
For any professional golfer to secure their legacy, to cement their reputation as a champion, to mark their place in history, they must conquer golf’s greatest test at Augusta National. To win the Green Jacket – and earn a position in one of the most exclusive fraternities in sport – requires the type of quality shot-making, superior putting and steely nerves around Amen Corner that separate the spectacular players from the all-time greats. They are Masters* Tournament Champions.
Callaway Staff Pros Gary Player, Arnold Palmer, Phil Mickelson and Trevor Immelman know how it feels to make that triumphant walk into Butler Cabin on Sunday afternoon. Together, the four Masters winners have combined for 11 victories at Augusta National. Their championships have ranged from dominating to downright dramatic, and every drive, iron shot and curling putt is still etched in their memories, as if it were yesterday.
Their paths to the winner’s circle have been highlighted by intriguing personal stories and incredible play, beginning with a man who became “The King.”

Few people recognized a handsome 28-year-old from Latrobe, Pa during his first Masters win in 1958. By the time he captured a fourth victory at Augusta in 1964, however, Arnold Palmer had developed his own army of loyal fans. Palmer built his legendary reputation – and elevated professional golf from a quiet niche sport to must-see television – with one of the most dominant runs in Masters history. He won all four of his Green Jackets over that seven-year period, and still ranks tied for second all-time in career Masters wins. Perhaps his finest hour came in ’64, when he finished at 12-under for a six-shot victory.
Augusta’s magical appeal stayed with Palmer through the years, and he competed in 50 consecutive Masters before calling it a career in 2004. “Augusta and this golf tournament has been about (as much) a part of my life as anything other than my family,” Palmer said after his final round in Masters competition. His praise for the course was just as enthusiastic. “I was raised by my father to strive for high standards, and everything at Augusta was on such a high standard.”

To this day, Gary Player remembers every vivid detail from his first Masters win as a 25-year-old outsider in 1961. Of course, it’s easy to be an outsider when you’re trading shots with The King. “I’m leading Arnold Palmer and naturally he was the American hero and here was this little runt from South Africa that was going to beat him,” Player recalled, his voice brimming with intensity. “And the more they screamed for him, the more I loved it. The more they screamed for him, the more I (wanted to) beat him.”
Indeed, Player pulled out a one-shot victory for his first of three career Green Jackets. After his triumph over Palmer in 1961, “The Black Knight” earned a two-shot victory in 1974 and overcame a seven-shot final round deficit with a final round 64 on Sunday to win in 1978. Augusta holds a warm place in Player’s heart, and he made a record 52 career starts at the season’s first major.
“I can’t begin to express the fond memories I have of the Masters and everything that comes with it,” Player said before his final appearance in 2009. “Slipping into the Green Jacket; the Southern hospitality of the patrons; the rigorous competition; the Champions Dinner; the roars on Amen Corner; the drive down Magnolia Lane.”
Palmer and Player exemplify the winning attitude that defines Callaway Staff Pros, and Phil Mickelson and Trevor Immelman have carried on the same mentality in recent Masters. The two elite PGA Tour professionals have combined to win four of the last seven tournaments at Augusta.
Mickelson captured the first of his three career Green Jackets to date in 2004, fueled by a back nine 31 on Sunday and one of the greatest putts in major championship history. Lefty drained a downhill 18-foot birdie try on the 72nd hole for a one-shot win, and one of the loudest gallery roars in Augusta National’s storied history.
In 2006, Mickelson cruised to a final round 69 and a two-shot victory. While his first Augusta title came down to the final putt, his second Green Jacket became more of a one man show. “I loved it,” Mickelson said after making yet another champion’s speech. “The stress-free walk up 18 was incredible. It was a great feeling walking up there, knowing I had the tournament in hand.”
Although his first two Augusta wins were special in their own right, Mickelson enjoyed his most heartfelt run to the Green Jacket last year. Lefty carded a final round 67 to finish at 16-under; good enough for a three-shot victory on the famed Georgia track. Yet Mickelson’s greatest win came when his wife, Amy – in the midst of battling breast cancer – paid her husband a surprise visit on the 18th green on Sunday. “It’s been such an incredible week, an emotional week,” he said. “It’s something we’ll share for the rest of our lives.”

Mickelson provided the shot of his career on the par-5 13th that same day, when he snuck a 6-iron through two immediate overhanging trees, over Rae’s Creek and onto the green, four feet from the pin – all from a pine straw lie. “I just felt like at the time, I needed to trust my swing and hit a shot,” Mickelson said of firing at the green, a decision several commentators questioned at the time. “And it came off perfect.” Lefty will defend his third Masters victory this April.

New Callaway Staff Pro Trevor Immelman picked a great time to earn his second career PGA Tour victory nearly three years ago. He built a strong lead at the 2008 Masters and enjoyed a calm stroll up the 18th hole during his first Augusta victory. The affable South African drew inspiration from a voicemail left by one of his boyhood heroes – Gary Player.
The night before the final round, Player called to encourage his fellow countryman, a gesture that put Immelman at ease that Sunday. “Mr. Player told me he believed in me and I needed to believe in myself,” Immelman said. “I took that all to heart and I’m obviously thankful for the message and I’m sure he’s proud of me.”
*Masters is a registered trademark of Augusta National, Inc.
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