Played on American soil in the heart of Georgia, the Masters has come to be known as one of the United States’ premiere sporting events. That does not mean all champions have come from the homeland. There have been 12 men from nine different countries outside of the United States who have claimed green jackets.

The Masters' International Men Of History Slideshow

 

Gary Player, South Africa (1961, 1974, 1978)

Player became the first international player to win a green jacket in 1961 in a memorable duel with Arnold Palmer. After rain postponed the final round to Monday afternoon, Player reached the 72nd hole one stroke behind Palmer. After both players hit their approach shots, Palmer famously took a congratulatory handshake from the gallery thinking his ball was on the green. When the two players reached the green, they found both their balls in a greenside bunker. Player got up-and-down for par, while Palmer took a double-bogey. Player went on to win two more Masters titles, including a 1978 victory in which he posted a final round 64 to overcome a seven-stroke Sunday morning deficit.

 

Seve Ballesteros, Spain (1980, 1983)

Of Ballesteros's five major titles, only two came on American soil -- both at Augusta. In 1980, at age 23, the Spaniard became the tournament's youngest champion while having at least a share of the lead in every round. Ballesteros opened with a 66 on Thursday and never looked back. His only round in the 70s came on Sunday, when he conservatively shot a 72 for a four-shot victory. Ballesteros also won in 1983 by four strokes.

 

Bernhard Langer, Germany (1985, 1993)

At the 1985 Masters, Curtis Strange made an improbable comeback from a first-round score of 80 to take a three-stroke lead with six holes to play. Bogeys for Strange on the 13th, 15th and 18th holes allowed Langer, who birdied four of the final seven holes, to claim a two-stroke victory over Strange, Ballesteros and Raymond Floyd. Eight years later, Langer won his second green jacket with a four-shot win over Chip Beck. The two Masters victories are the only major titles of Langer's career.

 

Sandy Lyle, Scotland (1988)

Lyle was the 1988 tournament's third-round leader, but a double-bogey on the 12th hole on Sunday dropped him out of the lead. Despite failing to birdie the par-5 13th and 15th holes, a birdie on the par-3 16th hole kept Lyle breathing. Tied with Mark Calcavecchia on the 18th tee box, Lyle launched his tee shot into a fairway bunker. The Scot then hit one of the tournament’s most famous shots: a 7-iron that bounced past the flagstick before sliding back down the slope to within six feet of the hole. Lyle knocked the putt in and danced around the green to celebrate his only win at Augusta. It is common today to hear a British golf commentator refer to a shot coming back toward the flagstick on the 18th hole as having "shades of Sandy Lyle" in it.

 

Nick Faldo, England (1989, 1990, 1996)

Despite being the second-round leader in 1989 at -3, Sir Nick looked like dead meat after a third round 77. But Faldo was not ready to turn into fish and chips quite yet. The Englishman opened his final round (just hours after his third round ended Sunday morning due to poor Saturday weather conditions) by birdieing four of the first seven holes en route to a front nine 31. Faldo followed with a 34 on the back nine to come into the clubhouse with a lead at -5. Scott Hoch had a chance to win with a 25-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole, but he narrowly missed, setting up a playoff with Faldo. On the first sudden death playoff hole, the 10th hole, Hoch had a two-foot tap-in for the win. He lipped the putt and the two players went to the 11th hole. There, Faldo drained a 25-footer to win his first of three Masters. His 1990 victory came in a playoff victory over Raymond Floyd, while his 1996 six-shot comeback is remembered for the collapse of Greg Norman.

 

Ian Woosnam, Wales (1991)

Woosnam capped off four years of United Kingdom dominance with a 72nd hole victory in 1991. Woosnam, Jose Maraa Olazábal and Tom Watson all came into the 18th hole on Sunday at -11. Olazabal, playing in the second-to-last group, made his first bogey of the day. Watson followed with a double bogey, while Woosnam knocked in a five-foot par putt for the win. The title is the only major championship win of his career.

 

Jose Maria Olazabal, Spain (1994, 1999)

Three years after his 1991 hiccup, Olazabal redeemed himself at Augusta. Five birdies on Friday put the Spaniard in the driver’s seat, but Tom Lehman hung in Olazabal's rear-view window all weekend. It was not until he holed a 30-foot eagle putt on the 15th hole that Olazabal pulled away and took the title by two shots. Olazabal's victory made Spain the first nation outside of the United States to be represented by two Masters champions. In 1999, he handled the likes of Davis Love III and Greg Norman to win his second title.

 

Vijay Singh, Fiji (2000)

In the only major Tiger Woods did not win between the 1999 PGA Championship and the 2001 Masters, Singh controlled the field. Singh hit 58 of 72 greens to finish with no rounds over par and a total of -10. He fended off a late charge by Ernie Els and upstart American David Duval. Singh is the only green jacket winner from Asia/Australia.

 

Mike Weir, Canada (2003)

With third-round leader Jeff Maggert shooting a 75 to drop from -5 to -2, the tournament opened up to a large pack of suitors. Weir, who started the day at -3, shot a four-under 68, but a seven-under 65 knotted Len Mattiace with Weir at day's end. Mattiace finished so many groups before Weir, he had to wait about an hour before starting the playoff. On the first playoff hole, Weir stumbled to a bogey, but a double bogey from Mattiace gave Weir the victory. Weir became the first Canadian and first lefty to win the tournament.

 

Trevor Immelman, South Africa (2008)

Immelman entered Sunday with a two-stroke lead at -11. The three players just behind him, Brandt Snedeker, Steve Flesch and Paul Casey all shot rounds of 77 or higher and dropped out of contention. The one player Immelman had to worry about was the player who started in fifth place at -5: Woods. Woods stayed steady all day, posting an even-par 72. Immelman struggled, but was able to maintain a 75, good for a three-shot victory. He became the first player to lead the Masters after all four rounds since Raymond Floyd in 1976.

 

Angel Cabrera, Argentina (2009)

While Phil Mickelson tied a course record 30 on the front nine and Kenny Perry led for most of the day, Cabrera quietly kept his spot near the top of the leaderboard. Bogeys by Perry on 17 and 18 set up a three-way playoff with Cabrera, Perry, and Chad Campbell. After Campbell was eliminated on the first hole, Cabrera edged Perry on the second playoff hole to win. Cabrera became the first South American to win a green jacket. It was his second major title.

 

Charl Schwartzel, South Africa (2011)

In an epic final round in which eight players from six different continents led on Sunday, Schwartzel stood the tallest. The day is perhaps most remembered for Rory McIlroy's collapse in which his four-shot lead at the start of the day evaporated thanks to an 80. Woods shot a 31 on the front nine to come all the way back from -5 into contention, but his momentum died down on the back nine. Aussies Jason Day and Adam Scott made a run at their nation's first title, but Schwartzel, who birdied the final four holes for a 66, held them off by two shots. South Africa became the first nation other than the United States to have three champions.

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