MISSOURI – At the end of a rollercoaster tournament on Sunday’s round at the Masters, Rory McIlroy made history when he earned the green jacket during a sudden death playoff—successfully fulfilling his 11-year-long journey to become the sixth person to complete a career Grand Slam.
While there were no players from Missouri competing in one of the most distinguished golf events this year, it is home to a few notable names who also hold the title, including the first person to ever win the tournament.
Horton Smith
From Springfield, Missouri, Horton Smith began partaking in golf in 1920, when he was 12 years old. He trained at the Springfield Country Club and stayed put as he went to school at the State Teacher’s College.
For the Great Depression years, he was deemed as the “finest putter and chipper of his era,” which would lead him to victory of the first Augusta National Invitational in 1934, the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame said.
Smith was playing against Craig Wood for the final round, and a 20-foot birdie putt on the 17th hole put him in the lead with four under par. According to Golfweek, Smith won $1,500 for his historic first-place standing. Two years later, Smith claimed the title yet again. During both of Smith’s wins, the green jacket wasn’t in existence yet.
Beyond the green, Smith became PGA president from 1952 to 1954. He died in 1963 and was inducted into the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame the following year.
Herman Keiser
Herman Keiser was another professional golfer from Springfield, spending most of his time as a club professional. He introduced himself to the game through caddying when he was 10 years old, and would continue to play as a club professional until he joined the Navy during World War II for a few years.
Upon his arrival back home, he immediately returned to the game—which he never really left, as his daughter told The Augusta Chronicle that he had brought his golf clubs with him overseas—and defied a whole bunch of odds to take the #1 spot in the leaderboard by one stroke in the 1946 Masters.
During his go-around at the Masters, Keiser was able to get some advice from Horton Smith, and he said his win was “the greatest thing that ever happened to me,” according to the Joplin Independent.
Although he never won another Masters, he helped bring the 1947 Ryder Cup Team to success. Almost 50 years later, Keiser was inducted into the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame in 1994, just nine years before passing.
Tom Watson
Born as a Kansas City native, Tom Watson was brought into the world of golf from his father. He honed in on his skill at the Kansas City Country Club while also playing for his team with The Pembroke-Country Day School. Watson took first place in the Missouri State Amateur Championships four times within five years.
Winning the green jacket in 1977 was only his second time coming in first at a major championship. The day of his win, he birdied the first seven holes, and later made a 20-foot birdie on the 17th hole, according to the Augusta Chronicle. He beat Jack Nicklaus by two strokes.
Fast forward four years later, Watson claimed the title as the Masters champion, again defeating Nicklaus as well as Johnny Miller.
In total, Watson has won 39 PGA tour championships, according to his website. His latest win was at the 2011 Senior PGA Championship at Valhalla, and has been deemed as one of the greatest golf players.
Watson was among the three honorary starters to commence the 2025 Masters—in addition to Nicklaus and Gary Player—and still stays closely tied to the game.
Watson was inducted into the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame last year.