As golf fans lock themselves in for the 90th running of the Masters, we look at how many English golfers have won at Augusta National throughout history.
Plus we outline the top Englishmen in action this year and who is England’s strongest hope of winning the Green Jacket come Sunday.
How Many English Golfers Have Won The Masters?
Ever since it’s inception in 1934, there have been just two English golfers who have claimed victory at the Masters.
Both these English winners have recorded victories around Augusta National Golf Club in the last 40 years too. It comes as no surprise to learn that the tournament has been won by an American more often than not.
In fact, the first 24 consecutive Masters tournaments were all won by a US player. In the 89 previous events, the Star-Spangled Banner has come out on top 64 times. This equates to 72% of every Masters tournament ever staged being won by an American golfer.
World number one Scottie Scheffler was the most recent of those American victors, winning his second Green Jacket two years ago. He is looking for a third Augusta success this year, with last year’s champion Rory McIlroy hoping to add his name to the list of back-to-back Masters winners too.
Although there are only two previous English winners of the Masters, the Augusta showdown has been won on four occasions by a representative of St George’s Cross.
These were Nick Faldo, who won the Masters three times, and Danny Willett.
Who Was The First English Golfer To Win The Masters?
The first non-American winner of the Masters came in 1961 when Gary Player triumphed at Augusta. Seve Ballesteros became the first European winner in 1980, with US players dominating the Masters for the majority of the years prior.
After Spaniard Ballesteros became the first European winner in 1980, the first victory from an Englishman came nine years later. Nick Faldo won the first of his three Green Jackets in 1989, before going back-to-back in 1990.
He then won his third and final Masters tournament in 1996 after extinguishing a six-shot disadvantage to Australia’s Greg Norman to claim an incredible come-from-behind victory in their iconic duel.
Since then, Danny Willett is the only English golfer to have won the Masters thanks to his unexpected victory at the 2016 tournament.
Justin Rose came agonisingly close to becoming England’s third Masters victor 12 months ago, but ultimately lost a play-off to Northern Irishman Rory McIlroy after both finished on -11 par after 72 holes.
How Many English Golfers Have Won The Masters?
- 1989 – Nick Faldo (-5)
- 1990 – Nick Faldo (-10)
- 1996 – Nick Faldo (-12)
- 2016 – Danny Willett (-5)
Danny Willett Became Only The Second English Masters Winner In 2016
Some 20 years on from Nick Faldo’s epic Masters win in 1996, the tournament saw its second English winner when Danny Willett pulled off a shock victory in 2016.
The Yorkshireman won that year’s Masters Tournament with a score of -5 – remarkably 13 shots worse than the previous year’s winner, Jordan Spieth, who had finished at -18.
Willett’s victory is also remembered for Spieth’s dramatic collapse. The defending champion held a five-shot lead during the final round as he reached the 10th hole, but disaster struck at the par-3 12th, where he recorded a quadruple bogey.
The Englishman took the opportunity to capitalise on Spieth’s disaster, holding his nerve to secure a monumental victory against all odds to claim his first and only major championship. Willett will be back in 2026 looking for his second Green Jacket.
Which English Golfers Are Playing In The 2026 Masters?
So, with only two English golfers having won the Masters before, there will be a whole host of new challengers trying to join Nick Faldo and Danny Willett this year.
The 2016 champion Willett is one of eight English golfers in action at Augusta this year. Faldo won’t compete and is long retired, but there are seven other Englishmen teeing it up at the 2026 Masters this year.
Matt Fitzpatrick is the leading Englishman in action at Augusta having had a strong start to his DP World Tour and PGA Tour campaign this calendar year.
According to the bookies, England’s next best chance of success this week is Tommy Fleetwood. Although Fleetwood has never tasted major championship success, he did win the FedEx Cup last year after clinching his first victory on American soil in the process.
Justin Rose of course lost in a play-off to career Grand Slam winner Rory McIlroy last year, and is back again 12 months later looking to go one better. He is highly fancied in the latest odds, just outside the top10 betting favourites.
Other high-profile English players include Tyrrell Hatton, whose best finish at Augusta came in 2024 when he tied for nineth place. Aaron Rai is also in action, looking to better his debut T27 from last year.
There are also two debutants from England teeing it up around the hallowed Augusta turf for the very first time come Thursday. Marco Penge and Harry Hall make their respective Masters bows this year.
Here are all eight English players in action at Augusta National Golf Club this week:
- Tommy Fleetwood
- Matt Fitzpatrick
- Tyrrell Hatton
- Justin Rose
- Danny Willett
- Marco Penge
- Aaron Rai
- Harry Hall
Masters Winners By Country 🗺️
- USA: 64
- Spain: 6
- South Africa: 5
- England: 4
- Germany: 2
- Japan: 1
- Australia:1
- Fiji: 1
- Canada: 1
- Argentina: 1
- Scotland: 1
- Wales: 1
- Northern Ireland: 1
Masters Golf Winners Over The Last 10 Years
- 2025 – Rory McIlroy (-11)
- 2024 – Scottie Scheffler (-11)
- 2023 – Jon Rahm (-12)
- 2022 – Scottie Scheffler (-10)
- 2021 – Hideki Matsuyama (-10)
- 2020 – Dustin Johnson (-20)
- 2019 – Tiger Woods (-13)
- 2018 – Patrick Reed (-15)
- 2017 – Sergio Garcia (-9)
- 2016 – Danny Willett (-5)
