1949 Masters Tournament
The 1949 Masters Tournament was the 13th Masters Tournament, held April 7–10 at Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia. This was the first year that the famous Green Jacket was awarded to the tournament winner, and previous champions were awarded theirs retroactively.
Sam Snead shot consecutive rounds of 67 on the weekend to win by three strokes over runners-up Johnny Bulla and Lloyd Mangrum. This was the first of his three Masters victories and the third of his seven major championships. Snead also won the next major, the PGA Championship|PGA Championship] in May, and became the first to win those two in the same calendar year. He was followed by Jack Burke Jr. and Jack Nicklaus ; they completed their doubles in the summer.
Previous champions of both the Masters and PGA Championship, won in different calendar years, were Gene Sarazen, Byron Nelson, and Henry Picard.
Defending tour player of the year Ben Hogan did not play in the majors in 1949, due to a near-fatal automobile collision in west Texas in early February. Prior to the accident, he had won twice in January and was a runner-up in a playoff. Hogan returned to the tour on a limited basis in 1950 and won six more majors, including the Masters in 1951 and 1953. He finished fourth in 1950, in his first major back.
Founder and host Bobby Jones played in his last Masters the year before; diagnosed with syringomyelia and recovering from spinal surgery, this was his first as a spectator.
Field
;1. Masters championsJimmy Demaret, Claude Harmon, Herman Keiser, Byron Nelson, Henry Picard, Gene Sarazen, Horton Smith, Craig Wood
- Ralph Guldahl did not play.
Billy Burke, Johnny Farrell, Lawson Little, Lloyd Mangrum, Lew Worsham
;3. U.S. Amateur champions
Dick Chapman, Skee Riegel
;4. British Open champions
Denny Shute, Sam Snead
;5. British Amateur champions
Frank Stranahan, Robert Sweeny Jr.
;6. PGA champions
Jim Ferrier, Vic Ghezzi, Bob Hamilton, Johnny Revolta
;7. Members of the U.S. 1949 Ryder Cup team
- Team not selected in time for inclusion.
- Team not selected in time for inclusion.
Art Bell, Johnny Bulla, Ed Dudley, Ed Furgol, Fred Haas, Chick Harbert, Dutch Harrison, Dick Metz, Cary Middlecoff, Al Smith, Harry Todd
- Ben Hogan did not play.
Skip Alexander, Herman Barron, Leland Gibson, Otto Greiner, Joe Kirkwood Jr., Jug McSpaden, Toney Penna, George Schneiter, Herschel Spears, Jim Turnesa, Ellsworth Vines
- Charles Congdon and Smiley Quick did not play.
Charles Coe, Gene Dahlbender, Jimmy McGonagill
- Ray Billows, Bruce McCormick and Willie Turnesa did not play.
George Fazio, Mike Turnesa
;13. One amateur, not already qualified, selected by a ballot of ex-U.S. Amateur champions
Johnny Dawson
;14. One professional, not already qualified, selected by a ballot of ex-U.S. Open champions
Johnny Palmer
;15. Two players, not already qualified, with the best scoring average in the winter part of the 1950 PGA Tour
Pete Cooper, Clayton Heafner
;16 Winner of 1948 Inter-service Invitational tournament
Fred Moseley
;17 Home club professional
;18. Foreign invitations
John de Bendern, Tony Holguin, Bobby Locke
Round summaries
First round
Thursday, April 7, 1949| Place | Player | Score | To par | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1 |  |1912Second roundFriday, April 8, 1949
|