Masters Sunday is 59 years in the making with Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player vibes
Sunday at The Masters will see a final pairing that hasn’t been seen since Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player battled at Augusta National.
Championship Sunday at Augusta National is here. This afternoon, in the 88th playing of this historic event, a new Masters champion will be crowned.
Scottie Scheffler and Collin Morikawa are in the final pairing. They are both 27 years old and have major championships under their belts.
It has been a while since this has happened in professional golf — 59 years to be exact.
In 1965, Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player were in the final pairing on Masters Sunday, in their 20s and both major winners, per The Athletic’s Justin Ray.
Both men in the final pairing are major champions and 27 years old.
— Justin Ray (@JustinRayGolf) April 13, 2024
The last time both members of a final pairing on Masters Sunday were both major winners in their 20s?
1965 - Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player
Sunday is history in the making. Morikawa could become the latest player to have three of the four majors under his belt. His last major championship came at the 2021 Open Championship with his first major back in 2020 at the PGA Championship.
He has been quiet the last few years, but he burst onto the scene and quickly won six PGA Tour wins and those two majors.
Scheffler, meanwhile, is looking to win his second Green Jacket in three years and his third victory of 2024. He took home the Arnold Palmer Invitational and became the first player in 50 years to win back-to-back Players Championships.
The World No. 1 would also be the first golfer since Tiger Woods in 1997 and 2001 to win two Green Jackets before the age of 28.
Scheffler is doing Tiger Woods-like things this year, and winning at Augusta National would only strengthen the comparison.
These two young players have been some of the biggest names since turning pro in 2019. They could also be among the ones battling for major titles like the Golden Bear, and Black Knight did all those years ago.
Savannah Leigh Richardson is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. For more golf coverage, be sure to follow us @_PlayingThrough on all major social platforms. You can also follow her on Twitter @SportsGirlSL and Instagram @savannah_leigh_sports.