Winners rose to challenge

70 YEARS AGO

With a little bit of luck, Craig Wood could have won multiple Masters before the tournament was interrupted by World War II. He was runner-up by a shot in the inaugural event in 1934, and the next year Gene Sarazen caught Wood with his improbable double eagle in the final round. Sarazen prevailed the next day in the only 36-hole playoff in tournament history.

By the time the 1940s rolled around, Wood had to wonder whether he would ever win at Augusta National.

In 1941, Wood took luck out of the equation. He opened with a brilliant 6-under 66, and he followed with consecutive rounds of 71. Going into the final round, Wood held a commanding lead.

He did nothing to put his victory in jeopardy, and his final-round 72 was good for a three-shot win over Byron Nelson. Wood became the first wire-to-wire winner of the Masters.

60 YEARS AGO

Sam Snead and Skee Riegel shared the 54-hole lead in 1951, and Ben Hogan was one shot behind. Most people figured that a Sunday shootout would ensue.

Snead did produce plenty of fireworks, but not the kind he wanted. He skied to an 80 that eliminated his chances.

Riegel, a young pro, didn't flinch. Playing a couple of hours in front of Hogan, he shot 71 and posted a 6-under total of 282.

Hogan got off to a hot start with a birdie at the second hole and he knocked his approach tight at the third for another birdie. At the eighth, he chipped in for birdie from just off the green and he made the turn in 3-under 33. That's when he noticed he had a one-shot lead over Riegel. All he needed to do was play the final nine in even par to slip into his first green coat.

Hogan played conservatively, making pars on every hole except the 13th, which he birdied. He won by two shots over Riegel.

50 YEARS AGO

Golfers who were born outside of the United States are now the norm, not the exception, at the Masters Tournament.

In 2010, 52 of the 96 golfers who started were international players. In 1961, though, 73 of the 88 starters were Americans. And Arnold Palmer, the defending champion at Augusta National Golf Club, was their leader.

Gary Player, of South Africa, was the leading money winner on the professional tour through the first three months of the season, but Palmer was getting all the attention heading into the year's first major.

Palmer picked up where he left off the year before by shooting 68 to share the opening-round lead with Bob Rosburg. A 69 in the second round kept Palmer at the top, but he had to share it with Player.

Player took control with 69 in the third round to open a four-shot lead over Palmer, but he had to wait an extra day as heavy rain washed out Sunday's play.

Finishing Monday, Palmer made a charge and seized the lead on the back nine after Player found trouble on the par-5s. The South African made a double bogey at the 13th and a bogey at the 15th to surrender his lead.

Palmer came to the 18th hole with a one-shot edge, but he played a little too nonchalantly and pushed his approach into the greenside bunker. He bladed his third shot across the green, then chipped back long.

Facing a 15-footer to save bogey and force a playoff, Palmer missed.

"It was certainly a disappointment. I made a very bad mistake in the process of playing the 18th hole," Palmer said. "It was something I was taught not to do. I knew better, but my mind was kind of reeling and I made a mistake."

Player became the first foreign player to wear the green coat.

"It was a very important thing because it gave encouragement for many to follow suit," Player said. "There's an international player who can do it. It was really not the desire then to play around the world."

40 YEARS AGO

Most people figured Charles Coody didn't stand a chance in 1971. Even though he was the co-leader after 54 holes, it was the other guy who was the smart choice to win. Jack Nicklaus had already won three Masters, even though it had been five years since he last donned a green jacket.

And, thanks to a scheduling quirk, Nicklaus was playing for the second leg of the Grand Slam. He had won the PGA Championship two months before.

Coody had challenged for a green jacket in 1969, but let it slip away late in the final round. Through three rounds this time, Coody had put himself in position for his first major win.

While all eyes were on Nicklaus, the early story of the final round belonged to Johnny Miller. The young pro stormed into the lead by playing his first 14 holes in 6-under fashion. With just four holes to go, he held a two-shot lead over Coody.

But Miller couldn't close out the win. He bogeyed the 16th and 18th holes, and Coody birdied the 15th and 16th. Just like that, Coody was up by two. Nicklaus could not chase him down. A cold putter left him with 72 and ruined his chances of moving closer to the Grand Slam.

30 YEARS AGO

Augusta National and the Masters were undergoing significant changes in the late 1970s and early 1980s.

Hord Hardin had become the club's third chairman, and his first major project was to oversee the conversion of the greens from bermuda to bentgrass.

That occurred before the 1981 Masters, and that suited Tom Watson just fine. America's top player was up for the challenge.

One thing had not changed, though. If Watson was going to win his second Masters, he would have to beat Jack Nicklaus.

Nicklaus set the pace at the midway point after rounds of 70 and 65.

At 41, no one questioned his ability to win a major after he had won the U.S. Open and PGA the year before.

Watson, though, wasn't intimidated. He stayed within striking distance, and when Nicklaus stumbled to 75 in the third round, he slipped ahead with 70.

In the final round, though, it was Johnny Miller who put up the biggest challenge to Watson. His 68 brought him to within two shots.

Nicklaus, meanwhile, struggled to make a charge. He could do no better than even-par 72.

That left Watson to play his game and battle the new greens. He did fine with both, shooting 1-under 71 for a two-shot win over Nicklaus and Miller.

20 YEARS AGO

Americans wanted to break Europe's dominance in the Masters Tournament but couldn't seem to find the right man.

A trio of Americans - Jim Gallagher, Mark McCumber and Lanny Wadkins - seized the opening-round lead with 67s. And Tom Watson, 10 years removed from his last win in Augusta, posted consecutive rounds of 68 to seize the 36-hole lead.

Ian Woosnam, of Wales, got off to a slow start with 72 but roared into contention with a second-round 66. When he shot 67 in the third round, he held a one-shot lead over Watson.

Woosnam, Watson and Spain's Jose Maria Olazabal all came to the final hole tied for the lead. But first Olazabal made bogey, then Watson faltered with a double bogey.

Woosnam, playing in the final pairing with Watson, had hit his tee shot over the fairway bunkers on the left. His second shot came up short on the fringe, and his third shot left him a 6-foot par putt for the victory.

The Welshman drained the putt, then crouched down and pumped his fist.

10 YEARS AGO

Imagine taking a series of tests. You ace the first three and, if you can pass the fourth, you'll make history. Then, imagine having to sleep on that thought for eight months.

That's what Tiger Woods faced coming into the 2001 Masters. He had won the U.S. Open, British Open and PGA Championship in 2000, and now he was going for his version of the Grand Slam. No player had ever held all four professional major golf titles in one year.

So, from the PGA Championship in August until April, Woods had to wait. A media frenzy greeted him when he arrived in Augusta.

While Woods got the lion's share of attention, Masters rookie Chris DiMarco seized the lead. He opened with rounds of 65 and 69, but he couldn't shake Woods. The favorite had started with scores of 70 and 66, and his 68 in the third round gave him the 54-hole lead.

Plenty of top players, including Phil Mickelson and David Duval, were also in the hunt. Coming down the stretch Sunday, those two players were the only ones with a chance to deny Woods. The par-3 16th proved to be their undoing. Duval's tee shot flew the green, and he couldn't save par. Mickelson, meanwhile, 3-putted for bogey after his tee shot wound up in an awkward spot on the green.

With a one-shot cushion, Woods played the final hole like a champion. He rolled in his birdie putt, then buried his face in his hands. Congratulations poured in from all over the globe, including a telephone call from President George W. Bush.