,17,18), Geoff Ogilvy (14,15,16,17,18)

3. Last five Open Champions

Ben Curtis, Todd Hamilton, Pádraig Harrington (10,12,14,15,16,17,18)

4. Last five PGA Champions

Shaun Micheel

5. Last two of The Players Champions

Stephen Ames (17,18)

Winners of the Players Championship get three years of Masters invitations. With the Players having moved from March to May, beginning 2007, there will be only two such champions who have earned invitations to the Masters in both 2008 and 2009. In 2010 and after, once again three Players champions will have earned invitations to the Masters.

6. Top two finishers in the 2007 U.S. Amateur

Michael Thompson (a)
 * (2007 U.S. Amateur and U.S. Amateur Public Links Champion Colt Knost turned professional, thereby forfeiting his invitations to the Masters, U.S. Open and The Open Championship. )

7. Winner of the 2007 The Amateur Championship

Drew Weaver (a)

8. Winner of the 2007 U.S. Amateur Public Links

See number 6

9. Winner of the 2007 U.S. Mid-Amateur

Trip Kuehne (a)

10. The top 16 finishers and ties in the 2007 Masters Tournament

Stuart Appleby (17,18), Paul Casey (17,18), Tim Clark (14,16,17,18), Luke Donald (14,17,18), Jerry Kelly (11), Ian Poulter (17,18), Justin Rose (14,16,17,18), Rory Sabbatini (14,15,16,17,18), Vaughn Taylor, David Toms (11,17)

11. Top 8 finishers and ties in the 2007 U.S. Open

Nick Dougherty (17), Niclas Fasth (17,18), Scott Verplank (14,15,16,17,18), Bubba Watson

12. Top 4 finishers and ties in the 2007 Open Championship

Ernie Els (13,14,15,16,17,18), Sergio García (14,16,17,18), Richard Green (17), Andrés Romero (15,17,18)

13. Top 4 finishers and ties in the 2007 PGA Championship

Woody Austin (14,15,16,17,18), Arron Oberholser (17,18), John Senden (18)

14. Top 30 leaders on the 2007 PGA Tour official money earnings list

Robert Allenby (16,18), Aaron Baddeley (16,17,18), Mark Calcavecchia (16,17,18), K. J. Choi (15,16,17,18), Stewart Cink (16,17,18), Steve Flesch, Charles Howell III (16,17,18), Hunter Mahan (15,16,17,18), John Rollins (16), Adam Scott (16,17,18), Heath Slocum (16), Brandt Snedeker (15,16,17,18), Steve Stricker (15,16,17,18), Boo Weekley (15,16,17,18), Brett Wetterich (16,17)

15. Winners of PGA Tour events that award a full-point allocation for the season-ending Tour Championship, between the 2007 Masters Tournament and the 2008 Masters Tournament

Brian Bateman, Jonathan Byrd (16), Daniel Chopra, J. B. Holmes, Steve Lowery, Sean O'Hair (18), D. J. Trahan, Johnson Wagner, Nick Watney

16. All players qualifying for the 2007 rendition of The Tour Championship

Camilo Villegas

17. Top 50 on the 2007 Official World Golf Rankings list

Anders Hansen, Søren Hansen (18), Trevor Immelman (18), Miguel Ángel Jiménez (18), Robert Karlsson (18), Shingo Katayama, Nick O'Hern (18), Henrik Stenson (18), Richard Sterne (18), Toru Taniguchi (18), Lee Westwood (18)

18. Top 50 on the Official World Golf Rankings list going into the tournament

Martin Kaymer, Justin Leonard, Peter Lonard

19. International invitees

Liang Wenchong, Prayad Marksaeng, Jeev Milkha Singh

Par 3 contest
The annual par 3 contest was held on Wednesday, April 9, and was won by Rory Sabbatini, runner-up in the 2007 Masters Tournament. He scored -5 (22) to finish ahead of Woody Austin and Miguel Ángel Jiménez. Four players hit a hole-in-one. Paul Azinger on the second hole, Charles Coody on the third, Fred Couples on the seventh and Wayne Grady on the ninth.

Round summaries
The Masters Tournament is played over four days with an eighteen-hole round being played each day, for a total of 72 holes plus practice rounds and a par-three contest on the neighboring par-three course. Everyone outside the top 44 and ties or outside ten strokes of the leader will be “cut” after 36 holes.

First round
Thursday, April 10, 2008

After an hour delay due to fog, Justin Rose and Trevor Immelman shot rounds of 68 (−4) to lead the field. For the players in the final few groups, the last holes were played in near darkness. Ian Poulter hit a hole in one on the 16th on the way to a 70. Defending champion Zach Johnson shot a 70 and four-time champion Tiger Woods shot an even-par 72. In all, 18 players shot sub-par rounds and the scoring average was 74.18.

Second round
Friday, April 11, 2008

Immelman shot another round of 68 (−4) to lead the field by one stroke at 136 (−8). Steve Flesch had the low round of the day at 67 and tied for third. Defending champion Zach Johnson shot a 76 for a two-round total of 146 (+2), tied for 29th. Woods shot a 71 and tied for 13th. The cut, to the top 44 players and ties, was at 147 (+3) and 45 players made the cut. In all, 28 players shot sub-par rounds for the day and the scoring average was 73.51. For the tournament, 19 players were under par and the scoring average was 73.84. Prayad Marksaeng withdrew after nine holes with a back injury. Fred Couples missed his first cut at the Masters (by one stroke), ending a streak of 23 consecutive cuts made, a record he shares with Gary Player and Tiger Woods.

Amateurs: Kuehne (+6), Thompson (+10), Weaver (+12).

Third round
Saturday, April 12, 2008

Immelman shot a three-under 69 to remain in the lead at 205 (−11). Snedeker remained second and Steve Flesch third after rounds of 70 and 69 respectively. Paul Casey was the highest placed European at 209 (−7), with Woods two shots behind him. Woods, Zach Johnson, and Boo Weekley had the low rounds of the day at 68 (−4). For the round, 13 players were under par and the scoring average was 72.58. For the tournament, 18 players were under par and the scoring average was 73.60.

Final round
Sunday, April 13, 2008

Summary
Miguel Ángel Jiménez had the low round of the day at 68 (−4). For the round, four players were under par and the scoring average was 74.67. For the tournament, ten players were under par and the scoring average was 73.77.

Scorecard
Cumulative tournament scores, relative to par
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Media coverage
ESPN broadcast the first two rounds of the tournament for the first time. Previously, USA televised the first two rounds beginning in 1982. ESPN also carried the par-3 contest on Wednesday afternoon, the first time the competition had been televised. BBC broadcast the whole event in the United Kingdom, with coverage being shared among BBC One, BBC Two, and BBC Red Button. In the United States, CBS Sports televised the third and fourth rounds, as they have every year beginning in 1956.